Property tax in Washington County, Maryland

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Washington County, Maryland is $2,481 a year, which is about 0.84% of the county's median home value of $296,100. 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.

Estimate the property tax on a home in Washington County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Washington County's average effective rate of 0.84% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.

Home market value

Estimated property tax: $2,487 / year

Property tax in Washington County at a glance

Washington County, Maryland property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$2,481
Median home value	$296,100
Effective tax rate	0.84%
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 Washington County compare in Maryland?

Among Maryland's 24 counties, Washington County has the 20th highest effective property-tax rate: 19 rank higher and 4 rank lower. That is on the lower side for Maryland. Nationally, it ranks 1481st of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Maryland county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Washington County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Washington County's 39,936 owner-occupied homes, 32.5% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 63% pay at least $2,000, and 3% pay under $800. Another 3.4% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Washington County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	1,197	3%
$800 to $1,499	5,599	14%
$1,500 to $1,999	6,635	16.6%
$2,000 to $2,999	12,189	30.5%
$3,000 or more	12,975	32.5%
No property tax paid	1,341	3.4%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,501 and owners without one pay $2,446. That is within 10% either way, so in Washington County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.

How does the Washington County property tax bill compare with local incomes?

The median property tax bill of $2,481 is about 2.5% of the median income of Washington County homeowner households, $97,791 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 66.8% of Washington 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 Washington County?

Yes. The median bill went from $2,200 in 2015-2019 to $2,481 in 2020-2024, a 12.8% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 40.8%, from $210,300 to $296,100. 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 Washington County

Washington County borders 8 counties, 6 of them across the state line.

Washington County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Franklin County, PA	1.1%	$2,740	$249,800
Allegany County, MD	1.06%	$1,636	$154,900
Fulton County, PA	1.02%	$2,120	$208,500
Frederick County, MD	0.99%	$4,584	$464,600
Loudoun County, VA	0.85%	$6,325	$743,800
Washington County, MD (this county)	0.84%	$2,481	$296,100
Jefferson County, WV	0.53%	$1,857	$350,800
Berkeley County, WV	0.52%	$1,398	$266,300
Morgan County, WV	0.47%	$1,125	$240,600

How is a home assessed in Washington County?

Maryland assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Washington County included. How Maryland assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Washington 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 Washington County. Maryland's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Washington County?

Tax is due July 1 and can be paid without interest through September 30. Owner-occupied homes are billed semiannually by default, with the first half due September 30 and the second December 31; you may instead pay the full year by September 30 and avoid the service charge of up to 1.65% on the second installment.

Maryland splits the bill into 2 installments. That is the Maryland rule. Washington County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How to appeal your Washington County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the Supervisor of Assessments (informal), then the local Property Tax Assessment Appeal Board, then the Maryland Tax Court. The filing deadline is typically 45 days from the date on your assessment notice. That is the Maryland rule; Washington County sets the exact dates and forms. The Maryland appeal process step by step.

Maryland rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Maryland page.

Work out your own numbers

Sources

Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Washington 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.