The Utah new construction guideBuying new, eyes open

Utah permitted 26,775 new homes in 2025, up from 23,902 in 2024: 16,774 single-family homes and the rest townhomes, duplexes and apartments. Utah County (7,202) and Salt Lake County (7,179) permitted the most.

A permit is the start of a home, not a finished one; most are built within a year or two. The single-family value is the construction cost the builder states on the permit, not the price a buyer pays: land, the builder's costs and profit come on top.

The salesperson in a model home represents the builder. Bring your own agent on your first visit: many builders only work with a buyer's agent who is there from the start, and your agent reads the builder's contract, compares incentives and keeps the deadlines for you.

Builders write their own purchase contracts, not the standard Utah Real Estate Purchase Contract, so the deadlines, deposits and what happens if the build runs late are whatever that contract says. Incentives tied to the builder's own lender can be worth comparing against an outside quote.

A city inspection checks the code; it is not your inspection. Book your own inspector before the drywall goes up, when the framing, wiring and plumbing are still visible, and again before closing, then once more before the builder's first-year warranty ends.

• Before drywallframing, wiring, plumbing and insulation
• Before closingthe finished home, against the contract
• Before the first-year warranty endswhat has settled or failed

Utah has no law that sets what a new-home warranty must cover; the builder's written warranty does. Utah Code 78B-2-225 sets the deadline to sue: a claim on the contract or warranty must be brought within 6 years of completion, and other claims within 2 years of discovery and no more than 9 years after completion.

Completion is the earliest of the certificate of substantial completion, the certificate of occupancy, or the day you first use or move into the home. A contract or warranty can set its own different period. This is not legal advice; a Utah real estate attorney can read your builder's warranty with you.

Utah's First-time Homebuyer Assistance Program is only for newly built homes: up to $20,000 at 0% with no monthly payment, up to a $450,000 purchase price, through a Utah Housing loan.

A participating lender can reserve the funds before you sign a construction contract.

Buying a home is the largest contract most people ever sign. In Utah the listing agent represents the seller, so when you buy without your own agent, no one at the table is working for you.

• The seller's agent works for the sellerUnder Utah's real estate rules, an agent owes their client loyalty, confidentiality and full disclosure. The listing agent must be honest with you, but they cannot advise you or negotiate for you. Your own agent owes those duties to you.
• Your offer is a binding contractOnce it is accepted, Utah's state-approved Real Estate Purchase Contract binds you. Each deadline in it decides what you can still cancel for and whether your earnest money comes back. Your agent sets dates you can meet and keeps every one.
• The inspection and due diligence windowIf you do not cancel or object in writing by the Due Diligence Deadline, you are treated as accepting the home as it is. Your agent helps you order inspections, read the report, test for radon (Utah's Department of Environmental Quality recommends testing every home) and ask for repairs or credits in time.
• Disclosures, title and HOA papersYour agent goes through the seller's property condition disclosure, the title report (liens, easements) and any HOA rules, fees and budget with you before your deadlines pass.
• Pricing and negotiationA price grounded in recent sales nearby, and someone on your side when the seller counters or the appraisal comes in low.
• Wire fraudCriminals send fake wiring instructions that look like they come from the title company. Your agent will tell you to confirm by phone, at a number you already trust, before you send any money.

This is general information, not legal advice. For a legal question about a contract, talk with a Utah real estate attorney; we can help you find one.