Closing Costs in Utah: What Buyers and Sellers Pay in 2026

What Utah Buyers Pay at Closing

The mortgage process has two halves. The loan officer's job is to match the loan program to what the buyer is trying to accomplish. Operations, the processing, underwriting, appraisal, and title side, gets the loan across the finish line. Both halves generate fees that show up on your Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure.

For a Utah buyer, true lender and third-party closing costs generally run 1% to 3% of the purchase price. Add prepaids, including prepaid interest, homeowners insurance, and the initial escrow deposit for property taxes and insurance, and total cash-to-close tends to land in the 2% to 5% range.

Worked Example 1: FHA purchase in Salt Lake County

Take a $575,000 purchase price with the minimum 3.5% FHA down payment. The down payment is $20,125, leaving a base loan amount of $554,875. The FHA Up-Front Mortgage Insurance Premium, which HUD sets at 1.75% of the base loan, equals approximately $9,710, and that amount can be financed into the loan rather than paid at the table. Lender origination at a representative 0.75% of the loan adds roughly $4,160. A Utah appraisal typically runs around $700. A lender's title policy under simultaneous-issue discount comes in around $400. Recording two instruments, the deed and deed of trust, at $45 each under the HB38 schedule equals $90. A tax-and-insurance escrow reserve adds approximately $3,200.

Note: The Salt Lake County FHA limit for this loan year is $637,100, so a $554,875 loan amount fits well within that ceiling. The $575,000 purchase price and 0.75% origination are illustrative round figures, and your actual lender fees will depend on your file.

The escrow reserve is easy to underestimate. Property taxes, homeowners insurance, and, where applicable, HOA dues all flow through escrow from day one, and the initial deposit can rival the origination charge. If your income, credit, and assets look clean at application, underwriting can decision those components that much faster. AmeriSave's operations approach, which sequences income, credit, and asset approvals first, then moves to third-party items like appraisal and title, is designed to shorten the overall timeline rather than pile everything into the last stretch.

Utah's County-by-County FHA and Conforming Loan Limits

Loan limits determine the maximum amount HUD will insure on an FHA loan in each county. HUD's county-limit data, published annually via mortgagee letter, maps Utah's 29 counties into distinct tiers.

The floor, $541,287, applies in sixteen lower-cost counties: Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Iron, Kane, Millard, Piute, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, and Uintah. Mid-tier markets step up meaningfully: Salt Lake and Tooele counties come in at $637,100; Utah and Juab counties at $601,450; Washington County (St. George) at $607,200; Davis, Morgan, and Weber counties at $744,050. Grand County carries $839,500, and Wayne County reaches $997,050. At the top sit Summit and Wasatch counties, both at $1,163,800, the maximum high-cost ceiling, more than double the state floor.

On the conventional side, FHFA set the current-year national conforming limit at $832,750, a $26,250 increase from the prior year. Summit County holds an elevated FHFA conforming limit of $1,149,825. Any loan above the applicable county limit requires jumbo financing, which carries its own underwriting standards, down-payment requirements, and reserve expectations. If you're a Park City buyer taking out a $1,200,000 loan in Summit County, you've crossed into jumbo territory, a practical closing-cost difference tied directly to the county-specific limit rather than the national baseline.

Understanding which tier your county falls in matters before you shop lenders. If you're buying in Davis County and you assume the FHA floor applies, you'll be surprised to find nearly $200,000 of additional FHA-eligible ceiling. If you're shopping in Summit County and you haven't modeled the jumbo versus FHA comparison, you could leave meaningful loan-structure options on the table.

What Utah Sellers Pay at Closing

Utah is one of a minority of states with no real estate transfer tax. Utah Code Title 57, which governs conveyances, contains no provision imposing a percentage-of-price tax on the sale of property. Sellers pay recording fees on the deed, currently $45 per instrument, but nothing calculated as a percentage of the sale price the way many other states levy transfer taxes.

What sellers do pay: the owner's title insurance policy, which custom in most Utah transactions assigns to the seller; their prorated share of property taxes; any HOA transfer fees and capital-contribution assessments where applicable; and the deed recording fee.

Title insurance in Utah. Utah is a filed-rate state, not a promulgated-rate state. Each title underwriter files its own premium schedule with the Utah Insurance Department under Rule R592-010. Rates are not uniform statewide, which means sellers and buyers can compare quotes among carriers. On a simultaneous-issue transaction, where both the owner's policy for the seller and the lender's policy for the buyer are issued together, the buyer's lender's policy receives a substantial discount. That discount is one of the practical reasons title is worth comparing rather than accepting the first quote offered.

Property-tax proration under the 45% exemption. The Utah Constitution, Article XIII, Section 3, grants primary residences a 45% exemption from assessed value. If you own a qualifying primary residence, you pay tax on 55% of fair market value, not on the full value. At closing, the property-tax proration, which is the amount the seller owes the buyer for the portion of the tax year the seller occupied the property, is calculated on the 55% taxable base, not the full market value. Compared to states without a similar exemption, this reduces both the seller's debit and the buyer's credit at the settlement table. Eligibility requires 183 or more consecutive days of primary-residence use in the calendar year.

When Are You Looking To Buy A Home

0-3 months

3-6 months

6+ months

Get Preapproved

Worked Example 2: UHC FirstHome DPA reducing a buyer's cash-to-close

Utah Housing Corporation's FirstHome program can reframe what "out-of-pocket" means for an eligible buyer. Take a $550,000 purchase in Salt Lake County (within the program's $653,000 purchase-price cap). A 3.5% FHA down payment on $550,000 is $19,250.

Under the 6% DPA option, UHC will provide up to 6% of the loan or $27,500, whichever is less. On a $530,750 loan (purchase minus down payment), 6% equals $31,845, but the program cap kicks in at $27,500. That $27,500 covers the full $19,250 down payment and leaves $8,250 to apply toward closing costs. If you'd otherwise need roughly $28,000 to $32,000 at the table, you could instead be looking at somewhere in the $8,000 to $12,000 range, depending on lender fees. The DPA is structured as a 30-year second mortgage at the first mortgage rate plus 1%, and a deferred option at 3.5% simple interest with no monthly payment is also available.

Income qualification matters. Salt Lake County FirstHome income limits are $122,700 for households of one or two people and $141,100 for households of three or more, as documented by FirstHomeUtah.com. If your credit score falls between 620 and 659, you can access the same DPA terms through UHC's Score program, which carries identical limits and the same $27,500 DPA ceiling.

The bottom line on this example: the program restructures which dollars you need and when, converting dollars you don't have right now into a second mortgage you pay over time. That restructuring of payment timing is what a DPA program delivers.

Utah's Recording Fee Update: What Changed and Why It Matters

The Utah Legislature passed HB38 this session, amending Utah Code Annotated 17-71-407 and raising the per-instrument recording fee from $40 to $45. The new rate took effect May 6.

The arithmetic is simple: a standard purchase records two instruments, the warranty deed conveying ownership from seller to buyer and the deed of trust securing the lender's interest. Two instruments at $45 each equals $90. A refinance records only the new deed of trust, one instrument at $45. If your purchase includes an owner's title affidavit or a separate assignment, that might add a third instrument, so check with your title company on the exact count.

At $45 per instrument, Utah's recording fees remain among the lowest overhead costs in any transaction. The more consequential implication is for anyone who budgeted off older cost sheets. If you're working from a guide still quoting the prior $40 rate, you'll underestimate recording fees by $10 on a purchase. Not a budget-breaker, but in a process where every line item matters, accurate figures from the start reduce surprises at the table.

The HB38 update is also worth noting from an operations standpoint. Recording is a third-party item. It happens after underwriting clears, and the county recorder's turnaround time affects the closing date. Utah counties generally process recordings quickly, but you should confirm with your title company whether same-day recording is standard in your county or whether a one-business-day gap is more typical.

Utah Housing Corporation DPA: Closing Cash You Don't Have to Bring

The Utah Housing Corporation operates two primary programs serving buyers who qualify: FirstHome, for first-time home buyers, and Score, for buyers with credit scores between 620 and 659. A third program, HomeAgain, serves repeat buyers but was temporarily suspended as of this writing.

FirstHome eligibility is tied to county-level income and purchase-price caps. In Salt Lake County, the largest market in the state, the purchase price cap is $653,000 and the income cap is $122,700 for one-to-two-person households and $141,100 for three-or-more-person households. Those limits vary by county, so if you're buying outside Salt Lake County, you'll want to verify the applicable cap directly with UHC or an approved UHC lender.

DPA structure gives you a choice. The standard option is a 30-year second mortgage at the first mortgage rate plus 1%, with monthly payments. The deferred option is a second mortgage at 3.5% simple interest, accruing but not requiring monthly payments until sale or refinance. Most buyers weigh the monthly-payment option against cash flow, since the deferred option preserves liquidity but grows the outstanding balance over time. Neither option is universally better. The right choice depends on how long you plan to stay in the property.

The DPA applies to the loan amount, not the purchase price, a distinction that catches many first-time home buyers off guard. On a $550,000 purchase with $19,250 down, the base FHA loan is approximately $530,750. 6% of $530,750 is $31,845, but the cap at $27,500 controls. If you over-estimate your DPA based on the purchase price, you'll arrive at the table with an incorrect cash-to-close figure.

AmeriSave is an approved UHC lender. If you're interested in layering UHC DPA onto an FHA loan, you can start a Certified Approval to see what program structure fits your income, credit, and asset picture before shopping properties.

Ready To Get Approved?

Get Started

Summit and Wasatch Counties: High-Cost Closing Costs

Summit County, home to Park City, and neighboring Wasatch County carry FHA limits of $1,163,800, the national high-cost ceiling for this loan year. The FHFA conforming limit in Summit County is $1,149,825. These two figures define the working range for conventional and FHA financing in the most expensive residential market in Utah.

If you're buying at $1,150,000 in Summit County, you sit just above the FHFA conforming limit and have effectively crossed into jumbo territory. Jumbo underwriting typically requires larger down payments, more liquid reserves, and a higher credit profile than conforming or FHA financing. The closing-cost implications are real: jumbo origination fees can run higher in absolute dollar terms, and jumbo appraisals for luxury properties tend to cost more than appraisals on standard residential comparables.

The HOA dimension adds a layer specific to Summit County's luxury market. In communities around Park City, HOA transfer fees and capital-contribution assessments at closing can run from $5,000 to more than $100,000. Empire Pass, one of the area's high-end developments, structures its fee as approximately 1% of the purchase price, so on a $2,000,000 sale, that is $20,000 billed to the buyer at or before closing. These assessments are community-specific and must be requested from the HOA or disclosed in the purchase contract, and they don't appear on the standard Closing Disclosure.

If you're buying in the high-cost Summit and Wasatch markets, you benefit from the same no-transfer-tax rule that applies statewide. On a $1,500,000 sale, the absence of a transfer tax saves $15,000 compared to a state charging 1%, real money that stays in the transaction even if it doesn't offset a six-figure HOA capital-contribution assessment.

Grand County, which includes Moab, sits in a mid-high tier at $839,500, significantly above the state floor but well below the Park City ceiling. If you're shopping that market and expect the state floor to apply, you'll find nearly $300,000 of additional FHA-eligible ceiling, which can change the entire loan-structure conversation.

Government-Backed Loans and Closing Costs in Utah

FHA loans add two mortgage insurance line items that conventional loans don’t carry. The Up-Front Mortgage Insurance Premium, set by HUD at 1.75% of the base loan, appears either as a closing cost or, more commonly, is financed into the loan. The annual MIP, which runs in monthly installments, is included in the monthly payment and doesn't appear on the Closing Disclosure as a closing cost per se, but it does affect total cost of ownership. For a $554,875 FHA loan, the UFMIP at 1.75% is approximately $9,710.

USDA Section 502 loans are available in eligible rural areas of Utah. Income limits are set at 115% of area median income by county. Rural and smaller communities in Cache, Iron, Carbon, Sevier, Sanpete, Kane, Garfield, and other rural counties generally qualify. The urban cores, including Salt Lake City, Provo-Orem, St. George, and Davis County, don't. USDA eligibility requires verification through the USDA eligibility portal, because boundaries shift as census data updates. USDA loans carry a guarantee fee in lieu of mortgage insurance, and the fee structure is distinct from FHA UFMIP but serves a similar function on the government-backed side.

From a closing-cost standpoint, the practical difference between USDA and FHA in eligible areas often comes down to the guarantee fee versus the UFMIP and whether you meet the rural income threshold. The no-down-payment feature of USDA financing can reduce cash-to-close substantially, though the same principle from the FHA example applies: closing costs (origination, title, appraisal, recording) still need to be covered, either from pocket or through seller concessions negotiated in the contract.

VA loans, for eligible veterans and service members, carry a funding fee in lieu of mortgage insurance, a distinct set of mechanics that AmeriSave's VA closing-cost guide covers in full detail. If you have VA eligibility, you'll want to review that resource for the complete fee breakdown.

Utah's no-transfer-tax environment benefits buyers under all loan types equally. Whether you're using FHA, USDA, VA, or conventional financing, the deed records for $45 rather than a percentage of the purchase price.

The Bottom Line

Utah closing costs are shaped by three factors specific to this state: county-level loan limits that range from $541,287 to $1,163,800, a recording-fee structure updated to $45 per instrument this year, and the absence of any transfer tax. Those three facts alone change the cash-to-close calculation compared to almost any state with a transfer tax.

Sellers benefit from Utah's filed-rate title market, where shopping underwriters is both permitted and financially worthwhile. Buyers benefit from UHC's DPA programs, which can convert a substantial portion of the down-payment requirement into a second mortgage, reducing the cash needed at the table without eliminating closing costs entirely.

The worked examples above use illustrative round figures. Your actual closing costs depend on your loan type, purchase price, county, lender fees, title carrier, and HOA structure. The best way to close the gap between an estimate and a real number is a Loan Estimate from a lender who has reviewed your income, credit, and assets. AmeriSave's Certified Approval process gives you a verified look at what you can borrow and what closing will actually cost before you go under contract. That sequence, get approved, understand the costs, then make an offer, is the order that protects you rather than surprises you.