Property tax in Cass County, North Dakota
In Cass County, the property tax bill comes from the Cass County Finance Office. The 2025 taxes 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 Cass County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Cass County, North Dakota is $3,564 a year, which is about 1.2% of the county's median home value of $298,000. That effective rate is higher than the typical North Dakota county (0.92%) 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 Cass County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Cass County Finance Office. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Cass County Assessor (Director of Tax Equalization), 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.
Cass County bills a year behind: statements mailed in early December cover the tax year just ending, so the 2025 taxes are paid during 2026 and the 2026 statements arrive in December 2026 on the same schedule. One consolidated statement carries the city, school, park, fire and county levies plus any special assessments and drain taxes, so city property tax is paid on the county statement. Fargo and West Fargo have their own city assessors, so owners there take value questions and appeals to their city. Owners who pay through mortgage escrow still receive a statement, for information only. Card payments online carry a convenience fee; electronic checks do not.
When are property taxes due in Cass County?
For the 2025 taxes (payable in 2026) bill, Cass County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due March 1, 2026 and the last October 15, 2026. The next one due is the second half, on October 15, 2026. A first half not paid by March 1 takes a 3% penalty, which rises to 6% if still unpaid May 1, 9% on July 1 and 12% on October 15. A second half not paid by October 15 takes a 6% penalty. Taxes still owed from prior years also carry interest of 1% a month, added on the first of each month.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First half (or full amount for the discount) | March 1, 2026 (passed) | Already past for this cycle. The first half is half of the consolidated tax plus all of the special assessments and drain taxes. Paying the full year by February 15 earns a 5% discount on the consolidated tax (not on special assessments or drain taxes); for the 2025 taxes the county set the discount deadline at February 17, 2026. March 1, 2026 was a Sunday, and the county moves any deadline that falls on a weekend or county holiday to the next business day. A mailed payment must be postmarked by the deadline. |
| Second half | October 15, 2026 | October 15, 2026 is a Thursday. A mailed payment must be postmarked by the deadline; the county recommends mailing from a main post office to be sure of the postmark. |
From Cass 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 Cass County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Cass County's average effective rate of 1.2% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $3,576 / year
Property tax in Cass County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $3,564 |
| Median home value | $298,000 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.2% |
| Typical North Dakota county rate | 0.92% |
| 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 Cass County compare in North Dakota?
Among North Dakota's 53 counties, Cass County has the 2nd highest effective property-tax rate: 1 rank higher and 51 rank lower. That places it among the most heavily taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 735th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every North Dakota county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Cass County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Cass County's 43,623 owner-occupied homes, 61.4% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 79.9% pay at least $2,000, and 4.8% pay under $800. Another 2.2% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 2,079 | 4.8% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 2,876 | 6.6% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 2,849 | 6.5% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 8,061 | 18.5% |
| $3,000 or more | 26,793 | 61.4% |
| No property tax paid | 965 | 2.2% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $3,627 and owners without one pay $3,434. That is within 10% either way, so in Cass County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Cass County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $3,564 is about 3.1% of the median income of Cass County homeowner households, $113,851 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 52% of Cass 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 Cass County?
Yes. The median bill went from $2,758 in 2015-2019 to $3,564 in 2020-2024, a 29.2% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 33.2%, from $223,800 to $298,000.
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 Cass County
Cass County borders 7 counties, 2 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cass County, ND (this county) | 1.2% | $3,564 | $298,000 |
| Clay County, MN | 1.13% | $3,013 | $265,500 |
| Richland County, ND | 1.13% | $2,066 | $183,600 |
| Barnes County, ND | 1.03% | $1,796 | $173,700 |
| Traill County, ND | 1.03% | $2,075 | $200,700 |
| Ransom County, ND | 1.02% | $1,959 | $193,000 |
| Steele County, ND | 1.01% | $1,322 | $130,700 |
| Norman County, MN | 0.94% | $1,378 | $147,100 |
How is a home assessed in Cass County?
North Dakota assesses homes at 4.5% of market value in every county, Cass County included. How North Dakota assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Cass County?
Not as an exemption. North Dakota's Primary Residence Credit takes up to $1,600 off the tax bill; apply online with the Tax Commissioner between January 1 and April 1 each year. That is the North Dakota rule, and it applies in Cass County. North Dakota's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Cass County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the North Dakota ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Cass County property assessment
In Cass County you appeal to the Your city or township board of equalization, then the Cass County Board of Equalization. The deadline: Appeal first to your city or township board of equalization, which meets in April each year; the 2026 township and small-city hearings ran April 1 to 21, 2026, and Fargo's board met April 14, 2026. The Cass County Board of Equalization meets within the first ten days of June, and the State Board of Equalization, which meets on the second Tuesday of August, hears only owners who first appealed to both the local and county boards. If you missed the boards, you can file an abatement application with the county by November 1 of the year after the tax becomes delinquent; it must be filed in duplicate and physically mailed, not sent electronically. Calling the county assessor first is the informal step. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How North Dakota's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
North Dakota rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the North Dakota 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 Cass 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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North Dakota income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what North Dakota actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Cass County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Cass County, North Dakota: 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.