Property tax in Rice County, Minnesota
In Rice County, the property tax bill comes from the Rice County Property Tax & Elections Office. The Taxes payable 2026 bill is paid in 2 installments, and the next one is due October 15, 2026. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Rice County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Rice County, Minnesota is $3,115 a year, which is about 0.97% of the county's median home value of $320,200. That effective rate is lower than the typical Minnesota county (0.99%) 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 Rice County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Rice County Property Tax & Elections Office. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Rice County Assessor's 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.
Rice County mails the tax statement and the valuation notice for the next year together each March. The statement lists the county, city or township, school district and other local taxes, plus a county solid waste service fee, which rose to $60 per building for 2026. Paying online or by phone by e-check is free; credit cards carry a 2.4% fee ($2 minimum) and Visa debit cards a flat $4. You can also mail a check with the payment stub to the Property Tax & Elections Office, 320 Third St. NW, Faribault, MN 55021, pay in person there by cash, check or money order, or sign up for quarterly or twice-yearly automatic withdrawal.
When are property taxes due in Rice County?
For the Taxes payable 2026 bill, Rice County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due May 15, 2026 and the last October 15, 2026. The next one due is the second half, on October 15, 2026. Under state law, a penalty is added the day after each due date and grows on the first of each month. For a homestead, a late half is charged 2% at first, another 2% on the first of the next month, then 1% more each month, up to 8%; an unpaid second half reaches 5% on December 1. Non-homestead property is charged 4%, another 4%, then 1% a month, up to 12%. Taxes still unpaid in January become delinquent and carry more penalty and interest.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First half | May 15, 2026 (passed) | If the whole year's tax is $100 or less, all of it is due on this date. Personal property is due in full on May 15. Mobile homes follow their own schedule, with the first half due August 31, and a mobile home tax of $50 or less is due in full then. |
| Second half | October 15, 2026 | October 15, 2026 is a Thursday. Agricultural property and mobile homes have a second-half due date of November 15 instead; November 15, 2026 is a Sunday, and under state law a payment due on a weekend is on time on the next business day, Monday, November 16, 2026. A mailed payment is on time if the U.S. Postal Service postmarks it by the due date; a private postage meter mark does not count, so mail early or ask the post office for a hand postmark. |
From Rice 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 Rice County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Rice County's average effective rate of 0.97% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $3,106 / year
Property tax in Rice County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $3,115 |
| Median home value | $320,200 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.97% |
| Typical Minnesota county rate | 0.99% |
| 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 Rice County compare in Minnesota?
Among Minnesota's 87 counties, Rice County has the 50th highest effective property-tax rate: 49 rank higher and 37 rank lower. That is near the middle for Minnesota. Nationally, it ranks 1199th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Minnesota county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Rice County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Rice County's 17,918 owner-occupied homes, 50.7% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 72.8% pay at least $2,000, and 4.8% pay under $800. Another 3.2% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 860 | 4.8% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 1,770 | 9.9% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 1,676 | 9.4% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 3,960 | 22.1% |
| $3,000 or more | 9,083 | 50.7% |
| No property tax paid | 569 | 3.2% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $3,215 and owners without one pay $2,962. That is within 10% either way, so in Rice County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Rice County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $3,115 is about 3.2% of the median income of Rice County homeowner households, $97,004 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 76.3% of Rice 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 Rice County?
Yes. The median bill went from $2,313 in 2015-2019 to $3,115 in 2020-2024, a 34.7% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 53.5%, from $208,600 to $320,200. 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 Rice County
Rice County borders 7 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steele County, MN | 1.21% | $2,964 | $245,400 |
| Waseca County, MN | 1.18% | $2,603 | $220,800 |
| Dodge County, MN | 1.11% | $3,191 | $287,700 |
| Le Sueur County, MN | 1.06% | $3,366 | $316,500 |
| Goodhue County, MN | 1.05% | $2,998 | $285,100 |
| Scott County, MN | 1.01% | $4,230 | $419,400 |
| Dakota County, MN | 0.98% | $3,749 | $381,000 |
| Rice County, MN (this county) | 0.97% | $3,115 | $320,200 |
How is a home assessed in Rice County?
Minnesota sets the assessment rules and Rice County applies them. How Minnesota assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Rice County?
Yes, on a sliding scale. Minnesota's Homestead Market Value Exclusion is worth up to $38,000 on homes worth $95,000 or less and shrinks to nothing at $517,200. That is the Minnesota rule, and it applies in Rice County. Minnesota's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Rice County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the Minnesota ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Rice County property assessment
In Rice County you appeal to the Rice County Assessor's Open Book meeting, or the Local Board of Appeal and Equalization in Forest, Shieldsville and Wells townships. The deadline: The valuation notice mailed in March sets the value for the next year's taxes; the 2026 notice is for taxes payable in 2027. Call the Assessor's Office first. In 2026 the Open Book meeting was April 6 in Faribault, and the Forest, Shieldsville and Wells township boards met April 7 to 9; owners in those townships must start at their local board before going to the county. The Rice County Board of Appeal and Equalization met June 17, 2026, so that round is over until spring 2027. A petition to the Minnesota Tax Court is due by April 30 of the year the taxes are payable, which for the 2026 valuation is April 30, 2027. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Minnesota's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Minnesota rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Minnesota 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 Rice 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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Minnesota income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Minnesota actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Rice County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Rice County, Minnesota: 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.