Property tax in Garrett County, Maryland
In Garrett County, the property tax bill comes from the Garrett County Billing & Collections Office. The Fiscal Year 2027 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 Garrett County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Garrett County, Maryland is $1,836 a year, which is about 0.78% of the county's median home value of $235,300. That effective rate is lower than the typical Maryland county (0.9%) and lower 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 Garrett County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Garrett County Billing & Collections Office. The value it is based on is set by a state agency, the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Garrett 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's Billing & Collections Office in Oakland sends the bill and collects the state and county property tax. A home inside a town gets the town's property tax on the same bill as a third charge. The office is open by appointment only. Online payment is through the county's Citizen Connect: e-checks are free, cards carry a 3% fee, and partial payments must be made in person or by mail.
When are property taxes due in Garrett County?
For the Fiscal Year 2027 (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027) bill, Garrett 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. Interest of 1.5% a month starts October 1 on an unpaid annual bill or first installment, and after December 31 on an unpaid second installment; Maryland law sets this 1.5% rate for Garrett County. Liens on unpaid taxes are sold at the county's online tax sale; in 2026 bidding ran May 18 to 22.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Annual bill, or first semi-annual installment | September 30, 2026 (passed) | Regular bills are issued July 1. You may pay the whole year or the first semi-annual installment by September 30 without interest. Escrowed owners who want to pay annually must tell their lender in writing. |
| Second semi-annual installment | December 31, 2026 | Applies only to bills on the semi-annual schedule. Any service charge for paying in two installments is added to the second installment and does not apply if both installments are paid by September 30. |
From Garrett 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 Garrett County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Garrett County's average effective rate of 0.78% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $1,835 / year
Property tax in Garrett County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $1,836 |
| Median home value | $235,300 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.78% |
| 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 Garrett County compare in Maryland?
Among Maryland's 24 counties, Garrett County has the 21st highest effective property-tax rate: 20 rank higher and 3 rank lower. That places it among the least taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 1644th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Maryland county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Garrett County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Garrett County's 10,027 owner-occupied homes, 24% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 42.3% pay at least $2,000, and 11.7% pay under $800. Another 4.9% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 1,172 | 11.7% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 2,514 | 25.1% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 1,612 | 16.1% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 1,836 | 18.3% |
| $3,000 or more | 2,405 | 24% |
| No property tax paid | 488 | 4.9% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,080 and owners without one pay $1,597. 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 Garrett County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $1,836 is about 2.3% of the median income of Garrett County homeowner households, $78,312 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 79.7% of Garrett 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 Garrett County?
Yes. The median bill went from $1,569 in 2015-2019 to $1,836 in 2020-2024, a 17% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 35.3%, from $173,900 to $235,300. 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 Garrett County
Garrett County borders 6 counties, 5 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, PA | 1.12% | $1,607 | $143,200 |
| Allegany County, MD | 1.06% | $1,636 | $154,900 |
| Somerset County, PA | 0.98% | $1,477 | $150,600 |
| Garrett County, MD (this county) | 0.78% | $1,836 | $235,300 |
| Preston County, WV | 0.49% | $793 | $162,800 |
| Mineral County, WV | 0.45% | $818 | $180,400 |
| Grant County, WV | 0.31% | $540 | $175,100 |
How is a home assessed in Garrett County?
Maryland assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Garrett County included. How Maryland assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Garrett 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 Garrett County. Maryland's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Maryland programs, Garrett County runs its own:
- Garrett County Homestead Tax Credit (2% county assessment cap): Garrett County sets its own percentage within Maryland's Homestead Tax Credit: for an owner-occupied principal residence with an approved homestead application, the yearly increase in the assessment the county taxes is limited to 2%, down from 3%, starting with the tax year that began July 1, 2026. The state's own property tax keeps the state's 10% limit, and the one-time application is made to the state.
How to appeal your Garrett County property assessment
In Garrett County you appeal to the Maryland SDAT, Supervisor of Assessments for Garrett 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 July 1 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 Garrett 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 Garrett County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Garrett 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.