Audit: residential property values and statutory freezes drove much of recent property tax growth

Summary

Legislative auditors reported that taxing entities generally set certified tax rates correctly and held required hearings, but statewide residential property value increases, a five-year basic rate freeze and local tax decisions shifted a growing share of tax burden onto residential property owners. The committee referred the

Auditors told the Legislative Audit Committee on 2025-09-25 that a performance audit of local authorities’ property tax systems found most taxing entities calculate certified tax rates correctly and hold truth-in-taxation hearings when required, but statewide and county-level shifts in taxable value have moved more of the property tax burden onto residential homeowners.

The auditors examined statewide datasets and a six-county sample to identify causes for higher property tax bills. They said taxing entities mostly collected within 10% of budgeted revenue in a given year and that outliers often reflected collection timing for personal property rather than rate-setting errors.

Why it matters: Auditors identified several systemic contributors to higher residential property tax burdens, including rapid increases in residential taxable value in many counties, the Utah basic rate freeze that held…

Audit: residential property values and statutory freezes drove much of recent property tax growth

Summary

Subscribe to keep reading