Property tax in Carroll County, Maryland
In Carroll County, the property tax bill comes from the Department of the Comptroller, Collections Office. The FY2027 bill is paid in 2 installments, and the next one is due December 31, 2026. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Carroll County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Carroll County, Maryland is $3,934 a year, which is about 0.91% of the county's median home value of $434,000. That effective rate is higher than the typical Maryland county (0.9%) 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 Carroll County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Department of the Comptroller, Collections Office. The value it is based on is set by a state agency, the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Carroll County assessment office, 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.
Maryland's SDAT, not the county, values every property and hears the first appeal; the county Collections Office only sends the bill and collects it. Town taxes can appear on the same county bill: the City of Westminster's real estate tax, for example, is billed by the county. Online payments run through the county's Tyler portal; card payments carry a 3.25% fee and electronic checks $1.50, and payments made after 7 pm post the next business day. Mailed real estate payments go to P.O. Box 3237, Westminster, MD 21158-3237. Second-level appeals go to the Property Tax Assessment Appeals Board within 30 days of the Supervisor's final notice, then to the Maryland Tax Court within 30 days of the board's order.
When are property taxes due in Carroll County?
For the FY2027 (taxable year beginning July 1, 2026) bill, Carroll County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due September 30, 2026 and the last December 31, 2026. The next one due is the second semi-annual installment, on December 31, 2026. Unpaid annual bills and first installments are delinquent from October 1, and second installments from January 1, with interest and penalties added; the county's bill notice does not print the rate. The county says interest and penalty will not be waived for any reason. Taxes still unpaid go to an online tax sale held each June (the 2026 sale was June 30), and from May 1 payment must be in guaranteed funds with extra fees.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Annual bill, or first semi-annual installment | September 30, 2026 (passed) | Bills are mailed in July and are due July 1, but may be paid without interest through September 30. Owner-occupied homes may pay in two installments under state law (Tax-Property 10-204.3); the county adds a service charge to the second installment unless both halves are paid by September 30. Escrowed owners who want to pay the whole year at once must tell their lender in writing at least 60 days before the tax year starts. The county says the payment date will not be extended for any reason. |
| Second semi-annual installment | December 31, 2026 | Only for bills on the semi-annual schedule. Due December 1 and payable without interest through December 31; the payment coupon comes with the July bill and no second notice is mailed. |
From Carroll County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. The county had not posted a calendar labeled for this cycle when we checked, so these dates come from state law and the county's standing schedule; the date on your bill is the one that binds you.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Carroll County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Carroll County's average effective rate of 0.91% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $3,949 / year
Property tax in Carroll County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $3,934 |
| Median home value | $434,000 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.91% |
| Typical Maryland county rate | 0.9% |
| 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 Carroll County compare in Maryland?
Among Maryland's 24 counties, Carroll County has the 10th highest effective property-tax rate: 9 rank higher and 14 rank lower. That is near the middle for Maryland. Nationally, it ranks 1320th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Maryland county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Carroll County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Carroll County's 54,223 owner-occupied homes, 74.5% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 89.5% pay at least $2,000, and 1.2% pay under $800. Another 2.6% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 655 | 1.2% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 1,270 | 2.3% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 2,327 | 4.3% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 8,158 | 15% |
| $3,000 or more | 40,380 | 74.5% |
| No property tax paid | 1,433 | 2.6% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $4,005 and owners without one pay $3,783. That is within 10% either way, so in Carroll County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Carroll County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $3,934 is about 3% of the median income of Carroll County homeowner households, $131,615 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 84.3% of Carroll 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 Carroll County?
Yes. The median bill went from $3,407 in 2015-2019 to $3,934 in 2020-2024, a 15.5% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 27.8%, from $339,600 to $434,000. 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 Carroll County
Carroll County borders 5 counties, 2 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| York County, PA | 1.61% | $4,006 | $248,600 |
| Adams County, PA | 1.33% | $3,561 | $268,500 |
| Howard County, MD | 1.17% | $6,987 | $597,900 |
| Baltimore County, MD | 1.07% | $3,736 | $349,300 |
| Frederick County, MD | 0.99% | $4,584 | $464,600 |
| Carroll County, MD (this county) | 0.91% | $3,934 | $434,000 |
How is a home assessed in Carroll County?
Maryland assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Carroll County included. How Maryland assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Carroll County?
Not as an exemption. Maryland's Homestead Tax Credit caps how much your taxable assessment can rise each year: 10% for the state portion, and a cap each county and municipality sets between 0% and 10% for its own. That is the Maryland rule, and it applies in Carroll County. Maryland's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Maryland programs, Carroll County runs its own:
- Carroll County Senior Tax Credit: A county supplement to Maryland's Homeowners' Property Tax Credit for a principal residence with at least one owner aged 65 or older, combined household income of $50,000 or less and net worth of $500,000 or less, figured on no more than the first $300,000 of the home's assessment; there is no separate form, because it is decided from the state credit application (HTC-1) and SDAT sets the amount. Apply by October 1.
- Disabled Hero Tax Credit: A credit of the full county property tax on the owner-occupied home of a law enforcement or correctional officer, or a member of a career or volunteer fire, rescue or emergency medical service, ruled permanently and totally disabled in the line of duty in Carroll County's service or a jurisdiction with reciprocity; it lasts as long as the disability does. Apply by September 30.
- Surviving Spouse of a Fallen Hero Tax Credit: A credit of the full county property tax on the owner-occupied home of the surviving spouse, not remarried or cohabiting, of a law enforcement or correctional officer or a fire, rescue or emergency medical service member who died in the line of duty in Carroll County's service or a jurisdiction with reciprocity; it runs for up to five years and ends early on remarriage or cohabitation. Apply by September 30.
How to appeal your Carroll County property assessment
In Carroll County you appeal to the Maryland SDAT, Supervisor of Assessments for Carroll County (the Supervisor's level hearing). The deadline: Within 45 days of the date on the assessment notice. A buyer whose purchase transferred after January 1 and before the next tax year may appeal within 60 days of the transfer. In a year with no new notice, an owner may file a petition for review by the first working day after January 1. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Maryland's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Maryland rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Maryland 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 Carroll 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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Maryland income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Maryland actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Carroll County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Carroll County, Maryland: 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.