Utah's 2026 lending map has a quirk most locals haven't noticed: the highest FHA limit on the Wasatch Front isn't in Salt Lake County. Every Utah county shares the conforming limit of $832,750, but FHA limits follow metro-area medians — and the metro boundaries produce some surprising results.
The 2026 FHA numbers
| County (Area) | 2026 Conforming Limit | 2026 FHA Limit (1-unit) |
|---|---|---|
| Davis (Ogden–Clearfield metro) | $832,750 | $744,050 |
| Salt Lake, Tooele (Salt Lake City metro) | $832,750 | $637,100 |
| Washington (St. George) | $832,750 | $607,200 |
| Utah County (Provo–Orem) | $832,750 | $601,450 |
| Iron (Cedar City) | $832,750 | $541,287 |
The Wasatch Front: check which county you're actually in
Salt Lake and Tooele counties carry a $637,100 FHA limit — but cross into Davis County and the limit jumps to $744,050, because Davis is measured with the Ogden–Clearfield metro. For buyers shopping the corridor from Sandy to Layton (a normal commute-radius search here), the FHA ceiling moves by more than $100,000 depending on which side of the county line the house sits. Utah County — Provo, Orem, Lehi's Silicon Slopes — runs at $601,450.
St. George: mid-tier limit, fast-moving market
Washington County's FHA limit of $607,200 reflects how far southern Utah prices have come. It still covers a solid share of the St. George market, and Cedar City up the road (Iron County, at the $541,287 floor) remains the value play for buyers priced out of Washington County.
Beyond the limits
- Conforming covers a lot here. At $832,750, the conforming limit clears typical prices in nearly every Utah neighborhood we serve — jumbo is the exception, not the rule.
- Down payment help: Utah Housing Corporation offers down payment assistance second mortgages paired with its first-mortgage programs through approved lenders. Terms change; ask what's current for your scenario.
- VA buyers: no loan limit with full entitlement — and Utah's VA-eligible population is bigger than people assume.
Sources
- FHFA: Conforming Loan Limit Values for 2026 (announced Nov 25, 2025) and the FHFA 2026 county loan limit list
- HUD: FHA Announces 2026 Loan Limits, Mortgagee Letter 2025-23, and the HUD CHUMS county limit data file, CY2026
- VA home loan limits (no limit with full entitlement)
Loan limits shown are for one-unit properties; two- to four-unit properties have higher limits. All figures are current as of August 2026 and reset annually. Down payment assistance programs are administered by their respective agencies, have their own eligibility requirements, and change without notice. This is general information, not a loan offer or a commitment to lend — talk to a local Xpert loan officer for numbers specific to you.