Property tax in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
In Cerro Gordo County, the property tax bill comes from the Cerro Gordo 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 Cerro Gordo County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa is $2,410 a year, which is about 1.45% of the county's median home value of $166,400. 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 Cerro Gordo County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Cerro Gordo County Treasurer. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Cerro Gordo County Assessor (outside Mason City); Mason City Assessor (inside Mason City), 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.
Mason City has its own city assessor and Board of Review; everywhere else in the county, the Cerro Gordo County Assessor values property and the Cerro Gordo County Board of Review hears protests. Statements are usually mailed in mid to late August. Online payments go through the Iowa county treasurers' payment site by e-check for $0.25. At the treasurer's office, a debit card is free and a credit card costs 2.2% of the amount. 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 Cerro Gordo County?
For the fiscal year 2026/2027 bill, Cerro Gordo 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. Unpaid first halves become delinquent October 1 and second halves April 1. Delinquent taxes are charged 1.5% a month. Unpaid taxes are offered at the county's online tax sale on the third Monday in June.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First installment | September 30, 2026 (passed) | The first half is legally due September 1, but it does not become delinquent until October 1, so 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 by September 30. When the last day of the month falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, state law moves the deadline to the first business day of the next month. |
| Second installment | March 31, 2027 | The second half is legally due March 1 and becomes delinquent April 1, so no penalty is charged on a payment made by March 31, 2027, a Wednesday. A mailed payment must be postmarked by March 31. |
From Cerro Gordo 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 Cerro Gordo County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Cerro Gordo County's average effective rate of 1.45% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,413 / year
Property tax in Cerro Gordo County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,410 |
| Median home value | $166,400 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.45% |
| 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 Cerro Gordo County compare in Iowa?
Among Iowa's 99 counties, Cerro Gordo County has the 20th highest effective property-tax rate: 19 rank higher and 79 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Iowa. Nationally, it ranks 402nd of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Iowa county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Cerro Gordo County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Cerro Gordo County's 13,745 owner-occupied homes, 35.3% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 59.3% pay at least $2,000, and 9.1% pay under $800. Another 1% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 1,244 | 9.1% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 2,014 | 14.7% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 2,192 | 15.9% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 3,299 | 24% |
| $3,000 or more | 4,855 | 35.3% |
| No property tax paid | 141 | 1% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,464 and owners without one pay $2,327. That is within 10% either way, so in Cerro Gordo County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Cerro Gordo County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,410 is about 2.9% of the median income of Cerro Gordo County homeowner households, $83,449 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 70.4% of Cerro Gordo 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 Cerro Gordo County?
Yes. The median bill went from $1,793 in 2015-2019 to $2,410 in 2020-2024, a 34.4% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 29.4%, from $128,600 to $166,400.
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 Cerro Gordo County
Cerro Gordo County borders 8 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wright County, IA | 1.51% | $1,806 | $119,600 |
| Cerro Gordo County, IA (this county) | 1.45% | $2,410 | $166,400 |
| Butler County, IA | 1.35% | $2,226 | $165,400 |
| Floyd County, IA | 1.34% | $1,929 | $143,500 |
| Franklin County, IA | 1.32% | $1,633 | $124,100 |
| Winnebago County, IA | 1.32% | $1,781 | $135,000 |
| Hancock County, IA | 1.18% | $1,673 | $141,400 |
| Mitchell County, IA | 1.1% | $1,919 | $175,100 |
| Worth County, IA | 1.1% | $1,600 | $145,800 |
How is a home assessed in Cerro Gordo County?
Iowa sets the assessment rules and Cerro Gordo County applies them. How Iowa assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Cerro Gordo 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 Cerro Gordo County. Iowa's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Cerro Gordo County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the Iowa ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Cerro Gordo County property assessment
In Cerro Gordo County you appeal to the Cerro Gordo County Board of Review (outside Mason City); Mason City Board of Review (inside Mason City). The deadline: 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). Before that, from April 2 through April 25, you can ask the assessor for an informal review. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
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 Cerro Gordo 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 Cerro Gordo County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Cerro Gordo 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.