Property tax in Polk County, Iowa
In Polk County, the property tax bill comes from the Polk 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 Polk County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Polk County, Iowa is $4,396 a year, which is about 1.68% of the county's median home value of $262,100. 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 Polk County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Polk County Treasurer. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Polk 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.
The City of Des Moines does not have a separate assessor: the Polk County Assessor values property in Des Moines along with the rest of the county, and the Polk County Board of Review hears Des Moines protests. There is no separate city bill either, because the county treasurer collects the city, school and county property tax on one statement. Statements are mailed once a year in August, and the treasurer mails one to the owner even when a mortgage lender pays from escrow. Online payments go through Iowa Tax and Tags, the county treasurers' payment site, and phone payments carry a transaction fee. Mailed checks go to Polk County Treasurer, 111 Court Ave, Room 154, Des Moines, IA 50309, payable to Mary L. Wells, Polk County Treasurer. If you disagree with the Board of Review's decision, you can appeal to the state Property Assessment Appeal Board within 20 days of the decision, or to district court.
When are property taxes due in Polk County?
For the fiscal year 2026/2027 (January 1, 2025 assessment) bill, Polk 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. The last day to pay each half without interest is the last day of the month: September 30, 2026 for the first half and March 31, 2027 for the second. 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 tax sale in June 2027, and the property can eventually be lost if the tax sale is not redeemed within the time Iowa law allows.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First installment | September 30, 2026 (passed) | Iowa law sets September 1 as the due date, but 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, and a payment on the county treasurers' online payment site 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 | Iowa law sets March 1 as the due date, but no interest is charged on a payment made by March 31, 2027, a Wednesday. The same postmark and online payment rules apply. |
From Polk 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 Polk County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Polk County's average effective rate of 1.68% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $4,403 / year
Property tax in Polk County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $4,396 |
| Median home value | $262,100 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.68% |
| 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 Polk County compare in Iowa?
Among Iowa's 99 counties, Polk County has the 2nd highest effective property-tax rate: 1 rank higher and 97 rank lower. That places it among the most heavily taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 201st of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Iowa county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Polk County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Polk County's 138,309 owner-occupied homes, 72.6% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 85.3% pay at least $2,000, and 3.6% pay under $800. Another 2.7% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 5,024 | 3.6% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 5,731 | 4.1% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 5,831 | 4.2% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 17,600 | 12.7% |
| $3,000 or more | 100,412 | 72.6% |
| No property tax paid | 3,711 | 2.7% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $4,503 and owners without one pay $4,130. That is within 10% either way, so in Polk County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Polk County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $4,396 is about 4.1% of the median income of Polk County homeowner households, $106,164 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 67.4% of Polk 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 Polk County?
Yes. The median bill went from $3,549 in 2015-2019 to $4,396 in 2020-2024, a 23.9% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 45.7%, from $179,900 to $262,100. 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 Polk County
Polk County borders 7 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, IA (this county) | 1.68% | $4,396 | $262,100 |
| Madison County, IA | 1.48% | $3,624 | $245,100 |
| Warren County, IA | 1.43% | $3,865 | $269,600 |
| Dallas County, IA | 1.41% | $5,001 | $355,600 |
| Jasper County, IA | 1.41% | $2,633 | $186,300 |
| Story County, IA | 1.4% | $3,632 | $258,700 |
| Boone County, IA | 1.37% | $2,910 | $212,400 |
| Marion County, IA | 1.22% | $2,848 | $233,000 |
How is a home assessed in Polk County?
Iowa sets the assessment rules and Polk County applies them. How Iowa assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Polk 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 Polk County. Iowa's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Iowa programs, Polk County runs its own:
- Polk County Property Tax Suspension Program: Run by Polk County Adult Services, it suspends the property tax on the home of an owner who lives there and is 65 or older, a surviving spouse aged 55 or older, 100% disabled, or deployed on active military duty, or redeems the tax if it was sold at tax sale; the home's value cannot exceed $197,172 and household income cannot exceed $48,120 for one person or $54,960 for two. Suspended taxes are not forgiven: the owner can repay them at any time, and they must be paid when the home is sold, by the seller or by the estate.
How to appeal your Polk County property assessment
In Polk County you appeal to the Polk County Board of Review. 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); a mailed protest must be postmarked by April 30. 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 Polk 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 Polk County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Polk 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.