Property tax in Columbia County, Arkansas
The median property tax bill in Columbia County, Arkansas is $718 a year, which is about 0.47% of the county's median home value of $152,100. That effective rate is lower than the typical Arkansas county (0.51%) and lower than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Columbia County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Columbia County's average effective rate of 0.47% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $715 / year
Property tax in Columbia County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $718 |
| Median home value | $152,100 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.47% |
| Typical Arkansas county rate | 0.51% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Columbia County compare in Arkansas?
Among Arkansas's 75 counties, Columbia County has the 54th highest effective property-tax rate: 53 rank higher and 21 rank lower. That is on the lower side for Arkansas. Nationally, it ranks 2721st of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Arkansas county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Columbia County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Columbia County's 5,948 owner-occupied homes, 4.2% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 12% pay at least $2,000, and 47.8% pay under $800. Another 9% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 2,842 | 47.8% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 1,568 | 26.4% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 286 | 4.8% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 465 | 7.8% |
| $3,000 or more | 250 | 4.2% |
| No property tax paid | 537 | 9% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $904 and owners without one pay $502. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.
How does the Columbia County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $718 is about 1.1% of the median income of Columbia County homeowner households, $63,352 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 70.7% of Columbia County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Columbia County?
Yes. The median bill went from $464 in 2015-2019 to $718 in 2020-2024, a 54.7% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 85.7%, from $81,900 to $152,100. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.
Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.
Property tax in counties next to Columbia County
Columbia County borders 6 counties, 2 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette County, AR | 0.61% | $494 | $81,000 |
| Union County, AR | 0.57% | $685 | $120,900 |
| Nevada County, AR | 0.52% | $434 | $83,300 |
| Ouachita County, AR | 0.51% | $525 | $102,100 |
| Columbia County, AR (this county) | 0.47% | $718 | $152,100 |
| Claiborne Parish, LA | 0.43% | $356 | $82,100 |
| Webster Parish, LA | 0.36% | $412 | $114,500 |
How is a home assessed in Columbia County?
Arkansas assesses homes at 20% of market value in every county, Columbia County included. How Arkansas assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Columbia County?
Yes, as a credit off the bill. Arkansas's Amendment 79 homestead credit is $600 on bills payable in 2026, rising to $675 on bills payable in 2027. Register once with the county assessor. That is the Arkansas rule, and it applies in Columbia County. Arkansas's exemptions and relief programs in full.
When are property taxes due in Columbia County?
Arkansas bills in the year after assessment, so what you assess in one year you pay the next. Tax is due and payable from the first business day in March through October 15, and anything unpaid after October 15 picks up a 10% penalty. You can split the bill: a quarter by the third Monday in April, another quarter by the third Monday in July, and the remaining half by October 15. Collectors may also let you pay in any amount across that window.
Arkansas splits the bill into 3 installments. That is the Arkansas rule. Columbia County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.
How to appeal your Columbia County property assessment
You contest the assessed value with the County Board of Equalization, then county court, then circuit court. The filing deadline is typically the third Monday in August. That is the Arkansas rule; Columbia County sets the exact dates and forms. The Arkansas appeal process step by step.
Arkansas rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Arkansas page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Columbia County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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Arkansas income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Arkansas actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Columbia County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Columbia County, Arkansas: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.