Property tax in Harford County, Maryland
In Harford County, the property tax bill comes from the Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Revenue Collections. The Tax 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 Harford County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Harford County, Maryland is $3,448 a year, which is about 0.89% of the county's median home value of $386,400. That effective rate is lower 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 Harford County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Revenue Collections. The value it is based on is set by a state agency, the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Harford 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 (on a three-year cycle) and hears the first appeal; the county's Department of the Treasury only sends the bill and collects it. The county's own tax page sends appeals to the Property Tax Assessment Appeals Board, but that board is the second level: file with it within 30 days of the Supervisor's final notice, then with the Maryland Tax Court within 30 days of the board's order. The Town of Bel Air, the City of Aberdeen and the City of Havre de Grace bill and collect their own property tax, so a home in one of them gets a town or city bill as well as the county bill. Card payments online or by phone carry a convenience fee charged by the county's third-party payment processor. Mailed payments may also go to Bureau of Revenue Collections, P.O. Box 609, Bel Air, MD 21014.
When are property taxes due in Harford County?
For the Tax Year 2027 (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027) bill, Harford 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. From October 1, interest is added for each month or part of a month the tax is unpaid, at 1.5% a month on the county portion and 1% a month on the state portion, plus a one-time 6% penalty on the county portion; an unpaid second installment starts accruing interest on January 1. A delinquent notice is mailed at the end of February, tax sale costs are added from April 1, and property still unpaid is sold at the county tax sale on the third Monday in June.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Annual bill, or first semi-annual installment | September 30, 2026 (passed) | Bills are mailed July 1. Owner-occupied homes are billed in two halves by default under state law (Tax-Property 10-204.3), but you may pay the whole year by September 30 instead. If a lender pays from escrow and you want annual payment, tell the lender in writing at least 60 days before the tax year starts on July 1; the county advises doing so by April 30. |
| Second semi-annual installment | December 31, 2026 | Applies only to bills on the semi-annual schedule. State law lets the county add a service charge to this installment; any charge is printed on the bill, and none applies if both halves are paid by September 30. |
From Harford 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 Harford County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Harford County's average effective rate of 0.89% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $3,439 / year
Property tax in Harford County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $3,448 |
| Median home value | $386,400 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.89% |
| 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 Harford County compare in Maryland?
Among Maryland's 24 counties, Harford County has the 14th highest effective property-tax rate: 13 rank higher and 10 rank lower. That is near the middle for Maryland. Nationally, it ranks 1369th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Maryland county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Harford County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Harford County's 81,092 owner-occupied homes, 57.7% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 79.8% pay at least $2,000, and 2.4% pay under $800. Another 4.6% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 1,934 | 2.4% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 4,217 | 5.2% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 6,463 | 8% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 17,942 | 22.1% |
| $3,000 or more | 46,815 | 57.7% |
| No property tax paid | 3,721 | 4.6% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $3,460 and owners without one pay $3,422. That is within 10% either way, so in Harford County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Harford County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $3,448 is about 2.7% of the median income of Harford County homeowner households, $126,870 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 79.7% of Harford 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 Harford County?
Yes. The median bill went from $3,131 in 2015-2019 to $3,448 in 2020-2024, a 10.1% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 31.7%, from $293,400 to $386,400. 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 Harford County
Harford 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 |
| Lancaster County, PA | 1.32% | $3,975 | $301,100 |
| Baltimore County, MD | 1.07% | $3,736 | $349,300 |
| Kent County, MD | 0.91% | $3,025 | $330,900 |
| Cecil County, MD | 0.89% | $3,068 | $343,400 |
| Harford County, MD (this county) | 0.89% | $3,448 | $386,400 |
How is a home assessed in Harford County?
Maryland assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Harford County included. How Maryland assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Harford 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 Harford County. Maryland's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Maryland programs, Harford County runs its own:
- Senior Citizen and Veteran Tax Credit: A 20% credit on county property tax for up to 20 years, for a home assessed at $600,000 or less, if the owner is over 65 and has owned and lived in it for at least 35 years or is a retiree of the U.S. uniformed services (or an unremarried surviving spouse of one), or if the owner is a veteran with a service-connected disability rated 50% or higher (or an unremarried surviving spouse of one). Applications open January 15 each year. Apply by April 1.
- Solar / Geothermal Energy Tax Credit: A one-time credit against county property tax on the building for the cost of materials and installation of a qualifying solar or geothermal device, up to $2,500 per device; unused credit carries forward for 2 more years, and credits are granted first come, first served up to a countywide yearly cap. Apply by October 1 before the tax year the credit is first wanted.
- Historic landmark tax credits: For a building designated a Harford County Historic Landmark: a credit against county property tax for the amount the assessment rose because of the restoration, plus a credit of 10% of qualified restoration expenses up to $7,500. Plans must be approved by the county's Historic Preservation Commission before work starts.
- Scarboro Landfill proximity credit: A credit for owners who live on property within 1,000 feet of the Scarboro Landfill.
How to appeal your Harford County property assessment
In Harford County you appeal to the Maryland SDAT, Supervisor of Assessments for Harford 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 Harford 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 Harford County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Harford 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.