Property tax in Buchanan County, Iowa
In Buchanan County, the property tax bill comes from the Buchanan County Treasurer. The fiscal year 2026/2027 bill is paid in 2 installments, and the next one is due March 31, 2027. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Buchanan County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Buchanan County, Iowa is $2,390 a year, which is about 1.36% of the county's median home value of $176,000. That effective rate is higher than the typical Iowa county (1.32%) and higher 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 Buchanan County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Buchanan County Treasurer. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Buchanan County Assessor, 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.
Tax statements are mailed in late August. Online payments go through Iowa Tax and Tags, the county treasurers' payment site; e-check, debit card and credit card payments each carry a fee. Mailed checks go to Buchanan County Treasurer, PO Box 319, Independence, IA 50644, and there is a secure payment drop box outside the courthouse. A Board of Review decision can be appealed further to the state Property Assessment Appeal Board or to district court, within 20 days after the Board of Review adjourns or May 31, whichever is later.
When are property taxes due in Buchanan County?
For the fiscal year 2026/2027 bill, Buchanan County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due September 30, 2026 and the last March 31, 2027. The next one due is the second installment, on March 31, 2027. Iowa law makes unpaid taxes delinquent on October 1 and April 1. From then, the penalty is 1.5% a month, rounded to the nearest whole dollar, and a $4 cost per parcel is added to a delinquent second half. Taxes still unpaid after May 1 may be published in the delinquent tax list, and remaining delinquent taxes are sold at the county's annual tax sale on the third Monday of June.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First installment | September 30, 2026 (passed) | The county lists the first half as due September 1, 2026, but no penalty is charged on a payment made by September 30, 2026, a Wednesday. You can pay the whole year with this installment. A mailed payment must be postmarked on or before September 30; the county suggests mailing by September 28, 2026 to be sure of the postmark. If the last day of September or March falls on a weekend, you have until the next business day to pay without penalty. |
| Second installment | March 31, 2027 | The county lists the second half as due March 1, 2027, but no penalty is charged on a payment made by March 31, 2027, a Wednesday. The same postmark rule applies. |
From Buchanan 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 Buchanan County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Buchanan County's average effective rate of 1.36% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,394 / year
Property tax in Buchanan County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,390 |
| Median home value | $176,000 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.36% |
| Typical Iowa county rate | 1.32% |
| 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 Buchanan County compare in Iowa?
Among Iowa's 99 counties, Buchanan County has the 38th highest effective property-tax rate: 37 rank higher and 61 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Iowa. Nationally, it ranks 509th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Iowa county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Buchanan County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Buchanan County's 6,777 owner-occupied homes, 35.1% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 57% pay at least $2,000, and 9.4% pay under $800. Another 3.1% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 639 | 9.4% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 1,194 | 17.6% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 871 | 12.9% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 1,486 | 21.9% |
| $3,000 or more | 2,377 | 35.1% |
| No property tax paid | 210 | 3.1% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,589 and owners without one pay $2,154. 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 Buchanan County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,390 is about 2.7% of the median income of Buchanan County homeowner households, $87,951 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 82.1% of Buchanan 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 Buchanan County?
Yes. The median bill went from $2,112 in 2015-2019 to $2,390 in 2020-2024, a 13.2% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 23.5%, from $142,500 to $176,000. 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 Buchanan County
Buchanan County borders 7 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linn County, IA | 1.66% | $3,547 | $214,300 |
| Black Hawk County, IA | 1.5% | $2,842 | $188,900 |
| Buchanan County, IA (this county) | 1.36% | $2,390 | $176,000 |
| Delaware County, IA | 1.34% | $2,382 | $177,900 |
| Benton County, IA | 1.31% | $2,727 | $208,200 |
| Fayette County, IA | 1.3% | $1,782 | $136,800 |
| Bremer County, IA | 1.29% | $2,824 | $219,600 |
| Clayton County, IA | 1.29% | $2,181 | $168,500 |
How is a home assessed in Buchanan County?
Iowa sets the assessment rules and Buchanan County applies them. How Iowa assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Buchanan County?
Yes. From the 2026 assessment year Iowa exempts 10% of a homestead's taxable value, never less than $5,500 or more than $20,000. File form 54-028 with your assessor by July 1. That is the Iowa rule, and it applies in Buchanan County. Iowa's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Buchanan County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the Iowa ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Buchanan County property assessment
In Buchanan County you appeal to the Buchanan County Board of Review. The deadline: Under Iowa law, file a written, signed protest with the Board of Review from April 2 through April 30 of the assessment year (April 30, 2027 is a Friday). How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against state law, because Buchanan County does not restate them on its own pages.
How Iowa's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Iowa rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Iowa 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 Buchanan 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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Iowa income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Iowa actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Buchanan County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Buchanan County, Iowa: 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.