Property tax in Plymouth County, Iowa
In Plymouth County, the property tax bill comes from the Plymouth County Treasurer. The fiscal year 2026-27 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 Plymouth County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Plymouth County, Iowa is $2,455 a year, which is about 1.07% of the county's median home value of $228,900. That effective rate is lower 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 Plymouth County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Plymouth County Treasurer. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Plymouth 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.
Taxes can be paid at the Treasurer's office in the Plymouth County Courthouse in Le Mars, by mail to the Plymouth County Treasurer, 215 4th Ave SE, Le Mars, IA 51031, or online by e-check or card through the Iowa county treasurers' payment site. If you disagree with the Board of Review's decision, you can appeal to the state Property Assessment Appeal Board within 20 days after the Board of Review adjourns or May 31, whichever is later, or go to district court.
When are property taxes due in Plymouth County?
For the fiscal year 2026-27 bill, Plymouth 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 calls September 1 and March 1 the due dates, but interest starts only on October 1 and April 1. From then, interest is 1.5% a month, rounded to the nearest dollar with a $1 minimum, and each part of a month counts as a full month. Taxes still unpaid are offered at the county's annual tax sale on the third Monday in June (June 21, 2027).
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First installment | September 30, 2026 (passed) | The county lists the first half of 2026-27 taxes as due September 1, but under Iowa law no interest is charged on a payment made by September 30, 2026, a Wednesday. You can pay the whole year with this installment. A mailed payment is on time if its U.S. Postal Service postmark is dated September 30 or earlier; the county advises asking for a postmark inside the post office rather than relying on a drop box. An online payment must be entered by midnight that day. When the last day of the month falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, the deadline moves to the first business day of the next month. |
| Second installment | March 31, 2027 | The county lists the second half as due March 1, but no interest is charged on a payment made by March 31, 2027, a Wednesday. The same postmark and online payment rules apply. |
From Plymouth 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 Plymouth County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Plymouth County's average effective rate of 1.07% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,449 / year
Property tax in Plymouth County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,455 |
| Median home value | $228,900 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.07% |
| 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 Plymouth County compare in Iowa?
Among Iowa's 99 counties, Plymouth County has the 92nd highest effective property-tax rate: 91 rank higher and 7 rank lower. That places it among the least taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 954th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Iowa county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Plymouth County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Plymouth County's 7,591 owner-occupied homes, 36.1% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 59.1% pay at least $2,000, and 6.7% pay under $800. Another 2.8% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 511 | 6.7% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 1,390 | 18.3% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 995 | 13.1% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 1,744 | 23% |
| $3,000 or more | 2,739 | 36.1% |
| No property tax paid | 212 | 2.8% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,432 and owners without one pay $2,489. That is within 10% either way, so in Plymouth County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Plymouth County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,455 is about 2.6% of the median income of Plymouth County homeowner households, $95,275 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 73.6% of Plymouth 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 Plymouth County?
Yes. The median bill went from $1,992 in 2015-2019 to $2,455 in 2020-2024, a 23.2% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 40%, from $163,500 to $228,900. 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 Plymouth County
Plymouth County borders 5 counties, 1 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodbury County, IA | 1.45% | $2,656 | $183,200 |
| Sioux County, IA | 1.12% | $2,801 | $250,100 |
| Union County, SD | 1.1% | $3,317 | $301,100 |
| Plymouth County, IA (this county) | 1.07% | $2,455 | $228,900 |
| Cherokee County, IA | 0.99% | $1,569 | $158,700 |
| O'Brien County, IA | 0.98% | $1,701 | $173,100 |
How is a home assessed in Plymouth County?
Iowa sets the assessment rules and Plymouth County applies them. How Iowa assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Plymouth 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 Plymouth County. Iowa's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Plymouth County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the Iowa ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Plymouth County property assessment
In Plymouth County you appeal to the Plymouth County Board of Review. The deadline: File a written, signed petition with the Plymouth County Assessor from April 2 through April 30 of the assessment year (April 30, 2027 is a Friday); a mailed petition must be postmarked by April 30. In a year when the county is declared a disaster area after March 1 and before May 20, the filing period is extended to June 5. 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 Plymouth 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 Plymouth County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Plymouth 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.