Property tax in Santa Fe County, New Mexico
In Santa Fe County, the property tax bill comes from the Santa Fe County Treasurer. The 2026 bill is paid in 2 installments, and the next one is due December 10, 2026. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Santa Fe County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Santa Fe County, New Mexico is $2,152 a year, which is about 0.48% of the county's median home value of $446,300. That effective rate is lower than the typical New Mexico county (0.55%) 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 Santa Fe County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Santa Fe County Treasurer. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Santa Fe County Assessor, 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.
The Treasurer's main page lists December 1 as the first-half due date, while state law, and the Treasurer's own calendar line and payment plan form, make December 10 the last day to pay without interest; paying by December 1 meets either date. Card payments cost 2.5% and electronic checks $1.95, charged by the county's payment processor. The Treasurer also offers a monthly prepayment plan starting in July, but enrollment for 2026 taxes closed June 10, 2026, and it is not available when a mortgage company pays your taxes. The exemptions on the Assessor's forms page (head of family, veterans and disabled veterans, and the value freeze for owners 65 or older or disabled with limited income) are State of New Mexico programs.
When are property taxes due in Santa Fe County?
For the 2026 bill, Santa Fe County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due December 10, 2026 and the last May 10, 2027. Tax not paid within 30 days of its due date draws interest of 1% a month or any part of a month (12% a year) from that 30th day until paid, plus a penalty of 1% a month up to a total of 5% of the delinquent tax, with a minimum penalty of $5.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First half (last day to pay without interest) | December 10, 2026 | Tax bills are mailed by November 1. Under state law the first half is due November 10, 2026, but it can be paid at face amount through December 10, 2026 and becomes delinquent on December 11. |
| Second half (last day to pay without interest) | May 10, 2027 | Under state law the second half is due April 10, 2027, but it can be paid at face amount through May 10, 2027 and becomes delinquent on May 11. |
From Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Santa Fe County's average effective rate of 0.48% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,142 / year
Property tax in Santa Fe County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,152 |
| Median home value | $446,300 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.48% |
| Typical New Mexico county rate | 0.55% |
| 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 Santa Fe County compare in New Mexico?
Among New Mexico's 33 counties, Santa Fe County has the 26th highest effective property-tax rate: 25 rank higher and 7 rank lower. That is on the lower side for New Mexico. Nationally, it ranks 2694th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every New Mexico county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Santa Fe County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Santa Fe County's 50,603 owner-occupied homes, 29.8% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 49% pay at least $2,000, and 10.6% pay under $800. Another 7.8% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 5,389 | 10.6% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 9,800 | 19.4% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 6,661 | 13.2% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 9,708 | 19.2% |
| $3,000 or more | 15,087 | 29.8% |
| No property tax paid | 3,958 | 7.8% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,245 and owners without one pay $2,028. That is within 10% either way, so in Santa Fe County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Santa Fe County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,152 is about 2.3% of the median income of Santa Fe County homeowner households, $93,462 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 71.5% of Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe County?
Yes. The median bill went from $1,670 in 2015-2019 to $2,152 in 2020-2024, a 28.9% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 52.9%, from $291,800 to $446,300. 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 Santa Fe County
Santa Fe County borders 7 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernalillo County, NM | 0.9% | $2,629 | $292,900 |
| Sandoval County, NM | 0.73% | $2,296 | $313,800 |
| Mora County, NM | 0.72% | $885 | $122,600 |
| San Miguel County, NM | 0.57% | $1,081 | $188,500 |
| Los Alamos County, NM | 0.55% | $2,717 | $495,800 |
| Santa Fe County, NM (this county) | 0.48% | $2,152 | $446,300 |
| Torrance County, NM | 0.45% | $719 | $159,700 |
| Rio Arriba County, NM | 0.42% | $1,021 | $243,700 |
How is a home assessed in Santa Fe County?
New Mexico assesses homes at 33.33% of market value in every county, Santa Fe County included. How New Mexico assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Santa Fe County?
Yes, for a head of family. New Mexico's exemption takes $2,000 off taxable value, often saving $50 to $90 a year. That is the New Mexico rule, and it applies in Santa Fe County. New Mexico's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Santa Fe County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the New Mexico ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Santa Fe County property assessment
In Santa Fe County you appeal to the Santa Fe County Assessor (protest petition); a protest not settled with the Assessor goes to the Santa Fe County Valuation Protests Board. The deadline: File a protest with the Assessor within 30 days of the mailing date on your notice of value. For 2026 the notices were mailed May 1, 2026, so that window has closed; notices are mailed each spring. You can file online through the Assessor's portal or on the county's protest form. The same 30 days applies to applying for exemptions and benefits. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How New Mexico's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
New Mexico rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the New Mexico 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 Santa Fe 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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New Mexico income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what New Mexico actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Santa Fe County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Santa Fe County, New Mexico: 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.