What actually sets Utah apart
Truth in Taxation makes Utah one of the more disciplined states in the country: a district cannot quietly collect a windfall from rising values, because doing so requires an advertised hearing and a recorded vote. Increases still happen, but they are visible before they land on your bill.
Property taxes in Utah at a glance
- Average effective tax rate: 0.53% of home value per year
- Median home value: $455,000
- Estimated tax on a median-value home: $2,412 per year (about $201 per month)
- Rank by tax rate: 44th of 50, highest first
- Rank by amount actually paid: 29th of 50, highest first
- Where these figures come from: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, for the Utah statewide averages shown above — ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates, last reviewed September 2026.
Why the Utah rate understates the bill
Ranked by rate, Utah is 44th of the fifty. Ranked by what an owner actually pays, it is 29th — 15 places higher. The rate is not doing that work; the $455,000 median home value is. A modest percentage of an expensive house is still an expensive bill.
North Dakota makes the point. It charges 0.99%, roughly 1.9 times the Utah rate, and its median owner still pays about $2,392 a year — some $20 less than a Utah owner on a median-value home.
How Utah works out what you owe
A primary residence receives a 45% exemption, so it is taxed on 55% of market value. Second homes and rentals are taxed on the full amount.
Truth in Taxation requires a taxing entity to hold a public hearing and vote before collecting more revenue from existing property than it did the previous year, so rates fall automatically as values rise.
Exemptions Utah homeowners should claim
Each of these reduces a Utah bill every year you hold the property, and almost none are granted without a claim:
- Primary residential exemption: The 45% exemption applies only to a primary residence. Counties periodically audit the roll, and a property misclassified as primary is reassessed with penalties.
- Circuit breaker and veteran abatements: Income-tested relief for owners aged 66 or older and for widows and widowers, plus an abatement for disabled veterans scaled to the disability rating.
Where you buy inside Utah changes the bill
A statewide average hides its extremes. Where they show up in Utah:
- Salt Lake County: the largest tax base in the state, with rates that differ noticeably between the valley's many cities
- Utah County: Provo and the fast-growing north end, where new subdivisions carry recently issued school bonds
- Summit County: Park City, where the second-home share is high and most of the roll does not receive the 45% primary residential exemption
Utah and its neighbours
The same $455,000 — the Utah median — taxed at each neighbouring state's average rate:
- Idaho at 0.53%: about $2,412 a year, roughly $1 less than the $2,412 a Utah owner would pay on the same value.
- Wyoming at 0.58%: about $2,639 a year, roughly $227 more than the $2,412 a Utah owner would pay on the same value.
- Colorado at 0.49%: about $2,230 a year, roughly $183 less than the $2,412 a Utah owner would pay on the same value.
- New Mexico at 0.72%: about $3,276 a year, roughly $864 more than the $2,412 a Utah owner would pay on the same value.
- Arizona at 0.52%: about $2,366 a year, roughly $46 less than the $2,412 a Utah owner would pay on the same value.
- Nevada at 0.49%: about $2,230 a year, roughly $183 less than the $2,412 a Utah owner would pay on the same value.
Appealing a Utah assessment
If the assessed value on your Utah home overstates what it is worth, the route is an appeal to the county Board of Equalization, then the Utah State Tax Commission. The window is appeals are due by 15 September after the July valuation notice, and it is strict — missing it means waiting a full cycle.
Frequently asked questions
When are Utah property taxes due, and when must exemption claims be filed?
Bills are mailed in the autumn and are due by 30 November. Abatements are applied for with the county, generally by 1 September.
Does this calculator use my exact Utah county tax rate?
No — it applies the Utah statewide average of 0.53%. Rates are set locally, and the spread inside Utah is wide enough to matter: on a $455,000 home, $2,073 a year separates Utah from an averagely taxed state before any county variation is counted. Check the parcel's own rate with its Utah county before relying on this figure.
Reference sources
Related calculators
How this estimate is built
Principal and interest come from the standard amortization formula, worked through in full on the formula reference page. Property tax, insurance, PMI and loan-program figures layer on top from published assumptions — each one sourced, dated and listed on the methodology page. Every result here is an estimate built from public data, not a quote: confirm the specifics with a lender before relying on it.
For developers
This calculation is also available as a REST API and through an MCP server, both running the same engine as this page — so the figures match by construction rather than by convention. No key required.