Utah property tax appeal savings estimator
See what a successful Board of Equalization appeal saves you — year one plus cumulative 5-year — and how it compares to the appraisal fee. September 15 is the filing deadline.
Estimated savings from a successful appeal
How this works
Utah property tax is calculated on the taxable value of your property. For primary residences, the taxable value is 55% of the assessed value under Utah's residential exemption (a 45% discount). For rentals and second homes, the taxable value is 100% of assessed. The county tax rate is then applied to that taxable value to produce the annual tax bill.
A successful appeal reduces the assessed value. If your $720,000 primary residence gets a 10% reduction, the assessed value drops to $648,000. That flows through to a lower taxable value, and then a lower annual tax bill. In Salt Lake County, that specific example saves roughly $760/year — every year, until the next reassessment cycle.
The math on the appraisal fee is compelling in most cases. A $500 appraisal that supports a 10% reduction on a $700K+ Utah home typically saves 1-2× the appraisal fee in year one alone, and 5-10× cumulatively over five years. For higher-value homes and higher reductions, the multiple grows quickly.
Deadlines and process
Utah's Board of Equalization appeal deadline is September 15 of the assessment year — hard deadline in most counties, with a limited late-appeal window (March 31 of the following year) available only in specific circumstances. Notices of valuation typically mail in late July, giving you about 6 weeks to review, order an appraisal if needed, and file the appeal packet.
Filing itself is done through each county's auditor or clerk. The BOE hearing usually happens 4-8 months after filing, with the decision arriving 30-90 days after the hearing. Successful appeals reduce the following year's tax bill and, in most cases, carry forward until the county reassesses upward with new evidence.
What the calculator estimates and what it doesn't
The calculator uses recent county-average effective tax rates. Actual rates vary by taxing district within each county (school districts, cities, special-service districts), so your specific property's rate may be 5-15% higher or lower than the county average. The 5-year cumulative assumes constant tax rates and no reassessment upward — real cumulative savings depend on how often the county reassesses your specific property.