Plain definitions

Words to know

The big picture: Court forms use words most people never need until now. Here is what they mean, in the order you are likely to see them.

Petition

The form that asks a court for something, like a new name. The person who files it is the petitioner.

Fee waiver and fee deferral

A waiver means you do not pay a court fee because you cannot afford it. A deferral, offered in Oregon, means you pay it later.

Circuit court

Oregon's main trial court. Every county has one.

District court

In Washington, a local court where you can file a public name change. In Utah, the main trial court, where name and sex changes are filed.

Superior court

Washington's main trial court. It hears sealed name changes.

Hearing

A time when you go before a judge, in person or sometimes by video, and the judge may ask you questions.

Notice

Telling someone with a legal interest, like a child's other parent, that a case was filed.

Judgment or order

The judge's signed decision. It is your proof of the change.

Notice of Entry of Judgment

In Oregon, a notice the court sends when your judgment is entered in its records. The change is official at that point. Source: Oregon court forms packet, July 2026

Certified copy

A copy of a court order or record with an official stamp or seal that shows it is a true copy. Most offices want this, not a photocopy.

Confidential, sealed, and private

Each state uses its own word. In Oregon, a confidential case can be seen only by you, your lawyer, the court, and people a judge allows. In Washington, a sealed name change file has no public access. In Utah, a private case keeps your filed papers from the public, but the case history and hearings are public. Source: 2026 Oregon Laws ch. 52 Source: RCW 4.24.130 Source: Utah Courts name and sex change page

Address Confidentiality Program

An Oregon state program that keeps participants' addresses private. Certified participants can ask the court to seal a name change case. Source: ORS chapter 33

Legal sex, sex designation, gender marker

The M, F, or X on an ID or a record. Courts and agencies use different names for the same thing.

X

A marker for people who are not exclusively male or female. Oregon's DMV says X stands for "not specified." Oregon birth records list X as nonbinary. Washington describes X as a gender that is not exclusively male or female. Source: Oregon DMV Source: Oregon Vital Records, gender identity page Source: Washington Department of Health

Attest

To state under oath that something is true. In Oregon, you attest that you have had treatment appropriate for you to affirm your gender identity.

Clear and convincing evidence

A high level of proof: more than "more likely than not," but less than "beyond a reasonable doubt." Utah requires it for a sex designation change.

Notary and notarized

A notary is an official who checks your ID and watches you sign. Their stamp shows you signed. Banks and shipping stores often have one.

Administrative process

Changing a record by filling out an agency's form instead of going to court. Example: Oregon's birth certificate form OHA 2673.

Amendment and amendment history

An amendment is a change to an official record. In Utah, an amendment history is a separate document that lists which parts of a birth certificate changed and when.

Vital records

The state office that keeps birth certificates. Only the office in the state where you were born can change yours.

Emancipated

A person under 18 whom a court has declared legally independent from their parents.

Guardian ad litem

A person the court appoints to look out for a child's interests in a case. In Utah, the court appoints one in sex designation cases for children 15 years and 6 months or older. Source: Utah Code 26B-8-111

Self-help center and courthouse facilitator

Court programs that help people without lawyers with forms and steps. They cannot give legal advice.

REAL ID

A license or ID card that meets federal security standards. Oregon offers M, F, or X on both REAL ID and standard cards.

Sources for this page

We read each of these on the date shown. See every source and what each label means.

1. Name and Sex Change Packet (Adult), Oregon Judicial Department (Forms dated July 2026). Checked November 3, 2026.
2. Oregon Laws 2026, chapter 52 (House Bill 4088), Oregon State Legislature (Effective March 31, 2026; sections 11 and 12 operative July 1, 2026). Checked November 3, 2026.
3. RCW 4.24.130: Change of name, Washington State Legislature (Official copy certified July 12, 2024). Checked November 3, 2026.
4. Petition for Name or Sex Change (Gender Marker Change), Utah State Courts (Live page). Checked November 3, 2026.
5. ORS chapter 33 (2025 edition): sections 33.410, 33.420, 33.460, Oregon State Legislature (2025 edition). Checked November 3, 2026.
6. Change Your Gender Designation, Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services (Live page). Checked November 3, 2026.
7. Change Birth Record to Support Gender Identity, Oregon Health Authority, Vital Records (Live page; form OHA 2673 rev. 03/26). Checked November 3, 2026.
8. Sex designation change on a birth certificate, Washington State Department of Health (Live page). Checked November 3, 2026.
9. Utah Code 26B-8-111: Birth certificate name or sex designation change, Utah State Legislature (Effective May 7, 2025). Checked November 3, 2026.