Living in Highland, Utah: The 2026 Guide

Is Highland, Utah a good place to live?

For families who want room, yes. Highland calls itself a family-oriented bedroom community, and its new General Plan commits to keeping the large lots, single-family homes, and open space that define it, with modest growth in the Town Center.

• The lowest crime rate in Utah County: Highland contracts with the Lone Peak Police Department, which it shares with Alpine. Lone Peak reported 8.50 offenses per 1,000 residents in 2024, the lowest of any police agency in the county. The county rate was 30.81 and the state rate was 49.44.
• Growing, but steadily: the population rose from 19,379 in 2020 to an estimated 21,571 in 2025, about 11%, a little slower than the county's 15%.
• Close to jobs: about 11 minutes to Lehi, 28 minutes to downtown Provo, and 38 minutes to downtown Salt Lake City without traffic.
• Parks everywhere: the city counts 25 parks and 18.4 miles of trails, plus a bike park at Highland Glen.

The tradeoffs: homes are expensive, there is no hospital in town (American Fork Hospital is about 11 minutes away), the city does not offer curbside green waste pickup, and City Hall is closed on Fridays.

How much do homes cost in Highland?

Highland home prices rose from a median of $580,000 in 2019 to $992,500 in 2022, and since then the yearly median has swung between about $850,000 and $1.1 million depending on which homes sold, reaching $1,097,500 so far in 2026. Over the last 12 months (October 2025 through September 2026), the median single-family home sold for $1,020,000, or $250 per square foot, and 51.5% of sales were $1 million or more.

Median sold price of single-family homes in Highland by year. *2026 is January through September. Based on UtahRealEstate.com sales data, pulled October 20, 2026.

What your budget buys in Highland

Highland is mostly a resale market with some new building: 34 of the 169 single-family homes sold in the last 12 months were built in 2025 or later. Older resale homes sold for a median of $1,017,500, took a median of 43 days to sell, and closed at about 98.2% of their list price. As of October 20, 2026, 59 single-family homes were for sale in Highland, with a median list price of about $1.25 million. Building lots of an acre or less sold for a median of $818,000 (about two-thirds of an acre) over the last two years, across 31 sales, and 3 parcels over an acre also sold.

What is the property tax rate in Highland, Utah?

Highland's 2026 total property tax rate is 0.008107 (Utah County tax district 45), up from 0.007944 in 2025. That is lower than Alpine (0.008506), Springville (0.009626), and Payson (0.009882). About 71% of the bill goes to the Alpine School District. The city's own levy is 0.000775, under 10% of the total.

Utah taxes a primary home on only 55% of its market value, because of the state's 45% residential exemption.

The exemption covers the home and no more than one acre of land. On larger Highland parcels, the land beyond the first acre is taxed at full value. Second homes and rentals are taxed on full value.

What is the cost of living in Highland, Utah?

Housing drives the cost: the median home sold for $1,020,000 over the last 12 months. Beyond that, expect about $4,500 a year in property tax on a $1 million home and roughly $170 a month in city utility charges on a half-acre lot before extra water use, power, and gas.

Highland city utility rates

Highland bills water, pressurized irrigation, sewer, garbage, storm drain, and two flat city fees on one monthly bill. Power is from Rocky Mountain Power and natural gas from Enbridge Gas, (800) 323-5517.

Because irrigation is billed by lot size, it runs about $33 a month on a quarter acre, $42 on a half acre, and $59 on a full acre. Add it all up and a half-acre home pays about $172 a month in base city charges.

Rates as posted on the Highland City rates page, checked October 20, 2026. Sewer is based on average October to April water use.

Does Highland have secondary water?

Yes. Highland runs a pressurized irrigation system for outdoor watering from April 15 to October 15 each year. Even-numbered addresses water Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, odd-numbered addresses Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and there is no residential watering on Sunday.

Billing is about to change. The city finished installing irrigation meters in 2025, and starting in spring 2027 customers will be billed for the water they actually use instead of by lot size. The city says the new rates are designed so a household that stays within its allotment pays about what it paid before. Big lawns that use more will pay more, so ask a seller about their watering habits.

What are the ADU requirements in Highland, Utah?

Highland allows one accessory dwelling unit per home, either inside the house or in a detached building, under section 3-624 of the city development code, most recently updated September 1, 2026.

Rules for every ADU

• Register it with the city and record a notice on the property title.
• The owner must live on the property, in either the main home or the ADU.
• No separate utility meters or accounts. The ADU shares the main home's utilities, though the city assigns it its own address.
• Short-term rentals need a business license. Renting for less than 30 days counts as a short-term rental. Renting for 30 days or more does not need a license.
• The ADU cannot be sold separately from the home.

Basement or internal apartments

• Lot must be at least 6,000 square feet.
• One extra off-street parking space.
• The main entrance goes in the back (a side door is allowed if fencing or landscaping hides it from the street), and the front of the house cannot look like two units.

Detached ADUs

• Lot must be at least 11,000 square feet.
• Up to 1,250 square feet of living space, no taller than the main home or the zone's limit for accessory buildings, and no bigger in footprint than the main home.
• Not allowed between the house and the street. It must meet the main home's setbacks, though a single-story unit up to 15 feet tall can sit 20 feet from the rear property line.
• One extra parking space for a unit under 650 square feet, two for 650 square feet or more.

What are the lot size and zoning rules in Highland?

Highland's large-lot zone, R-1-40, allows about one home per acre, and nearly every new subdivision on the city's current project list uses it. Individual lots can be smaller, down to 20,000 square feet, as long as the subdivision as a whole averages out. Rules from the Highland City Development Code:

Homes in the residential zones must include a two-car garage. The Town Center Overlay around the Civic Center is the one area planned for higher-density homes mixed with shops and offices.

Can you have horses in Highland, Utah?

Yes, on bigger lots. In the R-1-40 zone (and zones that follow its rules), no large animals are allowed on lots under 30,000 square feet. A 30,000 square foot lot can keep three, a 40,000 square foot lot four, and you can add one more for each extra 10,000 square feet. The area where animals are fed and corralled must be at least 100 feet from any home (75 feet from your own). Pigs are not allowed anywhere, and roosters are not allowed on lots under 20,000 square feet.

What schools serve Highland?

Highland is in the Alpine School District today. On July 1, 2027, that district splits into three, and Highland will be part of the new Aspen Peaks School District, along with Alpine, American Fork, Cedar Hills, Lehi, and the Utah County part of Draper.

• Elementary schools in Highland: Freedom, Highland, and Ridgeline Elementary
• Junior high: Mountain Ridge Junior High
• High school: Lone Peak High School

School boundaries depend on the address, so confirm a specific home with the district at (801) 610-8400 before you buy.

What is there to do in Highland?

Highland is a parks-and-trails town, with one big summer celebration.

• The Highland Fling, the city's summer festival. In 2026 it ran July 30 to August 1, with a car show, pickleball and horseshoe tournaments, a home run derby, and a luau night.
• Highland Glen Park, one of the city's largest parks, with a fishing pond, trails, playgrounds, a pavilion, and the Highland Glen Bike Park.
• The Town Center Splash Pad and the Highland City Library at the Civic Center.
• 18.4 miles of city trails across 25 parks, with American Fork Canyon and the Alpine Loop just to the east.

Is Highland still growing?

Yes, but it is close to built out. Highland's General Plan, adopted in January 2026, says the city is approaching build-out and will focus on careful, small-scale infill that keeps its large-lot character, plus bringing new life to the Town Center.

• New neighborhoods are still mostly one-acre zoning: recent subdivisions on the city's project list, such as Foxwood Estates (18 lots), Aberlour (14 lots), and Hawks Landing (7 lots), are all in the R-1-40 zone.
• New homes on smaller lots do exist: 34 of the homes sold in the last 12 months were built in 2025 or later, many on lots under 0.15 acre.
• Roads and shops: Highland Boulevard north of 11800 North is being widened with a new roundabout, and new commercial buildings, including Highland Grove Plaza in the Town Center, are under construction.
• The Longhorn property: the General Plan singles out this privately owned land as a future city gateway, with residents favoring large lots and open space along Bull River.