Living in Saratoga Springs, Utah: The 2026 Guide

Is Saratoga Springs, Utah a good place to live?

For many families, yes, especially if you want a newer home close to the Lehi job center. Saratoga Springs is mostly neighborhoods built in the last 25 years, with lake access, a lot of parks, and a new City Hall and library.

• The lowest crime rate of Utah County's big cities: Saratoga Springs reported 19.30 offenses per 1,000 residents in 2024, compared with 30.81 for Utah County and 49.44 statewide.
• Utah's fastest-growing city: the population rose from 37,715 in 2020 to an estimated 61,397 in 2025, up 62.8%, the fastest growth of any Utah city with at least 10,000 people.
• Close to work: about 14 minutes to Adobe's Lehi campus, 29 to downtown Provo, and 43 to downtown Salt Lake City without traffic.
• Parks and the lake: the city counts 30 parks and more than 40 miles of trails, plus marinas and hot springs on Utah Lake.

The tradeoffs: there is no full hospital in the city (Intermountain runs a 24-hour emergency department here), rush-hour traffic on Pioneer Crossing and Redwood Road is heavy, and the city raised its property tax in 2026.

What are property taxes in Saratoga Springs, and why did they go up?

Most of Saratoga Springs is in Utah County tax district 39, with a 2026 total property tax rate of 0.008788, up from 0.008169 in 2025. The whole increase came from the city's own levy, which rose about 50%, from 0.000976 to 0.001467.

Why the city raised its property tax

The city held a Truth in Taxation hearing on August 11, 2026 for what it called "a 50.03% property tax increase for an additional $3,100,000" a year, "for the purpose of funding public safety with the intended use of adding additional Fire and Police services." The 2026 county rate matches the rate city staff recommended, so the increase took effect. The city's own budget schedule spreads the new money across several departments, with police getting the largest share, about $1 million.

For scale, the city's published notice showed its share of the tax on a $542,000 home going from $291.54 to $437.31 a year, an increase of $145.77. Even after the increase, the city is only about 17% of the total bill. About 66% goes to the Alpine School District.

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

Some addresses are in district 42, with a 2026 rate of 0.008799. Second homes and rentals are taxed on full value. Source: City Council agenda and staff report, August 11, 2026.

How much do homes cost in Saratoga Springs?

Saratoga Springs home prices rose from a median of $399,200 in 2019 to $658,215 in 2022, and have eased slightly since, to $613,952 so far in 2026. Over the last 12 months (October 2025 through September 2026), the median single-family home sold for $615,000, or $195 per square foot, and only 4.9% of sales were $1 million or more.

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

What your budget buys in Saratoga Springs

Saratoga Springs is mostly a new-construction market: 573 of the 963 single-family homes sold in the last 12 months were built in 2025 or later, at a median of $619,520 and a median of 33 days to sell. The 390 older resale homes sold for a median of $613,950, took a median of 49 days, and closed at about 100% of their list price. As of October 20, 2026, 282 single-family homes were for sale in Saratoga Springs, with a median list price of about $694,895. Building lots of an acre or less sold for a median of $309,500 (about three-tenths of an acre) over the last two years, across 24 sales, and no parcels over an acre sold.

Who provides power, water, and internet in Saratoga Springs?

• Power: Rocky Mountain Power.
• Natural gas: Enbridge Gas Utah (the city's website still lists it under its old name, Dominion Energy).
• Water, secondary water, sewer, garbage, storm drain, and street lights: the city, on one bill. Call (801) 766-9793, extension 0. New accounts need a $120 deposit, and accounts stay in the owner's name even for rentals.
• Internet: there is no city-owned fiber. The city grants franchises to private companies, so check which providers serve a specific address.

Saratoga Springs monthly utility rates

Source: Saratoga Springs utility billing. Drinking water is billed separately by use; confirm the current rate with the city.

Does Saratoga Springs have secondary water?

Yes, and it is metered. Saratoga Springs homes water their yards with pressurized irrigation, and each lot gets a monthly allowance based on its size: about 108,800 gallons per acre, or about 27,200 gallons a month for a quarter-acre lot.

• Base: $16.25 a month per quarter acre.
• Use: 35 cents per 1,000 gallons for the first 75% of your allowance, rising in steps to $3.95 per 1,000 gallons above 250% of it.

Staying inside your allowance keeps the bill low, and heavy summer watering gets expensive fast. Water is also a big part of building costs here: the city's 2025 study set the secondary water impact fee for a new home at about $12,600, far more than the drinking water fee of about $2,700. Source: Saratoga Springs utility billing.

Can you build an ADU in Saratoga Springs?

Yes, but not on every lot. Saratoga Springs allows one accessory dwelling unit per single-family lot under city code chapter 19.20, and the 2026 version of the code added detached backyard units.

Apartment inside the home

• Lot larger than 6,000 square feet.
• The owner has to live there, in the main home or the apartment, except for a temporary absence of up to three years for work, military, or volunteer service.
• One extra paved parking stall, off the street.
• A separate outside entrance, and the unit must be registered with the city.
• Not every neighborhood qualifies. The city may prohibit internal apartments in up to 25% of its residential area. Its FAQ says most subdivisions recorded before October 1, 2021 are not eligible, while newer plats always are. Check the city's interactive ADU map for a specific address.

Detached backyard unit

• Lot of 11,000 square feet or more.
• No bigger and no taller than the main home, and not in the front yard.
• One extra parking stall for a unit under 650 square feet, two for 650 square feet or more.
• No rentals shorter than 90 days, and impact fees apply.

Short-term rentals: an accessory apartment cannot be rented for less than 30 days, and the city's FAQ says short-term rentals are not allowed in the city. Homeowners association rules can add limits.

The city's 2023 ADU FAQ page still says detached units are not allowed. That changed with the 2026 code update, so go by the current code.

What are the zoning and lot size rules in Saratoga Springs?

The main residential zones and their minimum lot sizes, from city code chapter 19.04:

Many newer neighborhoods were approved as planned communities with their own rules. The city keeps the official zoning map at City Hall, so ask the Planning Department about a specific parcel.

Want animals? Farm animals are limited to the A, RA-5, and RR zones. Chickens are allowed in the single-family zones from R2-8 up.

What is new and coming in Saratoga Springs?

• A new City Hall and library: the four-story building at 319 South Saratoga Road opened in January 2026. The old City Hall now houses the new Lake Mountain School District office.
• The Mountain View Corridor: a new freeway section from 2100 North in Lehi north to Porter Rockwell Boulevard in Salt Lake County opened in December 2025.
• The 2100 North freeway: UDOT began building a 2.8-mile, $621 million freeway link between the Mountain View Corridor and I-15 in Lehi in March 2026, scheduled to finish in late 2028.
• Emergency care in town: Intermountain's Saratoga Springs campus at 392 West Medical Drive has a 24-hour emergency department and a surgery center. It opened in November 2023. It is not a full hospital; the nearest are in Lehi and American Fork.
• Costco: at 1083 North Redwood Road since 2020.

What is there to do in Saratoga Springs?

The city takes its name from Beck's Saratoga Springs, a hot springs resort that opened in 1884 on the lakeshore. Saratoga Springs incorporated in December 1997.

• Saratoga Hot Springs and Inlet Park: Inlet Park, at 222 South Saratoga Road, is the trailhead for the Utah Lake Shoreline Trail, the Jordan River Trail, and the hot springs, with fishing and a launch for kayaks and paddleboards.
• The Saratoga Springs Utah Temple: dedicated August 13, 2023.
• Saratoga Splash Days: the city celebration, held the second full weekend of June.
• Summer events: Monday food truck and farmers market nights, and Utah Live Steamers train rides at Shay Park on summer Saturday mornings.
• Utah Lake marinas and 30 city parks.

What school district is Saratoga Springs in?

Alpine School District for now, and the new Lake Mountain School District starting July 1, 2027. Lake Mountain will serve Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, Cedar Fort, and Fairfield. Its office is at 1307 North Commerce Drive in Saratoga Springs, and its first superintendent is Dr. Vicki Carter.

Public schools in Saratoga Springs include:

• High school: Westlake High School
• Middle and junior high: Lake Mountain Middle School and Vista Heights Middle School
• Elementary: Harbor Point, Harvest, Riverview, Sage Hills, Saratoga Shores, Springside, and Thunder Ridge Elementary
• Charter schools in the city include Ascent Academies, Elevated Charter School, Lakeview Academy, and Mountain Sunrise Academy.

School boundaries depend on the address and may change as Lake Mountain takes over, so confirm a specific home with the district before you buy.