Is Cedar Hills, Utah a good place to live?
For families who want a settled neighborhood near the mountains, yes. Cedar Hills is a quiet, mostly residential town on a bench above American Fork, with finished streets, mature landscaping, a city golf course, and American Fork Canyon a few minutes away.
- Built out, not booming: Cedar Hills had 10,018 people in 2020 and an estimated 9,755 in 2025, a slight decline while Utah County grew about 15%. The city's own 2026 budget describes Cedar Hills as "largely built-out." You will not live next to years of construction, but you also will not find many new homes.
- Close to the north county job centers: about 15 minutes to the Lehi tech corridor, 10 minutes to American Fork Hospital, 25 minutes to downtown Provo, and about 51 minutes to the Salt Lake City airport without traffic.
- The canyon is the backyard: the city calls itself the "Trailhead to Adventure," near the entrance to American Fork Canyon, Timpanogos Cave, the Alpine Loop, and Tibble Fork Reservoir.
- Lower property tax than most neighbors: the 2026 rate is 0.008433, below American Fork, Alpine, and Pleasant Grove.
The tradeoffs: Cedar Hills has very little shopping of its own and no public library (the city reimburses up to $60 a year toward a card in a nearby city). Police and fire service are contracted from American Fork, and the cost of that contract has nearly doubled in three years, which is why the city raised its property tax for 2026.
What does it cost to live in Cedar Hills?
Housing is the big cost: the median single-family home sold for about $699,000 over the last 12 months. Property taxes run about $2,783 a year on a $600,000 primary home, and the city's base utility charges come to about $119 a month on a quarter-acre lot, before water use.
Cedar Hills runs its own water, secondary water, sewer, storm drain, and garbage service on one city bill. Electricity comes from Rocky Mountain Power and natural gas from Enbridge Gas.
Cedar Hills monthly city utility charges
| Charge | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Drinking water base | $11.00, then $2.26 per 1,000 gallons for the first 8,000 (homes on secondary water) |
| Secondary water base | $38.58 plus $5 per acre of lot, then billed by use |
| Sewer | $14.03 base, plus $5.99 per 1,000 gallons over the base, set from your winter water use |
| Storm drain | $15.29 |
| Garbage (first can) | $13.42 |
| Recycling (first can) | $13.63 |
| Public safety fee | $12.00 |
A new account costs a one-time $50 setup fee. Rates from the Cedar Hills utility rates page, checked October 20, 2026. The sales tax rate in Cedar Hills is 6.85%, and 3% on groceries.
Does Cedar Hills have secondary water?
Yes, almost everywhere in the city. Cedar Hills' pressurized irrigation system is "available throughout the entire city, with few exceptions," so most yards are watered with untreated secondary water instead of drinking water.
Since July 1, 2025, secondary water has been metered and billed by use. Each home gets a water allotment based on its lot, and the price per 1,000 gallons climbs as you use more of it: 70 cents up to 75% of your allotment, $1.00 to 100%, $1.50 to 150%, and $5.00 to $7.90 above that. The city's AquaTrax app shows your use by the hour and sends leak alerts.
The system runs from about April 15 to October 15 each year, fed by a city well, the American Fork River, and Central Utah Project water. If a home is not hooked up to secondary water, its drinking water costs more per gallon ($3.58 per 1,000 gallons to start instead of $2.26), so ask about it before you buy.
How much do homes cost in Cedar Hills?
Cedar Hills home prices rose from a median of $419,500 in 2019 to $650,000 in 2022, reached $716,500 in 2024, and are at $708,000 so far in 2026. Over the last 12 months (October 2025 through September 2026), the median single-family home sold for $699,000, or $214 per square foot, and 12.7% of sales were $1 million or more.
Median sold price of single-family homes in Cedar Hills by year. *2026 is January through September. Based on UtahRealEstate.com sales data, pulled October 20, 2026.
What your budget buys in Cedar Hills
| Price | Typical home |
|---|---|
| $500K to $650K | About 2,950 square feet on a little over a fifth of an acre, usually 5 bedrooms, in a home typically built around 1999. |
| $650K to $800K | About 3,250 square feet on a little over a fifth of an acre, usually 5 bedrooms, in a home typically built around 2000. |
| $800K to $1M | About 3,950 square feet on about three-tenths of an acre, usually 5 or 6 bedrooms, in a home typically built around 2000. |
| $1M and up | About 6,400 square feet on a little over four-tenths of an acre, usually 6 bedrooms, in a home typically built around 2006, with recent sales up to about $1.9 million. |
Cedar Hills is an established, built-out resale market: none of the 71 single-family homes sold in the last 12 months were built in 2025 or later. Older resale homes sold for a median of $699,000, took a median of 34 days to sell, and closed at about 99.4% of their list price. As of October 20, 2026, 26 single-family homes were for sale in Cedar Hills, with a median list price of about $669,950. Very little land is left: only 3 building lots sold here over the last two years.
What are property taxes in Cedar Hills, Utah?
All of Cedar Hills is in Utah County tax district 21, with a 2026 total property tax rate of 0.008433, up from 0.008247 in 2025. That is lower than American Fork (0.008947), Pleasant Grove (0.008563), and Alpine (0.008506), and a little higher than Highland (0.008107).
Utah taxes a primary home on only 55% of its market value, because of the state's 45% residential exemption, which covers the home and up to one acre of land.
| Example: $600,000 primary home | |
|---|---|
| Taxable value (55%) | $330,000 |
| 2026 Cedar Hills rate (district 21) | 0.008433 |
| Estimated yearly property tax | $2,782.89 |
About 69% of the bill goes to the school district. The city's share rose in 2026 because the City Council raised property taxes to cover police and fire service, which Cedar Hills buys from American Fork. The city's 2026 to 2027 budget says those costs have nearly doubled over the past three years.
A $700,000 primary home, close to the current median, pays about $3,247 a year at the 2026 rate. Second homes and rentals are taxed on full value.
Can you build an ADU or basement apartment in Cedar Hills?
Yes. Cedar Hills allows one accessory dwelling unit, either inside the home or detached, on any lot in a residential zone under city code section 10-5-32, last updated July 7, 2026. HOAs in Cedar Hills cannot ban them where the zoning allows them.
- Register it: the city requires a registration form, a site plan, and a notarized owner-occupancy affidavit, with a one-time $40 fee. Registered apartments are not charged the initial impact fees, and unregistered ones can be fined $500.
- The owner has to live there, in either the main home or the apartment.
- It stays one house: one meter for each utility in the owner's name, the same street address (units A and B), and the outside has to keep looking like a single-family home.
- Parking: one extra off-street space for an apartment inside the home, and one or two for a detached unit depending on its size. Tandem parking in the driveway counts.
- Buying a home with one? The registration ends when the home sells, so the buyer has to apply again.
Can you do a short-term rental in Cedar Hills?
Only as a home share. Under city code section 10-5-41, a short-term rental needs a conditional use permit and a business license, the owner must live in the home as a primary residence and be there while it is rented, and stays run 1 to 29 nights. Whole-home investor rentals of under 30 days are not allowed.
What are the zoning and lot size rules in Cedar Hills?
Cedar Hills' single-family zones set minimum lots from about a quarter acre to half an acre. The main residential zones and their minimum lot sizes, from Cedar Hills City Code Title 10:
| Zone | Minimum lot for a home |
|---|---|
| R-1-11,000 | 11,000 square feet (about a quarter acre), 110 feet wide |
| R-1-15,000 | 15,000 square feet (about a third of an acre), 100 feet wide |
| RR-1-20,000 (rural residential) | 20,000 square feet (about half an acre), 80 feet wide |
| H-1 (hillside) | One lot per acre of buildable land |
The city also has planned residential zones (PR 2.2 and PR 3.4) and townsite residential (TR-1), where approved subdivision plans can set smaller lots. That is why many Cedar Hills homes sit on 0.15 to 0.25 acre. Check the city's official zone map for a specific parcel, and ask whether the home is in an HOA.
What schools serve Cedar Hills?
Cedar Hills is in the Alpine School District today and will move to the new Aspen Peaks School District when Alpine splits in July 2027. Aspen Peaks covers Alpine, American Fork, Cedar Hills, Highland, Lehi, and part of Draper, and its board appointed its first superintendent, Dr. Joel K. Perkins, in January 2026.
- Elementary, in Cedar Hills: Cedar Ridge Elementary (4501 West Cedar Hills Drive) and Deerfield Elementary (4353 West Harvey Boulevard)
- Junior high: Mountain Ridge Junior High in Highland
- High school: Lone Peak High School in Highland or American Fork High School, depending on the address
Boundaries depend on the address and may be redrawn as the new district takes over, so confirm a specific home with the district at (801) 610-8400 before you buy.
Does Cedar Hills own its golf course?
Yes. The Cedar Hills Golf Club is owned and run by the city through its own golf fund. It is an 18-hole, par 71 course of about 6,600 yards at the mouth of American Fork Canyon, designed by Graves & Pascuzzo, with a first tee shot that drops almost 200 feet to the fairway.
The course is in the middle of a major renovation. The city's 2026 to 2027 budget sets aside $2.4 million, mostly to replace the irrigation system, plus a $300,000 golf simulator project. Only the front nine is open for the rest of 2026, and the full course is scheduled to reopen in spring 2027.
Other things to do in Cedar Hills
- American Fork Canyon, minutes away, for hiking, fishing, camping, and the Alpine Loop.
- Cedar Hills Family Festival every June. The 2027 festival is set for June 5 to 12.
- Harvey Park, with a splash pad open daily from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM in season.
Common questions
Is Cedar Hills, Utah safe?
Cedar Hills does not have its own police department; the city contracts with the American Fork Police Department, and the state crime report counts Cedar Hills inside American Fork's numbers rather than separately. Fire and ambulance service also come from American Fork, including Fire Station 52 in Cedar Hills.
What is the property tax rate in Cedar Hills, Utah?
The 2026 total rate is 0.008433 (district 21). A $600,000 primary home pays about $2,783 a year, because Utah taxes primary homes on 55% of their value.
Who provides electricity and gas in Cedar Hills?
Rocky Mountain Power provides electricity and Enbridge Gas provides natural gas. The city provides water, secondary water, sewer, storm drain, garbage, and recycling on one bill. Call the city office at (801) 785-9668 to start service.
Are there new homes in Cedar Hills?
Very few. Cedar Hills is almost fully built out: none of the single-family homes sold here in the last 12 months were new, and only a handful of building lots have sold in the last two years.
What school district is Cedar Hills in?
Alpine School District today. Starting July 2027, Cedar Hills will be part of the new Aspen Peaks School District, along with Alpine, American Fork, Highland, Lehi, and part of Draper.
Can I rent out a basement apartment in Cedar Hills?
Yes, as a registered accessory dwelling unit, as long as the owner lives in the main home or the apartment. It can be rented to one household, and short-term rentals are only allowed when the owner is living there during the stay.
How far is Cedar Hills from Lehi and Provo?
About 15 minutes to the Lehi tech corridor, 25 minutes to downtown Provo, and about 51 minutes to the Salt Lake City airport without traffic. American Fork Hospital is about 10 minutes away.
Cedar Hills is essentially built out: none of the 71 single-family homes sold here in the last 12 months were new, and the typical home was built around 2000. Here is what most people miss: the most common Cedar Hills home, on 0.15 to 0.25 acre, sold in a median of just 17 days, yet about 2 out of 3 sales overall still included seller-paid concessions, typically $12,000. With only 26 homes for sale on October 20, 2026, buyers should be ready to move quickly, and sellers should expect to be asked for help with closing costs even in a fast sale.
Thinking about Cedar Hills?
Homes in Cedar Hills do not come up often, so it helps to be ready before the right one does. Tell us what you are looking for, and Matt will reach out personally, usually the same day.
Thank you.
Matt has your details and will reach out personally. If it is easier, you can text him anytime at (385) 477-8138.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, city population estimates 2020 to 2025 (Utah)
- Utah County Treasurer, 2026 tax rates for district 21 (Cedar Hills City)
- Utah Code § 59-2-103, residential exemption
- City of Cedar Hills, budget for fiscal year 2026 to 2027
- City of Cedar Hills, utility rates
- City of Cedar Hills, utility applications and service providers
- City of Cedar Hills, pressurized irrigation
- City of Cedar Hills, taxes and fees
- Cedar Hills City Code § 10-5-32, accessory dwelling units
- Cedar Hills City Code § 10-5-41, residential short-term rentals
- Cedar Hills City Code Title 10, chapter 4, regulations within zones
- City of Cedar Hills, accessory dwelling unit registration
- City of Cedar Hills, police
- City of Cedar Hills, fire and ambulance
- City of Cedar Hills, public schools
- Aspen Peaks School District board minutes, January 26, 2026
- KSL, school boards approve names for 3 new Utah County school districts, January 16, 2026
- Cedar Hills Golf Club
- City of Cedar Hills, 2026 to 2027 preliminary budget discussion (golf construction timeline)
- City of Cedar Hills, about us
- City of Cedar Hills, Family Festival
- City of Cedar Hills, library
- Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification, 2024 Crime in Utah report
- Header photo: South on N Canyon Rd, Cedar Hills, Utah, by An Errant Knight, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- UtahRealEstate.com (Wasatch Front MLS), Cedar Hills single-family and lot sales, pulled October 20, 2026
Last updated October 2026. Drive times are estimates without traffic. Utility rates change; confirm with the city. Market figures are based on information from UtahRealEstate.com and are deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
