Park City Property Guide - Park City and Deer Valley Real Estate News

Property Tax Season-

How do real estate property tax rates in other Utah counties compare to Summit County property taxes?

A quick disclaimer- the following was completed after doing some basic research.   Real estate property tax structure can be complex, and includes multiple tax areas within each county (there are 60 areas in Summit County).   In bringing forward some observations, it’s not my intent to suggest that property taxes are too low or high. 

After selling real estate for years in Park City, Summit County and Salt Lake County, I noticed that for property at similar price points, property taxes  assessed on property located in Salt Lake County are noticeably higher than those in Park City.

I used the PropertyTax101.org to do some research and compare the property rates in the different Utah counties.   The site lists county median tax rates and median property tax paid.  These two numbers highlight some important differences when comparing Summit County to the 28 other Utah counties. 

According to PropertyTax101.org:

The median tax rate in Summit County is .39%-  which ranks Summit County at 24^th out of the 29 Utah counties.  In other words, among the 29 Utah counties, Summit County has one of the lower property tax rates.  PropertyTax101.org ranks Salt Lake County as the 3^rd highest in Utah- with an average property tax rate of .67%.   

Summit County does have the highest median property tax amount collected- listed by the website at $1921.00.  Median home price across all of Summit County is listed by the site at $492,000.00, compared to Salt Lake County’s median value of $237,500.  However, despite the enormous difference between median values in Summit and Salt Lake County, there isn’t a proportional difference in tax collected.  Salt Lake County’s median property tax collected is $1588.00.  Just a difference of $333.00 despite the median value being double in Summit County.

PropertyTax101.org lists Utah at 40^th for median tax rate, and 32^nd for median tax paid. 

Some general property tax information:
If you own real estate in Park City or Summit County, by now, you should have received a property tax disclosure statement from Summit County.  The statement discloses what property tax amount you paid last year, and what you can expect to pay this year if proposed budgets are approved.   The statement also lists whether or not you are receiving the primary resident discount.  Double check the statement to confirm you are receiving the discount if you occupy your property as a primary resident, or your property qualifies for the discount because you are leasing it out long term. 

Summit County does provide an appeals process if you feel there are errors on the statement, or if the assessed amount seems high.   The deadline to file your property tax appeal this year is 5pm on September 15^th.   For information about the appeals process, please visit SummitCounty.org.  Go to the Government page, then Assessor, and then Board of Equalization.  The Appeal information and form are provided on the site.