Is there landslide risk in Draper, Utah?

Yes, there is landslide risk in parts of Draper, Utah, mainly on the hillsides and ridges. It is documented, it has destroyed homes, and it is checkable before you buy.

The documented problems in Draper are on slopes: the east bench and the ridge at the Point of the Mountain. That is where a buyer has to do different homework. A flatter lot is a lower-stakes question, but the Utah Geological Survey hazard map is free, so check the specific address rather than assuming.

The 2023 Springtime Road landslide

This is the event most people mean when they search for a Draper landslide.

On the morning of April 22, 2023, a landslide on Springtime Road in Draper took two homes down the hillside. The Utah Geological Survey’s incident page says the two homes were vacant: they had been evacuated in October 2022 because of unstable ground, and two more homes were ordered to evacuate after the slide. The UGS described the slide as about two tennis courts wide at the top and more than three football fields long, with debris reaching Ann’s Trail below (Utah Geological Survey, Springtime Road landslide page, updated April 25, 2023, checked October 2026).

Reporting from that week fills in the rest:

• The homes were at 2463 and 2477 E. Springtime Road in Hidden Canyon Estates. The builder, Edge Homes, said in a statement that the retaining wall and hillside slope “experienced a complete failure” (Salt Lake Tribune, April 24, 2023).
• Draper Mayor Troy Walker said the homes sat on engineered fill placed in part of a ravine, and called them “man-made lots.” The UGS page lists the same condition: building pads engineered to fill a ravine (KSL, April 24, 2023).
• Edge Homes said the project had gone through a geologic hazards review with Draper City that the city’s consulting geologist accepted. The Utah Geological Survey’s own review services are optional for developers and were not used on the project (KUTV, April 25, 2023).
• A UGS geologist told KSL that the underlying ground is old volcanic material that is “really conducive” to landslides, and that large landslides are not unusual in that area (KSL, April 24, 2023).

The repair took a long time. Edge Homes finished a first phase of stabilization and debris removal in 2023 (KJZZ, August 11, 2023). In May 2025, KSL reported that Edge Homes was about to start a permanent retaining wall and slope restoration, that the city had approved slope restoration only and not new homes on the site, and that the city’s goal was to finish by the end of 2025 (KSL, May 13, 2025). None of the coverage reviewed for this post reported on any lawsuit over the slide, and this post does not speculate about one.

The real lesson from Springtime Road

The useful takeaway for a buyer is not “avoid Draper hillsides.” It is that city approval and a geologic report on file did not prevent this failure.

The homes went through a review, an engineered plan was approved, and the slope still failed after an unusually wet winter. The UGS says plainly that a buyer should not assume a local government’s approval of a subdivision or building permit guarantees safety from geologic hazards (Utah Geological Survey, Geologic Hazard Assistance page, checked October 2026). That is not a criticism of any one party. It is how hillside risk works: the ground, the fill, the drainage and the weather all have to cooperate for decades.

SunCrest was flagged early

The Springtime Road homes were in the Suncrest area of Draper, as KSL described it in 2025. The question of landslides up there is older than that slide. Slope matters most on the bench, and what Corner Canyon is covers that side of the city.

In 2006, KSL reported that consultants hired by Draper to review a geologic study for the SunCrest development concluded the community sits on ancient landslide terrain. They recommended an emergency response fund, warning signs and insurance for residents. SunCrest called the study “very preliminary” and said it had done its own surveys (KSL, August 16, 2006).

That does not mean every SunCrest lot is unsafe, and no source says so. It means a buyer on the ridge should assume a geologic question exists and ask for the paperwork that answers it, rather than assuming it was settled long ago.

What Draper requires now

Draper has tightened its rules over time. In 2007 the city council approved an ordinance requiring more in-depth geologic testing before building in landslide-prone areas, which did not apply to existing homes (KSL, December 17, 2007).

The current rules were rewritten more recently. On December 16, 2025, the Draper City Council adopted Ordinance #1696, amending the city’s Geologic Hazards Ordinance across four titles of the municipal code (Draper City notice of ordinance adoption, December 18, 2025). The city’s Geotechnical Engineering Standards, dated the same day, say three things a buyer should know:

What the standards say	Why it matters to a buyer
Slope stability investigations are required for development in slope stability study areas shown on the city’s online map portal, including any slope with a landslide on it	The city has its own map, separate from the state’s, worth checking for the parcel
All geotechnical and geologic hazard reports are reviewed by the city’s consultants and permanently filed with the city	For a newer home, the report should exist and be requestable
The owner must record a notice running with the land disclosing the geologic hazards study report, before development approval	On affected parcels, the title work may show it

Source: Draper City Geotechnical Engineering Standards, December 16, 2025, checked October 2026. These rules govern new development. An older home on a slope may predate them entirely.

What a buyer should check on a Draper hillside

Start with the maps. The Utah Geologic Hazards Portal at maps.geology.utah.gov/hazards shows mapped landslides and landslide susceptibility where the UGS has data. Then check Draper’s own online map portal for slope stability study areas. A mapped hazard is not a verdict. An unmapped area is not a clearance either.

Ask the city for the reports. Ask Draper’s building and planning staff what geotechnical and geologic hazard reports are on file for the lot and the subdivision. Read what they recommended and whether anything was conditioned on drainage or retaining walls.

Read the title report. Look for a recorded geologic hazard notice. If there is one, get the report it refers to.

Do not rely on disclosure alone. The UGS notes that Utah law does not require real estate agents to verify or disclose geologic hazards (Utah Geological Survey, Geologic Hazard Assistance page, checked October 2026). The seller tells you what the seller knows, and that may not be much.

Walk the slope with your own eyes. Cracks that step or offset, retaining walls that lean or weep, doors that stick on one side of the house, and ground that has dropped at the edge of a patio are all reasons for a closer look. Checking a hillside lot before you buy walks through that list in detail. It was written for La Verkin, but the method is the same in Draper.

Hire the right professional. A home inspector does not evaluate slope stability. On a sloped lot, a geotechnical engineer or licensed engineering geologist does. Book them inside the due diligence period, because after that deadline your ability to cancel and keep your earnest money is gone. What due diligence means in a Utah contract explains the timing.

Water is the trigger

The UGS says most landslides happen during periods of rising groundwater from heavy rain, snowmelt or irrigation (Utah Geological Survey, Survey Notes, September 2016). The Springtime Road slide followed the record snowpack of 2022–23, and the UGS called spring 2023 Utah’s most active landslide season since 2011 (Utah Geological Survey, Survey Notes, September 2023).

That makes drainage the part an owner controls. Downspouts that discharge away from the slope, irrigation that does not soak the hillside, and retaining walls that drain properly are not cosmetic. They are the maintenance plan.

Insurance usually will not cover it

Check this before you remove contingencies. The UGS states that losses due to geologic hazards are not covered by typical homeowner’s insurance policies (Utah Geological Survey, Geologic Hazard Assistance page, checked October 2026). Earth movement exclusions are standard. Ask an insurance agent, in writing, what the specific policy does and does not cover on that property, and whether any separate coverage exists.

Keep it in proportion

I am Kelsey Earl, a Realtor with Keller Williams South Valley, and I would rather a buyer ask the landslide question too early than too late. What I see is that the buyers who most need to ask it are buying the view lots, and I tell those clients the review is cheap next to the purchase, and that walking away from a lot that fails it is a good outcome, not a lost one.

If you are still deciding which part of the city fits, Draper’s neighborhoods compared is the broader picture. When you have a specific hillside home in mind, get in touch and we will line up the right reviews inside the right deadlines.

Note: This is general information drawn from public reports and agency publications, not engineering, legal or insurance advice. Ground conditions, policy terms and contract rights vary by property. Rely on licensed professionals and your actual contract and policy.