Are Property Taxes Higher in Salt Lake County or Utah County?
For new construction, yes – Salt Lake County taxes at a higher effective rate. Based on 2024 assessor records for recently completed homes, a new single-family home is taxed at about 0.55% of its assessed value in Salt Lake County versus about 0.52% in Utah County. The gap is wider on townhomes: about 0.60% in Salt Lake County versus about 0.48% in Utah County, because so much of the Salt Lake County new-townhome supply is in high-rate submarkets like Magna, West Valley City, Millcreek, and Midvale. On the median new home, a Salt Lake County buyer pays roughly $780 a year more in property tax on a single-family home, and about $880 more on a townhome – on top of paying more for the house itself, since Salt Lake County new single-family prices also run about $101,000 higher. Property tax compounds the Salt Lake County cost premium rather than softening it. Effective rates are from tax year 2024 assessor records on completed new-construction homes (2023-2025 builds); a brand-new 2026 home is assessed on land only for its first year or two, so your first tax bill will look tiny and then jump to roughly the rate times what you paid once the county adds the house to the roll. Figures are as of September 2026 and move with annual valuations and mill rates. All rates assume the primary-residence exemption; a rental or second home pays roughly 1.8 times as much.
Related: How Does New Construction in Salt Lake County Compare to Utah County? · Which Utah Cities Have the Lowest Property Tax Rate for a New Home? · New Construction Homes in Utah