BACKGROUND: Most maternal and neonatal deaths occur during the first 24 hours afterrnchildbirth. Utilization of postnatal care prevents the maternal mortality and morbidity.rnOBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to assess the postnatal care utilization and associatedrnfactors in Asella town, Regional State of Oromia, Ethiopia.rnMETHODS: A community based cross-sectional study supported by a qualitative study conductedrnfrom March-April, 2015 in Asella town to assess the utilization of postnatal care services andrnassociated factors among women who had given birth in the last one year prior to the study. Arnmultistage sampling technique was used to select participants in the study. The total sample size inrnthis study was 630 mothers. A structured questionnaires and focus group discussions were used torncollect the data. Data were entered, cleaned and coded into EPI info and exported to SPSS versionrn20 for the quantitative study. Thematic framework analysis was implemented manually for thernqualitative type of study.rnRESULTS: Results of this study revealed that majority of mothers were sought ANC visit duringrntheir recent pregnancy and 98.6% of the respondents were delivered at health facilities. Howeverrn65% of women did not received PNC services. The most frequent reasons for not obtaining PNCrnservices were due to lack of awareness, apparently healthy, shortage of money and cultural barriers.rnIn this study the following factors were identified as having an important predictors in the utilizationrnof PNC services Husbandâ€™s occupation (self employed husbands) with (AOR=6.433, 95% CI=1.72-rn24.03), number of ANC visit (four times and above) (AOR=2.614, 95%CI= 1.71-9.57), and decisionrnmaking power of the mother (AOR=13.828, 95%CI= 1.39-137.28) were statistically significantrnassociations with the utilization of PNC service. Another important reason which was indicated byrnFGD participants was lack of willingness and unfriendly approach by some health professionals inrngovernment health facilities may hinder mothers from utilization of PNC services.rnConclusion: This study revealed that utilization of PNC in Asella town is low compared to otherrnstudies previously done in Ethiopia. To increase utilization of PNC coverage and reduce maternalrnand neonatal mortality mothers should obtain more appropriate education and quality ANC, deliveryrnand PNC services. The results of this study may be useful for policy makers to develop appropriaternstrategies to improve utilization of PNC services.rnKey words: PNC services. Utilization. ANC visit. Asella town.