- Assessment basis
- 100% of fair market value (Jan 1 lien date) — EXCEPT the constitutional PRIMARY RESIDENTIAL EXEMPTION: 45% of value exempt for primary residences (taxed on 55%), Utah Const. Art. XIII §3 / §59-2-103. One exemption per household statewide; 183-day domicile standard; tenant-occupied year-round rentals qualify; applies to home + first acre. NIGHTLY/SHORT-TERM RENTALS, second homes, cabins, and rental-pool condos are EXCLUDED — taxed at 100%.
- Reassessment cycle
- 100% fair market value (Jan 1) with THE 45% PRIMARY RESIDENTIAL EXEMPTION as the state's central structure: primary residences taxed on 55% of value (one per household, 183-day domicile, home + first acre) while commercial, vacant, second homes, and SHORT-TERM RENTALS pay on 100% — a built-in ~1.8x premium per dollar of value. Annual mass appraisal; detailed review every 5 years; notices ~July; elected county assessors with USTC oversight.
- Reassessment trigger
- Annual update + permits — but PRIMARY/SECONDARY CLASSIFICATION is the real tax event (a 45% base swing). SB13 declaration letters must be answered or the exemption is withdrawn. Moderator: TRUTH IN TAXATION — certified tax rates are set to yield last year's revenue plus new growth, so rates FALL as values rise; taking more requires advertised August hearings. Revenue-driven, not rate-driven: model your value SHARE, not headline rates.
- Personal & intangible property
- Business personal property taxable at 100% with annual signed statements; small-business tangible exemption threshold by statute (confirm current amount with USTC); utilities/mines centrally assessed.
- CRE forecasting note
- Budget to the certified-rate mechanics and watch August hearing season; classification drift (tenant departure, STR use) moves 45% of a residential asset's base overnight — resort counties (Summit, Wasatch, Washington, Grand) enforce actively. Appeals: county Board of Equalization by SEPTEMBER 15 or 45 days after the notice (whichever is later), then State Tax Commission in 30 days. Greenbelt rollback on ag conversion.
- Residential note
- The 45% exemption is the whole ballgame: confirm the notice says 'Residential' not 'Secondary' (or that Taxable < Market); answer SB13 declaration letters or the exemption is withdrawn; one per household statewide (second homes never qualify). Circuit Breaker for income-qualified seniors/widows; disabled-veteran and blind exemptions; active-duty exemption regardless of occupancy. Appeals and PRE filings both key to Sep 15.
STR CLASSIFICATION — Nightly/short-term rentals and second homes excluded from the 45% exemption — taxed at 100%.
SPLIT RATE — Primary residences on 55% of value vs 100% for everything else (~1.8x premium).
REVENUE DRIVEN RATES — Truth in Taxation certified rates — rates fall as values rise.
FILING REQUIRED RELIEF — SB13 declarations: unanswered letters withdraw the exemption.
APPEAL DEADLINE — Sep 15 / 45-day BOE clock.
CENTRAL ASSESSMENT CARVEOUT — Utilities/mines assessed by USTC.
Primary sources: USTC propertytax.utah.gov + county roster; Weber/Utah/Salt Lake/Davis county official assessor pages; Utah Const. Art. XIII §3; §59-2-103 (as of 2026-07-04). Confirm current rules and figures with the assessing authority before any use.