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Utah Closing Cost Calculator
Utah has no transfer tax; recording is $40 per document in Salt Lake and Utah counties, or $45 in some other counties. Use the county’s current recording schedule and the legal-description count, then complete the budget with transaction-specific settlement quotes.
Utah county recording and closing worksheet
Ordinary resale with standard recording under the May 6, 2026 schedule: $40 per instrument, plus $5 in applicable counties and $2 for each description above ten per instrument. Salt Lake and Utah County publish $40; confirm the $40/$45 schedule elsewhere because the statute has a restricted-account exception. No sale-price transfer tax modeled. Plats, copies, special services and older periods require quotes.
The May 2026 rule is not one statewide $45 fee
Utah Code 17-71-407 retains a $40 standard instrument fee and adds $5 for applicable services in second- through sixth-class counties, with an exception involving the county’s restricted recording-fee account. The extra-description amount remains $2.
Utah County explicitly says its current $40 schedule remains in effect. Salt Lake County also publishes $40. Box Elder’s May 6, 2026 notice lists $45. For another county, confirm whether its current schedule includes the $5 addition before selecting it.
Compare the recording components
| County and document scenario | Recording estimate |
|---|---|
| Salt Lake: one standard instrument | $40.00 |
| Utah County: one standard instrument | $40.00 |
| Confirmed $45 county: one standard instrument | $45.00 |
| Confirmed $45 county: two instruments, three excess descriptions | $96.00 |
Two ordinary instruments without excess descriptions cost $80 under the $40 schedule or $90 under the $45 schedule. Adding three excess descriptions produces $86 or $96 respectively. The surcharge is not applied again to each $2 description charge.
Count descriptions per instrument
For one instrument with twelve legal descriptions and another with eight, only the first exceeds ten. Enter two excess descriptions, adding $4 to the combined base charges. Do not subtract ten from the package-wide count of twenty.
Confirm the count with the preparer: Utah County notes that separately described rights of way, easements and other interests can count as additional descriptions. A longer document is not automatically more expensive; standard recording uses instruments and descriptions rather than a per-page charge.
Use a quote for plats, copies and older recordings
Plats have a separate sheet-and-lot schedule. Certified copies, redactions, acknowledgment services and processing charges are also outside this standard-instrument model. The calculator’s other-period option requires a quote rather than applying today’s county schedule to an earlier recording.
The statute prohibits multiple recording fees for one instrument merely because it has multiple descriptive titles or attachments. Have the recorder determine what constitutes a separate instrument in your submission, then enter only those charged to the currently selected party.
Keep sale-price taxes separate from recording
The Utah Tax Commission’s tax inventory does not list a real-property transfer tax. For this ordinary-resale worksheet, that line is modeled as zero. Recording, annual property-tax prorations, title premiums and provider charges still require their own entries.
| Scenario | Taxable value | State tax | Local amount | Tax subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary resale; recording separately calculated | $300,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Ordinary resale; recording separately calculated | $600,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Ordinary resale; recording separately calculated | $900,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Apply the result to your closing budget
A recording quote replaces the estimate, including an explicit zero quote. For example, replacing a $96 model with an $85 quote lowers listed costs by $11. The worksheet does not add both figures.
Enter the title provider’s and lender’s other charges without repeating recording. Buyer cash accounts for down payment, deposit and credits. Seller proceeds also deduct commission, credits and payoff. Counts and prices are illustrative until confirmed for the actual document package.
Last reviewed 2026-10-05. Worksheet methodology.
Questions about Utah
- Is Utah’s recording fee $40 or $45 in 2026?
- The standard statutory base is $40. A May 6, 2026 provision adds $5 in applicable counties, subject to a restricted-account exception. Salt Lake and Utah County publish $40, while Box Elder publishes $45. Confirm the county schedule.
- Are extra legal descriptions counted across all documents together?
- No. Calculate the excess above ten on each instrument, then total those excesses. Two instruments with twelve and eight descriptions have two excess descriptions, adding $4.