Property tax in Kent County, Delaware
In Kent County, the property tax bill comes from the Kent County Levy Court, Department of Finance, Tax Office (Receiver of Taxes). Every due date for the 2026-2027 bill has passed, and the county had not posted the next cycle's dates when we checked. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Kent County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Kent County, Delaware is $1,363 a year, which is about 0.43% of the county's median home value of $316,600. That effective rate is about the same as the typical Delaware county (0.43%) 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.
Who sends the property tax bill in Kent County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Kent County Levy Court, Department of Finance, Tax Office (Receiver of Taxes). The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Kent County Levy Court, Department of Finance, Division of Assessment, which is who to ask if the value looks wrong. For how to look up and pay the bill, go to the county's own payment information.
The county Tax Office sends one bill with county, school district, library and vocational school taxes, and it also collects county sewer, trash, street light and ditch charges. The Assessment Office sets the value, which is based on the county's reassessment to values as of July 1, 2023; the Tax Office sends the bill. Several towns use the county's values to charge their own separate town property tax, so a town bill can arrive on top of the county bill. Payments are accepted in person, online through the county's bill-pay site, or by mail; accounts paid by a mortgage company cannot be paid online.
When are property taxes due in Kent County?
Every due date for the 2026-2027 (June 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027) bill has passed, and Kent County had not posted the next cycle's dates when we checked on September 23, 2026. If that bill is still unpaid, the late-payment rules below apply to it. Counties usually repeat the schedule, but confirm the new dates on your next bill. For the 2026-2027 (June 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027) bill, Kent County has one due date: September 30, 2026. The whole annual tax is due by Wednesday, September 30, 2026; a mailed payment must be postmarked by September 30. Under state law, a homeowner whose bill on a primary residence is $300 or more higher than last year's can ask for a payment plan that lets the school tax be paid in at least 3 equal installments, with no interest or penalty if the installments are paid on time. Taxes still unpaid after September 30 are charged a penalty under state law until paid: 1.5% a month on county taxes and 1% a month on school taxes.
From Kent County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. If a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the county's own rules on the next business day apply.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Kent County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Kent County's average effective rate of 0.43% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $1,361 / year
Property tax in Kent County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $1,363 |
| Median home value | $316,600 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.43% |
| Typical Delaware county rate | 0.43% |
| 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 Kent County compare in Delaware?
Among Delaware's 3 counties, Kent County has the 2nd highest effective property-tax rate: 1 rank higher and 1 rank lower. Nationally, it ranks 2850th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Delaware county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Kent County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Kent County's 51,808 owner-occupied homes, 7.1% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 23% pay at least $2,000, and 20.8% pay under $800. Another 4.8% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 10,779 | 20.8% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 17,567 | 33.9% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 9,067 | 17.5% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 8,228 | 15.9% |
| $3,000 or more | 3,671 | 7.1% |
| No property tax paid | 2,496 | 4.8% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,450 and owners without one pay $1,137. 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 Kent County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $1,363 is about 1.5% of the median income of Kent County homeowner households, $90,253 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 72.5% of Kent 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 Kent County?
Yes. The median bill went from $1,137 in 2015-2019 to $1,363 in 2020-2024, a 19.9% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 43.5%, from $220,600 to $316,600. 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 Kent County
Kent County borders 8 counties, 6 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem County, NJ | 2.93% | $7,018 | $239,500 |
| Cumberland County, NJ | 2.28% | $5,052 | $221,400 |
| Cape May County, NJ | 1.22% | $5,306 | $434,600 |
| Kent County, MD | 0.91% | $3,025 | $330,900 |
| Caroline County, MD | 0.9% | $2,619 | $290,100 |
| Queen Anne's County, MD | 0.78% | $3,623 | $462,700 |
| New Castle County, DE | 0.71% | $2,499 | $352,200 |
| Kent County, DE (this county) | 0.43% | $1,363 | $316,600 |
| Sussex County, DE | 0.32% | $1,222 | $382,600 |
How is a home assessed in Kent County?
Delaware sets the assessment rules and Kent County applies them. How Delaware assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Kent County?
No. Delaware has no general homestead exemption; relief comes through the age-65 and disabled-veteran school tax credits and county-level exemptions with income limits. That is the Delaware rule, and it applies in Kent County. Delaware's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Delaware programs, Kent County runs its own:
- Elderly and disability tax exemption: Set by Kent County Levy Court ordinance for owners who are 65 or older by May 31 or totally (100%) disabled, who have lived in the home for the past year and in Delaware for the past five years, with income (not counting Social Security) of no more than $18,000 single or $24,750 married; it reduces the taxable assessment, which can lower or eliminate the tax. All county taxes and fees must be paid up, and owners must reapply every year. Apply by April 30.
How to appeal your Kent County property assessment
In Kent County you appeal to the Kent County Board of Assessment Review. The deadline: Appeals of the annual assessment must be in writing and must reach the Assessment Office by 5:00 pm on the last working day of January to affect the tax year that starts June 1; a postmark is not accepted. January 31, 2027 is a Sunday, so the deadline is Friday, January 29, 2027. Appeals of a supplemental (quarterly) bill have their own deadlines: the last working day of November, February or May, depending on when the bill was issued. Deadlines may change in a reassessment year and the year after. A Board decision can be appealed to the Superior Court of Kent County within 30 days of notice of the decision. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Delaware's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Delaware rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Delaware 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 Kent 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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Delaware income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Delaware actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Kent County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Kent County, Delaware: 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.