Moving to Bountiful, Utah

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, NOAA, USGS, and the Utah State Tax Commission. Prices move, so ask me for current numbers.

Bountiful is the largest city in south Davis County. It sits on a slope between the Wasatch Range and the Great Salt Lake, just north of Salt Lake City. Downtown is at about 4,400 feet. The hillside above town on the east side climbs past 4,900. About 45,000 people live here, by the 2025 Census estimate.

The city is credited as Utah’s second settlement. Perrigrine Sessions moved his family here on September 27, 1847, about nine miles north of the new Salt Lake settlement. He built a dugout with a roof of skins and spent the winter in it. The place was named Bountiful on February 17, 1855. It became a city on December 14, 1892, with Joseph L. Holbrook as its first mayor. The city water system began in 1906, and electric lights came in 1907. The city still owns its power company.

Then the town filled in. Bountiful grew from about 6,000 people in 1950 to more than 41,000 by 2000. Today it is a finished city. It touches North Salt Lake, Woods Cross, West Bountiful and Centerville, and its east edge is mountain land. The city’s own general plan says it does not expect to annex more land. The population has hardly moved since 2020.

For a buyer, that shapes the market. Most homes sit on settled streets with older trees, and little land is left for big new neighborhoods. Main Street is an old, walkable downtown. Trails start at the top of the hill. The slope is also the big divide in town. The east hillside has the views, the trails and the most snow. The flatter west side is closer to I-15.

Want the street level view? Bountiful on The Local has guides to the canyons, Main Street and the city power company. Weighing the whole state? Start with my relocating to Utah guide. I did the homework on Bountiful. In Bountiful, a partner agent I trust does the work on the ground.

Bountiful has four true seasons. Summers are hot and dry. Winters are cold, with steady snow from December through February. Spring and fall are mild. These are NOAA’s official 1991 to 2020 normals from the Val Verda station. It sits at the foot of the east hillside, about 2 miles south of City Hall. The station stopped reporting in 2014, so these are long-run averages, not today’s readings.

Month by month

These are the normal highs and lows for each month. The summer nights cool off. A normal July night drops to about 63°F.

• JanuaryHigh 38°F, low 22°F
• FebruaryHigh 43°F, low 26°F
• MarchHigh 53°F, low 33°F
• AprilHigh 60°F, low 38°F
• MayHigh 70°F, low 47°F
• JuneHigh 81°F, low 55°F
• JulyHigh 91°F, low 63°F
• AugustHigh 89°F, low 61°F
• SeptemberHigh 78°F, low 52°F
• OctoberHigh 64°F, low 40°F
• NovemberHigh 50°F, low 31°F
• DecemberHigh 39°F, low 23°F

Source: NOAA climate normals, 1991 to 2020, Bountiful Val Verda station, at about 4,540 feet.

Rain and melted snow add up to about 22.6 inches a year. April is the wettest month, with about 3.3 inches, and July is the driest, with about 0.8. From November through April comes about 59 percent of the year’s moisture.

Frost dates matter if you garden. The last spring freeze is usually around April 24. The first fall freeze is usually around October 19. That leaves a frost-free season of about 178 days. A normal year has about 118 nights at freezing or colder, and almost none at zero or below.

For the day to day side, see Bountiful on The Local.

Bountiful gets about as much snow as Salt Lake City in a normal year, and less than Logan. The Val Verda station logs about 52 inches. It comes in a steady run from December through February, not in one big dump.

December brings about 12 inches, January about 12, and February about 12. March adds about 7 and November about 6.5. Snow can start in October and can fall as late as April. From May through September there is none.

Snow depends on how high you live. A second NOAA station sits up on the east hillside, at 4,950 feet, about 530 feet above City Hall. It logs about 119 inches a year. That is more than twice the snow at the foot of the hill. January alone brings about 25 inches up there. Rain and melted snow add up to about 27.6 inches, against 22.6 at the lower station.

For the bigger picture on snow and water in Utah, read my guide on Utah water and snowpack.

Summers are hot and dry. A normal July afternoon reaches about 91°F. That is a few degrees cooler than Salt Lake City, and a little warmer than Logan or Midway. Nights fall to about 63°F, so the house cools off after dark.

Hot days are common. A normal year has about 41 days at 90°F or hotter, and about 39 of them come from June through August. Days at 100°F or hotter are rare, about 2 a year. August is a little cooler than July, with highs near 89°F.

Summer is also the season for the worst air. The air quality topic below has the numbers.

Bountiful is not a windy town on most days, but it has one special wind to know. Cold high pressure sometimes sits over Wyoming. Then air pours west down the Wasatch canyons. These east winds can be strong and damaging, and the hillside next to a canyon mouth takes the worst gusts.

Two storms show what they can do. On December 1, 2011, east winds gusted 90 to 100 miles an hour across northern Utah. Damage in Davis County was put at more than $75 million. On September 8 and 9, 2020, a historic windstorm hit the northern Wasatch Front. The peak gust was 99 miles an hour in Farmington. It reached 75 in Centerville. More than 180,000 power outages hit the Wasatch Front, and at least 50 semitrailers tipped over.

The wind sensors named for those storms sit in Farmington and Centerville, so there is no Bountiful gust figure. The city power department did report a major windstorm outage that was a FEMA event, with trees blown onto power lines across town. These winds come a few times a decade. They are not a daily fact of life.

Sources: NOAA Storm Events Database (event 921689), KSL reporting on December 2011, and the Bountiful City Council retreat packet, January 2026.

Yes, Bountiful gets inversions. An inversion is when cold air gets trapped in a valley under a lid of warmer air. On calm winter days, haze builds in that trapped air. A storm usually clears it out. Winter haze is real here, but the record shows that summer ozone brings more poor air days than winter haze does.

Winter haze

The air quality index starts at 0. A reading of 50 or less is good. Above 50 is moderate, and above 100 is unhealthy for sensitive groups. This table counts December through February days over 50 in Davis County.

Source: EPA AirData, daily air quality index for Davis County. The worst days were December 4, 2024 and January 7, 2026.

Summer ozone

Ozone is a gas that forms on hot, sunny days. In 2025 Davis County had 231 good days and 127 moderate days. It had 7 days that were unhealthy for sensitive groups, with a high of 119. All 7 were ozone days, between May 31 and September 3. Salt Lake County had 121 good days and 228 moderate days that year, and 16 worse days.

What the EPA says

Davis County is part of the Northern Wasatch Front area for the 2015 ozone standard. EPA lists the area as Serious, so it does not yet meet that standard. EPA reclassified it to Serious in January 2025. In April 2026 it proposed to repeal that reclassification, which was not final as of the latest EPA list. For fine particles, called PM2.5, the Salt Lake City area, including Davis County, became a maintenance area on December 19, 2025. That means it now meets the standard and has a plan to keep it that way.

Here is what I would do. Check the air each day on the state’s air quality site, the way you check the weather. If air matters to you, visit during a gray winter stretch and a hot summer afternoon before you buy. Homes on the hillside sometimes sit above the worst winter haze, but no number backs that, so test it yourself.

Car emissions tests are part of the same story. The first 90 days topic covers the test and the new rule.

Sources: EPA Green Book (data current as of September 30, 2026), the EPA news release on PM2.5, and EPA AirData for 2025 and 2026.

Bountiful is not the cheapest place to live along the Wasatch Front, and it does not try to be. What you pay for is position and settled streets. You are about 20 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City, and the trees on the older blocks are already tall. The same budget can buy a newer, larger house farther from the city. Here you get an older house closer in.

The glance box at the top of this page shows the latest typical home value, from the U.S. Census. The rest of your costs are steady and easy to look up. Utah taxes a primary home on 55% of its value, and the average property tax in Davis County is about 0.56% of a home's value a year. Most of that bill goes to the school district and the county. The city's own share is small.

Driving costs stay in check because the drives are short. The average trip to work is close to the Salt Lake metro average, and the jobs topic has the commute numbers.

Next to Salt Lake City, you give up some walkability and trade it for quieter streets and the hillside. Next to the newer cities farther north in Davis County, you give up new finishes and get an established street with grown trees. I can run the real numbers side by side for the towns you are weighing.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 2020 to 2024), the Utah State Tax Commission, and the City of Bountiful power and water rate sheets for July 2026. Costs change, so ask me for current numbers.

For general information only. This is not tax or financial advice. Tax rates and home prices change. Consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Three taxes matter most when you move here: sales tax, state income tax, and property tax. Here is each one in plain terms. Sales tax is changing soon, so I give both rates.

Bountiful's own share of the property tax bill is small. The city's 2025 rate is one of the lowest in Davis County, and only West Point's is lower. The school district takes the largest share. The county and a handful of local districts, such as sewer, fire, and recreation, make up the rest. A typical home in the county paid about $3,000 in 2025, after the primary home break below.

The primary home exemption

Utah gives a tax break to the home you live in. A primary home is taxed on 55% of its market value, not the full value. The break covers the house and up to one acre of land. The home must be lived in for at least 183 days in a row each year. Short-term rentals and empty homes do not qualify.

When you buy a home that was the seller's primary home, the break usually carries over. Davis County asks for an application mainly when a home is a rental. From January 1, 2027, state law makes an application mandatory when ownership changes. If you buy after that date, put it on your first-month list. Look at your tax notice for the line "Primary Land And Buildings" to see that the break is applied.

Car fees

Utah charges a fee at registration that depends on the age of the car. In 2026 it runs from $150 for a 2024 to 2026 model down to $10 for a 2014 or older one, plus the registration fees. The first 90 days topic has the emissions test and the registration steps.

Sources: Utah State Tax Commission (sales tax rates in effect October 1, 2026, and the 2025 Property Tax Annual Statistical Report), the Davis County Assessor, the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles, and S.B. 60 (2026). Questions about your own bill go to the Davis County Assessor.

For general information only. This is not tax or financial advice. Tax rates and home prices change. Consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your situation.

The glance box at the top of this page shows the latest typical home value for Bountiful, from the U.S. Census. That number is what owners think their homes are worth, averaged over five years. It is not a sale price. So price any home against recent sales of homes like it nearby.

The story here is the age of the homes, and it cuts both ways. The Census puts the median year built at 1973. About 63% of homes were built before 1980. About 41% date from the 1940s through the 1960s, and about 42% from 1970 through 1999. Only about 13% were built in 2000 or later. The upside is what new subdivisions cannot copy: big trees, real lots, and settled streets. The catch is that many homes are due for updates, so plan for that early.

About 69% of homes are single-family houses on their own lots, by the Census count. Around 71% of homes are owner-occupied. The rest are townhomes, condos, and small apartment buildings. There are no mobile homes.

Know the kind of home before you trust the average

An average price here mixes view homes on the hillside, ramblers in the middle of town, and newer townhomes. Each moves on its own. Judge every house by its own updates, its lot, and its street.

Ask me how fast homes like the one you want are selling right now. A partner agent I trust in Davis County can walk through recent sales with you. Prices move through the year, so a number from last season can mislead.

Shop by price

Shop by kind of home

Sources: U.S. Census ACS 2020 to 2024 and the Bountiful general plan, Bountiful By Design (adopted December 2025). Prices shift through the year, so ask me for the latest Bountiful numbers.

Bountiful is a mature city without master-planned brands, so think in geography, not in subdivision names. The slope is the organizing fact. East of roughly Orchard Drive, the streets climb the hillside above town. West of Main Street, the ground flattens toward I-15. The four areas below run from the hillside to the west side. Each lives a little differently.

• The hillsideThe east hillsideEast of Orchard Drive and 1300 East, up to the canyon mouthsStreets climb past 4,900 feet toward Mueller Park and Holbrook Canyon, with the white granite temple on the upper hillside. It is the landmark you steer by, and "up by the temple" is a common way to place an east-side home. Big lots on slopes fall in the city's Foothill zone, where lot size grows as the slope gets steeper. Expect mid-century to 1990s houses with custom homes mixed in, steeper driveways, terraced yards, and more snow than downtown. Oak Hills, Holbrook, and Valley View elementaries and Mueller Park Junior High are here.
• The middleCentral Bountiful and Orchard DriveBetween the hillside and the downtown gridThe broad middle of the city, with 1950s to 1970s ramblers and split-levels on tree-lined streets. It is the largest single slice of the city's housing. Most lots are in the 8,000 and 11,000 square foot zones. Bountiful High, Millcreek and South Davis junior highs, and Bountiful, Muir, and Boulton elementaries are here, and Viewmont High is at the north end.
• The old gridDowntown and Main StreetRoughly 400 North to 500 South, around MainThe original grid has the city's oldest homes, a short walk from shops, restaurants, the library, the 1863 Bountiful Tabernacle, and Bountiful Town Square. In 2018 the city changed its Downtown zone to allow taller buildings and smaller lots, so townhomes and mixed-use projects have followed. Bountiful Junior High and Meadowbrook Elementary are nearby.
• The flat sideThe west sideWest of Main toward 500 West, I-15, and the lake sideThe flatter blocks run about 4,300 to 4,350 feet. They mix mid-century homes with newer townhomes on leftover lots. You get the quickest freeway access in town, with three I-15 exits about 5 minutes away, and the Woods Cross FrontRunner station about 5 minutes away. There is less slope, less snow to shovel, and fewer views. Some addresses may go to Woods Cross High, so check with the district.

Lot sizes follow the zone. In the single-family zones, R-4 needs lots of at least 8,000 square feet, R-3 needs 11,000, and R-1 needs about an acre. In the Foothill zone the lot size is set by the slope: 20,000 square feet on gentle ground, rising to 2 acres at 20 to 25% slope. Every foothill lot needs a flat spot to build on. Zoning can differ by street, so check each address on the city's map.

Want the story on a certain block? Tell me what you are after. I will get it through the partner agent on the ground. My Bountiful guides on The Local cover the canyons, Main Street, and the temple landmark in more depth.

Zones come from the Bountiful Land Use Code (2025). A home's school depends on its exact address, so check the district map. Elevations come from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Here is the straight answer most pages skip. Bountiful has almost no open land left. The city is boxed in by North Salt Lake, Woods Cross, West Bountiful, and Centerville, and the east edge is mountain land, much of it National Forest. The general plan the city adopted in December 2025 says it does not expect any more land to be annexed. The population has barely moved since 2020, and the land says the same thing.

So new homes here are small. They go on empty lots between older homes, into townhome projects, and into mixed-use buildings downtown. In 2026 the city's files show a few small projects, each by a local owner. I name no builders, because none of them is a large builder.

• TownhomesNorth Canyon Towns460 West 2600 SouthTwenty-one townhomes in five buildings. The Planning Commission recommended it in June 2026, and the City Council agenda for June 23 listed the plat and site plan.
• TownhomesCenter Street Lofts92 West Center StreetTen townhomes. The Planning Commission approved the preliminary plat on September 15, 2026.
• HousesKeller Stone Creek1320 East Bountiful BoulevardFour single-family lots on about 4.85 acres. The city asks for geotechnical studies because of the steep ground. Its preliminary plat was on the October 6, 2026 Planning Commission agenda.
• Mixed useRenaissance Lot 111795 South Renaissance Towne DriveA mixed-use building with an approved site plan and building permit. As of June 2026 it had not been built.

Two city rules shape what comes next. First, the city allows an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, on a single-family lot. An ADU is a small second home on the same lot, like a basement apartment or a casita. They have been allowed in all single-family zones since 2018, and inside the house since 2021 as a permitted use. The city allows one per lot, and the owner must live in one of the two homes. The city's detached-ADU rules were up for a change on the September 22, 2026 council agenda, so ask the city for the current text. Second, the plan steers new homes toward downtown and the planned Main Street bus rapid transit line. That is a bus line with its own stations, planned along Main Street.

A newer home in Bountiful comes one of three ways. You can buy an empty lot and build. You can buy a new townhome or condo in a project. Or you can buy a mid-century house and remodel it into the home you want. All three work, and each needs a different budget and timeline. If you want a brand new subdivision at scale, look north at Farmington and beyond, where there is still open land.

Builders often cover the buyer agent fee, and your agent puts that in writing before you sign. Buying new works differently from buying a resale home, so read how it works before you tour.

Sources: Bountiful By Design (December 2025), the Bountiful Planning Commission and City Council packets, and the city redevelopment agency minutes of June 9, 2026. Plans change, so ask me for the latest status.

Every town has its own list of things to check. None of these should scare you off. They are the questions I would ask about any home in Bountiful. Most come from the slope and from the age of the houses. A map or a test can answer each one for a single address, so check them one home at a time.

Low ground west of I-15, near the lake, has its own ground issue. In a strong quake, loose wet soil can act like liquid, and that is called liquefaction. It is a known issue on parts of the Wasatch Front, and older county maps show it. The state's newer hazard layers show nothing mapped inside Bountiful for this. No mapping is not the same as no risk, so ask your inspector.

For the city wildfire rules, see the city site at bountiful.gov. Ask me about any of these on a home you like, and I will tell you what the record shows. Your agent on the ground can set up the camera, the radon test, and the inspection.

More on inspections

This is general information, not legal, engineering, or insurance advice. Sources: the Utah Geological Survey, the U.S. Geological Survey, FEMA, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, and the City of Bountiful. Have a licensed inspector look at any home before you buy.

Sort the financing before the search. The homes span a wide range. There are entry townhomes and condos at one end, mid-century houses that may need real updates in the middle, and custom homes on the hillside at the top. A house built in 1962 raises different budget questions than one built in 2022. The best first step is to get pre-approved. That means a lender checks your finances and tells you how much you can borrow. It shows what you can spend, and it makes your offer stronger.

Buyers who plan updates often want to talk through how the purchase and a renovation budget fit together. Those talks need to happen early, with a licensed lender looking at your real situation, not a city average. The property type matters too. Condo and townhome projects have their own rules, and those can change whether a unit qualifies for a loan.

One loan type does not apply here. USDA loans are for rural homes, and the USDA map shows all of Bountiful as ineligible. City Hall, the east hillside, the north end, the south end, and the west side all came back the same. Conventional, FHA, and VA loans are the ones to look at.

How my dual role works. I am licensed in both real estate and lending. On any one purchase I take one role. Every role is disclosed, and you are always free to choose your own agent and your own lender. In Bountiful, a partner agent I trust does the work on the ground. The full explanation is on How I Work. This section is general information, not financial, legal, or tax advice.

Bountiful is mostly a home town. The jobs within easy reach run from Salt Lake City, about 20 minutes south, up I-15 to Layton and Ogden. The average trip to work is 22.8 minutes (Census, 2020 to 2024). That is close to the Salt Lake metro average of 23.1 and a little above Utah’s 22.1. About 68 out of 100 workers drive alone, and about 6 in 100 carpool.

One worker in five works from home. That is about 4,350 people. Only about 2 in 100 ride public transit to work. The Census numbers count Bountiful workers, wherever the job is.

Jobs inside the city

The big employers in town are public ones. Lakeview Hospital lists about 600 employees. Davis School District runs 14 schools inside city limits. Bountiful City itself employs people at City Hall, the power company, the water department, the landfill, the police, and the Bountiful Ridge golf course. South Davis Metro Fire Agency, the South Davis Sewer District, and Intermountain Bountiful Clinic add more. Shops and restaurants on Main Street and at Renaissance Towne Centre fill out the list.

Davis County had about 141,500 covered jobs in March 2026, down 1.3% from a year before (BLS). Hill Air Force Base is a big employer north of town, about 25 minutes by car. The base is not in that count, because the count leaves out military jobs.

Working from home? My guide for remote workers in Utah covers what to check before you move.

Sources: Census ACS 2020 to 2024, BLS County Employment and Wages (first quarter 2026), and the hospital and city websites.

Bountiful has its own hospital. Lakeview Hospital is at 630 East Medical Drive, about 3 minutes from City Hall. Its emergency room is open all day, every day. The state licenses it for 125 beds. It opened in 1976 and was named for its view of the Great Salt Lake.

Lakeview is run by MountainStar Healthcare. It lists maternity care and a newborn intensive care unit, orthopedics and joint replacement, heart care, cancer care, imaging, women's care, and inpatient and outpatient behavioral health. Lakeview is a Level III trauma center. Trauma levels run from I, the most complete, to V.

For the most serious injuries, the Level I centers are in Salt Lake County: University Hospital, Intermountain Medical Center, and Primary Children's. University Hospital is about 24 minutes from City Hall. The Level II centers are McKay-Dee and Ogden Regional in Ogden and St. Mark's in Millcreek.

On military orders? My military PCS guide covers VA loans and timing the move.

Sources: the Utah state hospital license list, the Utah Bureau of Emergency Medical Services trauma list (May 2025), and the hospital websites. Drive times are map estimates.

Bountiful is served by the Davis School District. The district office is at 45 East State Street in Farmington. Inside Bountiful city limits there are 14 district schools: eight elementary schools, four junior highs, and two high schools. In Davis, elementary school is kindergarten to grade 6, junior high is grades 7 to 9, and high school is grades 10 to 12.

Student counts come from the Utah State Board of Education, October 1, 2025. Addresses come from the state schools map.

Some Bountiful addresses may go to schools just outside the city. Woods Cross High (1,491 students) is in Woods Cross. Adelaide Elementary (308 students) has a Bountiful mailing address but sits in North Salt Lake. Boundaries change from year to year. Confirm the school for any address with the district, and do not guess from a listing.

For 2026 to 2027, the district moved the French dual language program from South Davis Junior High to Mueller Park Junior High. The whole district has about 67,500 students.

Private and charter schools

St. Olaf Catholic School, for pre-K to grade 8, is at 1793 Orchard Drive. No charter school sits inside the city. Charters near Bountiful include Legacy Preparatory Academy in Woods Cross, and Spectrum Academy and Wasatch Peak Academy in North Salt Lake.

I do not rate schools, and I would be wary of anyone who says which one is best. Check the boundaries and programs yourself, with what matters to you in mind. The links below go to the district and to independent sites.

Ratings and boundaries come from independent third parties and the district, not from me.

Bountiful is not a college town. No college campus sits inside the city. But Bountiful is close to many. A student can live here and reach a half dozen schools without moving.

Times are map estimates in normal traffic. Rush hour changes them. I list a drive only where the map gives one.

I-15 runs along the west edge of Bountiful. Three exits serve the city: 315 at 2600 South, 316 at 500 South, and 317 at 400 North. Each is about 4 or 5 minutes from City Hall. Legacy Parkway runs beside I-15 on the west, from Woods Cross to Farmington, with a paved trail next to it. Big trucks were barred from it until January 1, 2020.

Inside the city, Main Street and Orchard Drive carry most of the north and south trips. The Main Street blocks are easy to walk. The hillside above town is steep, so plan on driving from there. A newer road farther west, SR-177, opened in January 2024. It runs from Farmington to West Point, with a trail beside it.

From the center of town

• Lakeview Hospital~3 min
• Woods Cross FrontRunner~5 min
• Holbrook Canyon trailhead~7 min
• Mueller Park~10 min
• Station Park~13 min
• Antelope Island~40 min

Here is where the pinch points are. I-15 slows at rush hour, and the airport run changes the most from day to day. With I-15 and Legacy Parkway side by side, a crash on one road seldom leaves you stuck.

Road details come from the Utah Department of Transportation and the city. Drive times are map estimates.

Bountiful has no FrontRunner station of its own. The nearest is Woods Cross, at 750 South 800 West, about 5 minutes by car. FrontRunner is the UTA commuter train. On weekdays, trains come every 30 minutes at peak times. There is Saturday service, and none on Sundays.

From Woods Cross, a southbound train reaches North Temple in about 12 minutes and Salt Lake Central in about 16. Northbound, Farmington is about 10 minutes away.

The planned Main Street line would use stops that already exist in Bountiful, plus new ones south to Salt Lake City. UTA says it would have no lanes of its own. No opening date is confirmed, so do not buy a home counting on it.

Details come from the UTA project page and the fall 2026 FrontRunner timetable. Routes and times change, so check before you ride.

Bountiful has no airport. Salt Lake City International (SLC) is the airport for all of Davis County. It is about 11 miles from City Hall, about 20 minutes by car. Ogden-Hinckley Airport is about 25 miles north, about 30 minutes.

• Salt Lake City (SLC)~11 mi · ~20 min
• Ogden (OGD)~25 mi · ~30 min

Airline service at Ogden has been limited, so check the airport’s own site before you plan around it. The Salt Lake City run changes most with rush hour and weather, so leave extra time.

Drive times are map estimates from City Hall in normal traffic.

Bountiful is easy to leave in two directions. I-15 runs south to Salt Lake City and north to Layton and Ogden. The mountains close off the east, and the Great Salt Lake lies to the west.

Centerville

~3 mi · ~6 min

Farmington

~8 mi · ~12 min

Salt Lake City

~12 mi · ~20 min

Layton

~15 mi · ~20 min

Ogden

~28 mi · ~30 min

Park City

~42 mi · ~50 min

Here are more drives people ask about, all from City Hall.

These are map estimates in normal conditions, not official figures. Add time for snow and rush hour, and check your own route.

Going somewhere else? Look up any Utah drive between 138 towns.

Bountiful is one of the few Utah cities that runs its own power company. A lot of your setup goes through City Hall. To start or stop city service, call the city utility office first at 801-298-6100. It is at 795 South Main Street and is open Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is closed on Fridays.

Check the city site for fees and hours. Gas emergencies go to 1-800-767-1689.

A power company the city has owned since 1907

Most of Utah pays its light bill to a statewide company. Bountiful pays its light bill to Bountiful. Electric lights came to town in 1907 through the work of citizens, and the city bought the system and never sold it. The crews and the counter at 198 South 200 West belong to the city. Rate decisions are made in a council room you can walk into.

I make no claim that city power costs less than the statewide company, and I would doubt anyone who does. The city’s own power page says it aims to keep rates below nearby providers, and that is its claim, not mine. What city ownership gives you is local control. The city's budget sheet lists its power sources: hydropower from the Colorado River Storage Project, the Intermountain Power Project, a city natural gas plant, Echo and Pineview hydropower, the Red Mesa solar project, and market purchases. Read the full story on The Local.

Many city water lines date from the early 1900s. The city plans to replace about 110 of its 176 miles of pipe over the next 40 years. Before you dig, call Blue Stakes at 811. Check the city utilities, power, and water pages at bountiful.gov.

Bountiful has its own fiber network. Bountiful Fiber is owned by the city, and it was built with UTOPIA Fiber. It is open access, which means several companies sell service over the same lines. You can compare them at mybountifulfiber.com.

Source: the Utah Broadband Center provider data (edited October 1, 2026), checked at City Hall and on the east hillside. I list who reports service, not speeds or prices.

Xfinity and CenturyLink show up at every Davis County point the state checked. What you can get still depends on the street, so check the exact address before you buy. For cell service, look at each carrier's own coverage map for the address.

Moving day is only the start. Here is the short list for your first 90 days in Bountiful, in a sensible order.

1. Turn on the utilitiesCall the city utility office at 801-298-6100, Monday to Thursday. Then call Enbridge Gas Utah for gas. Do this a week before you move in.
2. Get your Utah driver licenseThe Driver License Division office is at 631 North Lagoon Drive in Farmington. You need an appointment. There is a written test, and maybe a driving test.
3. Register your carUtah gives you 60 days after you make a permanent home here. The DMV office is at 969 West Clark Lane in Farmington. Pass the emissions test first. A car that is new to Utah needs a quick VIN check.
4. Get an emissions testDavis County requires one. See the box below.
5. Register to voteDo it online at vote.utah.gov, or in person at the county clerk.
6. Sign up the kids for schoolConfirm the school for your address with Davis School District, then register.
7. Check the primary home tax breakDavis County usually carries it over from the seller. The taxes topic has the rule.

The emissions test

Davis County is one of five Utah counties that require an emissions test. Salt Lake, Utah, Weber, and Cache are the others. A car less than six years old is tested every two years. An older car is tested every year. Electric cars are exempt. You test no more than two months before your registration is due.

A new county rule, dated October 1, 2026, covers most 1996 and newer cars and light trucks. It drops the old tailpipe test. The county web page may still show older wording, so check it. Stations set their own prices. If you bought a car in a county with no test, you have 10 days after you bring it to Davis County to pass one. Tests from other Utah programs count.

Rules and office hours change. Check each office before you go.

Most of your weekly shopping stays in Bountiful. Three grocery stores sit within about four blocks of each other on 500 South, between Main Street and 300 West. A fourth is on Orchard Drive in south Bountiful. For warehouse and hardware runs, you go to the 500 West strip beside I-15. Some of the addresses there say Bountiful, and some say West Bountiful, so check the city on the sign.

For restaurants, from the Main Street cafes to the custard stand at the south end, see the restaurants topic.

What Bountiful does not have

There is no Harmons, Target, or Home Depot inside the city. The nearest Harmons is at Station Park in Farmington, about 13 minutes north, and Station Park is the bigger outing too. Downtown Salt Lake City is about 20 minutes south.

Store lists change. These were checked against store pages and local news in October 2026.

The Wasatch Range is the backyard on the east side of Bountiful. The Great Salt Lake is the view to the west. The trailheads sit at the top of the streets. The closest trailhead, Holbrook Canyon, is about 7 minutes from City Hall.

From the center of town

• Lakeview Hospital~3 min
• Woods Cross FrontRunner~5 min
• Holbrook Canyon trailhead~7 min
• Mueller Park~10 min
• Station Park~13 min
• Antelope Island~40 min

Mueller Park and the canyon trails

Mueller Park is a Forest Service picnic area about 5 miles up the canyon, at 5,400 feet. It has 18 picnic sites for groups, paved paths, drinking water, toilets, and a volleyball court. The gate opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m. The picnic area usually opens in late April and closes in October.

The Mueller Park Trail starts at the picnic area. It is about 6 miles one way to Rudy's Flat, and 12 to 13 miles out and back. Elephant Rock is about 3.5 miles up. That hike is about 7 miles round trip with roughly 900 feet of climbing, and it takes about 3 hours. A seat at the rock looks over the Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island.

Hikers, mountain bikers, dirt bikes, and horses all share this trail. It is bear country, so store food the way the Forest Service asks. Dogs must be on a leash of 6 feet or shorter. Mill Creek runs down the canyon and is a source of the city's drinking water, so pack out everything, dog waste included.

Skyline Drive

Skyline Drive is a rough Forest Service road. It climbs from Bountiful Canyon toward Bountiful Peak and the Farmington Canyon ridge. It is open in summer and fall only. The gate usually opens about June 1, weather permitting, and the snow closes it again. Bountiful Peak Campground sits near 7,500 feet beside the road. Check the Forest Service before you drive up, because the opening date moves with the snow.

The lake side

Antelope Island State Park is an island in the Great Salt Lake, about 40 minutes from City Hall by the causeway. It is open every day of the year except Thanksgiving and Christmas, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Bison, mule deer, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn live on the island. It has a beach at Bridger Bay, campsites, and the Fielding Garr Ranch. The Bison Roundup is usually in late October.

Closer in, the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area and the Eccles Wildlife Education Center sit just north, for birds on the lake wetlands. The Legacy Parkway Trail is a paved path of about 13 to 14 miles beside Legacy Parkway, from North Salt Lake to Farmington. The Great Salt Lake Bird Festival is usually in mid May.

City parks

Bountiful City Park is at 400 N 200 W, about half a mile from downtown. It hosts Handcart Days and the summer concerts. Dogs are welcome in city parks on a leash, except at Bountiful Town Square. You can reserve a pavilion, called a bowery, in person at City Hall for use from April 15 to October 15. The city has an interactive park map on its site. The Town Square and the recreation center are in the Entertainment topic below.

Sources: the Forest Service, recreation.gov, Hiking Project, Visit Utah, the City of Bountiful, and Utah State Parks. The city parks page is at bountiful.gov. Drive times are map estimates from City Hall. Seasons and gate dates change, so check before you go.

No national park is close to Bountiful. The closest big natural areas are a state park on the Great Salt Lake and the national forest at the edge of town. Utah's national parks lie far to the south and east. Plan a trip to any of them as an overnight stay.

The rest of Utah's national parks are farther away than these two. The Utah City Finder drive tool times a trip from Bountiful to any of 138 towns, including the towns near each park entrance.

Drive times are map estimates from the Utah City Finder, between town centers. Antelope Island is from City Hall to the visitor center. Check each park's own site for hours, fees, and closures.

Bountiful has no ski area of its own, and Davis County has none. The closest lift-served skiing is Snowbasin to the north and the Cottonwood Canyon resorts to the south. Park City is about 50 minutes away. You can ski a day and be home for dinner.

Utah resorts usually open between about the week before Thanksgiving and early December, depending on snow. For the 2026 to 2027 season, Park City Mountain, Solitude, and Alta set the first dates. Snowbasin and Snowbird set theirs a week later. Deer Valley and Powder Mountain were set for December. The resorts post their own dates each fall.

Drive times are map estimates from City Hall. Opening dates move every year, so use each resort's own site and the Utah Department of Transportation road report.

Bountiful Ridge Golf Club is the course in town. It sits on the hillside at 2430 S Bountiful Boulevard, about 9 minutes from City Hall. It has 18 holes and a par of 71. William H. Neff designed it, and it opened in 1975. From the blue tees it plays 6,595 yards, and water comes into play on six holes.

The club has a driving range and a putting green. A clubhouse cafe, lessons, junior programs, and men's and ladies' clubs round out the list. It is a pre-paid facility, so you book tee times online and pay ahead. Call the pro shop at 801-298-6040 for questions.

Course details come from the Bountiful Ridge website and golf directories. Check the course for current prices, hours, and conditions.

Bountiful has a mix of local places and one chain that started here. Most sit in four spots. Main Street, from 100 North to 600 South, holds a run of small restaurants. The blocks of 500 South, between Main and 300 West, sit beside the supermarkets. The 500 West strip is by the freeway. The south end, on 2600 South, is at the Woods Cross line.

The six places below are well known. Each is a different kind of food, and each has a record you can check.

Six places people know

• Hawaiian plate lunchMo' Bettahs500 South, 273 W 500 SThe Mo' Bettahs chain was founded in Bountiful in 2008 by brothers Kimo and Kalani Mack.
• Frozen custard and burgersNielsen's Frozen CustardSouth end, 570 W 2600 SFounded in 1981 in Salt Lake City by Steve and Debbie Nielsen. The Bountiful store has a 1930s diner look and also sells burgers, fries, and chicken.
• Philly cheesesteaksVito'sMain Street, 108 S MainIt began as a sidewalk cart in 2007, then a food truck, then the shop. Hours are about 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, and it takes cash or check only.
• ThaiMak Mak Thai CuisineMain Street, 353 S MainA fast casual place whose signature dish is khao soi. It lists a Best of State 2026 award for Thai on its own site. Its posted hours list no Sunday.
• IndianRoyal IndiaMain Street, 55 N MainIt opened in 2005, when it was the only Indian restaurant in Davis County. The recipes come from Madras. It serves dinner only.
• Neapolitan pizzaTi Amo Woodfired PizzaSouth end, 515 W 2600 SA family owned pizza place, started by Mauro and Gloria Bonfanti.

Each is long running, well covered, or began here. Each was listed as open on its own site or in 2026 news in October 2026. This is not a ranking, and no one paid to be listed.

Hours change, and small places come and go. Check before you drive.

Bountiful keeps its weekend life close to Main Street. A five-acre plaza, a shared recreation center, and an old downtown with bronze art are all within a few minutes of City Hall. For bigger outings, Lagoon and downtown Salt Lake City are a short drive away.

• PlazaBountiful Town Square75 E 200 SA five-acre city plaza that opened in December 2020 on the site of the old Stoker School. It has a water feature to play in, food-truck parking, and shade trees. It is about 2 minutes from City Hall. The Thursday farmers market is held here in summer.
• Ice skatingThe Ice RibbonBountiful Town SquareA 520 foot outdoor skating path run by the South Davis Recreation District. The season usually opens in late November and runs through February.
• Swim, skate, and playSouth Davis Recreation Center550 N 200 WIndoor and outdoor pools, an ice rink, a gym, a fitness center, and a track. It runs swim lessons, water polo, and youth and adult leagues. It is about 5 minutes from City Hall.
• Amusement parkLagoonFarmington, about 13 minutesAn amusement park that usually opens in late March, with weekends first. The Frightmares Halloween event runs from mid September into early November.

The recreation district was approved by voters in 2005 and serves Bountiful, Centerville, North Salt Lake, Woods Cross, and West Bountiful. Five cities share it.

Main Street

The city sets aside 1 percent of the cost of new city building projects for public art. The works stand on Main Street and at the Square. They include six bronze sculptures and a hunt for six bronze bees, which you find with clues. The city began designing new Main Street sidewalks and lighting in 2023, so look at what has been built when you visit.

Renaissance Towne Centre, at the south end of Main Street, has the newer shops, and the shopping topic covers it. A monthly Main Street Stroll began in 2026, with merchants, galleries, and food trucks. For bigger nights out, downtown Salt Lake City is about 20 minutes south.

Hours, prices, and season dates change. Check the recreation district and each venue before you go. Details come from the City of Bountiful, the South Davis Recreation District, and local news.

Bountiful has a working art center, a small history museum, and a theatre in the next town. All three are within a few minutes of Main Street. Two landmark buildings also shape the skyline: the 1863 Bountiful Tabernacle on Main Street and the white granite temple on the hillside.

The art center also runs the Summerfest in City Park in August, the Winter Art Market, and the Gingerbread Festival. Those are in the events topic. The six bronze sculptures and the bronze bees hunt are in the Entertainment topic above.

Hours and shows change. Check each site before you go. Details come from each organization's own website.

Handcart Days is the signature weekend. It is held on the Friday and Saturday around July 24, and 2025 was its 75th year. The rest of the year, the calendar has something most months. It runs from the ice ribbon in winter to the Thursday farmers market in summer.

Handcart Days

Friday brings food, games, and a concert at Bountiful City Park. On Saturday a parade starts at 9 a.m. It is 1.8 miles long. It runs north on Main Street from 1500 South to 400 North, then west toward the park. The festival is run by volunteers. The day ends with games at the park and fireworks at Mueller Park Junior High. A race early on Saturday is run by the South Davis Recreation Center, not by the festival.

The organizers call it the second largest parade in Utah. That is their claim, and no outside ranking backs it up. They post a rule about chairs on the route each year, so read their site before you set one out.

The year in Bountiful

• JanuaryThe Ice Ribbon at Town Square. Ice and pools at the South Davis Recreation Center. The big ski resorts are in season.
• FebruaryThe last month for the Ice Ribbon.
• MarchLagoon usually opens in late March, with weekends first.
• AprilThe Mueller Park picnic area usually opens in late April. Pavilion reservations start April 15.
• MayThe Farmington Canyon road usually opens about May 1. The Great Salt Lake Bird Festival is usually in mid May.
• JuneThe Chalk Art Festival fills Main Street in early June. A car show for Coats for Kids comes on Father's Day weekend. The Skyline Drive gate usually opens about June 1. The farmers market and Music in the Park start in late June.
• JulyA July 4 concert by the Bountiful Philharmonia in City Park. Handcart Days, the Friday and Saturday around July 24.
• AugustThe BDAC Summerfest in City Park, a free festival of music, dance, and artists. The last Music in the Park concerts.
• SeptemberThe farmers market continues on Thursdays. Lagoon Frightmares starts in mid September.
• OctoberFall color on the hillside. The last farmers market, in mid October. The Mueller Park picnic area closes. The Antelope Island Bison Roundup is usually in late October.
• NovemberThe Ice Ribbon reopens in late November. The BDAC Winter Art Market opens. The first ski resorts open.
• DecemberThe Gingerbread Festival, usually in early December. The Winter Art Market runs to mid December. The Ice Ribbon is open.

The Music in the Park concert series is free, on summer evenings at 7 p.m. at City Park. The city has run it for more than 17 years. The Thursday farmers market at Town Square is in the shopping topic.

These are the usual months. Dates move each year, so check the organizer or the city calendar before you plan a trip. The city calendar and summer concert pages are at bountiful.gov. The city site moved there, and older links to bountifulutah.gov no longer reach the right pages.

Bountiful sits in the middle of south Davis County. Four neighbor cities press against it, and each has its own guide on this site. The county offices are a few miles north in Farmington. Salt Lake City is just over the county line to the south. Here are the towns around Bountiful and the drive from City Hall.

Day trips

Farther out, you can reach a lot of northern Utah in a morning. Antelope Island is about 40 minutes by the causeway. Snowbasin and the Cottonwood Canyon resorts are about 45 minutes away. Park City is about 50 minutes. Ogden and its canyons are about 30 minutes north.

Drive times are map estimates from City Hall at 795 S Main, in normal traffic. They are close, not exact.