Property tax in Nelson County, North Dakota

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Nelson County, North Dakota is $1,044 a year, which is about 0.75% of the county's median home value of $139,700. That effective rate is lower than the typical North Dakota county (0.92%) 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.

Estimate the property tax on a home in Nelson County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Nelson County's average effective rate of 0.75% (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: $1,048 / year

Property tax in Nelson County at a glance

Nelson County, North Dakota property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$1,044
Median home value	$139,700
Effective tax rate	0.75%
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 Nelson County compare in North Dakota?

Among North Dakota's 53 counties, Nelson County has the 37th highest effective property-tax rate: 36 rank higher and 16 rank lower. That is on the lower side for North Dakota. Nationally, it ranks 1737th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every North Dakota county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Nelson County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Nelson County's 1,005 owner-occupied homes, 4.6% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 12.3% pay at least $2,000, and 28.6% pay under $800. Another 13.9% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Nelson County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	287	28.6%
$800 to $1,499	359	35.7%
$1,500 to $1,999	96	9.6%
$2,000 to $2,999	77	7.7%
$3,000 or more	46	4.6%
No property tax paid	140	13.9%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,214 and owners without one pay $953. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.

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

The median property tax bill of $1,044 is about 1.3% of the median income of Nelson County homeowner households, $82,266 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 75.1% of Nelson 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 Nelson County?

Yes. The median bill went from $590 in 2015-2019 to $1,044 in 2020-2024, a 76.9% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 65.7%, from $84,300 to $139,700. Bills rose faster than values, which usually means local rates went up or an exemption shrank.

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 Nelson County

Nelson County borders 7 counties.

Nelson County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Grand Forks County, ND	1.15%	$2,900	$252,700
Walsh County, ND	1.07%	$1,421	$132,700
Steele County, ND	1.01%	$1,322	$130,700
Eddy County, ND	1%	$1,237	$124,000
Ramsey County, ND	0.99%	$1,976	$199,300
Benson County, ND	0.91%	$817	$90,000
Griggs County, ND	0.91%	$1,084	$119,300
Nelson County, ND (this county)	0.75%	$1,044	$139,700

How is a home assessed in Nelson County?

North Dakota assesses homes at 4.5% of market value in every county, Nelson County included. How North Dakota assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Nelson 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 Nelson County. North Dakota's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Nelson County?

North Dakota bills once a year and lets you split it in half. The whole year's tax becomes due January 1 following the year it was levied, the first half goes delinquent after March 1 and the second after October 15, with penalties added at each missed date. If you pay the full year on or before February 15 the county treasurer takes 5% off the general real estate taxes, and that discount is calculated before the Primary Residence Credit is subtracted.

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

How to appeal your Nelson County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the your local board of equalization, then the county board, then the State Board of Equalization. The filing deadline is typically April for the local board, then the first 10 days of June for the county board. That is the North Dakota rule; Nelson County sets the exact dates and forms. The North Dakota appeal process step by step.

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

Work out your own numbers

Sources

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