PROVO, Utah — It’s a mistake that has never happened in Utah County: an error in this year’s property tax bill, resulting in residents owing more than what was shown.
“We understand that this news may be upsetting,” said Richard Piatt, the communications manager for Utah County.
It happened after Provo residents received a notification about their property taxes.
“It was just a bill that they got. It was just a notification saying, "Hey, this is how much you owe,'” Piatt said.
It turns out, that information was incorrect.
Piatt confirmed that a clerical effort was made and that the incorrect tax rate was entered at the auditor's office.
“I think it was a matter of someone manually entering the numbers into a computer keyboard. We're going to automate that moving forward,” Piatt said, "so that we're able to handle that a little bit differently."
The mistake impacts 23,143 residential properties and 2,087 parcels (businesses, vacant lots, etc.).
It leaves the question of how much money residents now owe.
"The difference to an average household in Provo is about $100, so it would be about $100 difference in the tax bills,” Piatt said. “There are other cities within Utah County that are affected, but their rate is fairly minimal compared to what's happening in Provo and the Provo School District, so probably under $10 for any of those other affected areas."
The mistake also impacts Provo City and the Provo School District, who already have budget concerns.
“We take the difference seriously, and we want to let people know what's going on. Because people like to know how much taxes they're going to be paying, and it's only fair for us to let them know and for us to acknowledge the error and then move forward,” Piatt said.
There will be a meeting on Tuesday with Utah County, Provo and the Provo School District to discuss what they would like to do moving forward — whether that be having residents go forward with the rate as is, or send out another notice to give residents time to collect the correct amount that is due.
Piatt said residents can email or call the county with any concerns during this time.
This week, the Utah County Auditor informed the Utah County Commission of an error originating from the Auditor’s Office in this year’s property tax bill. The Commissioners were stunned to learn that this mistake would result in higher tax bills—primarily affecting property…
— Utah County Government (@UtahCountyGov) August 30, 2025
