Property tax in Washington County, Pennsylvania
In Washington County, the property tax bill comes from the Washington County Treasurer. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Washington County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Washington County, Pennsylvania is $2,485 a year, which is about 1.09% of the county's median home value of $228,500. That effective rate is lower than the typical Pennsylvania county (1.27%) 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 Washington County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Washington County Treasurer. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Washington County Tax Revenue Department, Assessment 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.
Most homeowners get at least two property tax bills. The County Treasurer bills and collects only the county tax. Municipal and school district taxes come on separate bills from your local tax collector, usually a collector for your township, borough or city, though some places use a contracted firm such as Jordan Tax Services or Keystone Collections Group; the county's tax collector listing names the collector for each municipality. The county does not publish the discount, face and penalty dates for its own bill, so use the dates printed on your bill. State law (the Local Tax Collection Law) sets the pattern: pay the whole bill within two months of the date on the bill and you get a discount of at least 2%; after that you owe the face amount; and if the bill is still unpaid four months after its date, a penalty of up to 10% is added. The county sets the exact rates within those limits. If the last day of a discount or face period falls on a weekend or holiday, a payment made or postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service on the next business day counts as on time. The county's online tax records show 2026 county bills dated January 6, 2026, but the dates on your own bill are the ones that count. Taxes still unpaid at December 31 become delinquent and pass to the county Tax Claim Bureau, which collects delinquent county, school and municipal taxes and holds the tax sales; delinquent taxes are paid at the Treasurer's office and cannot be paid by personal check. Filing an assessment appeal costs nothing: the county dropped its $50 appeal deposit on January 1, 2026. Online payments cost 2.50% by credit or debit card ($2.00 minimum) or $1.50 by electronic check.
When are property taxes due in Washington County?
Property tax is billed separately by your county, municipality and school district, and each sets its own due dates, discount and penalty periods. Pennsylvania has no uniform statewide due date.
Washington County does not publish the due dates for its bill on its own pages (checked September 23, 2026), so we do not print any here. The dates on your statement are the ones that bind you; who sends which bill is covered above.
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 1.09% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,491 / year
Property tax in Washington County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,485 |
| Median home value | $228,500 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.09% |
| Typical Pennsylvania county rate | 1.27% |
| 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 Pennsylvania?
Among Pennsylvania's 67 counties, Washington County has the 53rd highest effective property-tax rate: 52 rank higher and 14 rank lower. That is on the lower side for Pennsylvania. Nationally, it ranks 926th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Pennsylvania county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Washington County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Washington County's 67,353 owner-occupied homes, 39% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 58.2% pay at least $2,000, and 15.3% 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 | 10,334 | 15.3% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 9,424 | 14% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 6,917 | 10.3% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 12,917 | 19.2% |
| $3,000 or more | 26,290 | 39% |
| No property tax paid | 1,471 | 2.2% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,825 and owners without one pay $2,045. 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 Washington County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,485 is about 2.7% of the median income of Washington County homeowner households, $92,461 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 76.1% 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 $2,048 in 2015-2019 to $2,485 in 2020-2024, a 21.3% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 36.1%, from $167,900 to $228,500. 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 9 counties, 4 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny County, PA | 1.52% | $3,451 | $227,600 |
| Beaver County, PA | 1.42% | $2,704 | $190,900 |
| Greene County, PA | 1.27% | $1,960 | $153,900 |
| Westmoreland County, PA | 1.23% | $2,501 | $203,500 |
| Fayette County, PA | 1.12% | $1,607 | $143,200 |
| Washington County, PA (this county) | 1.09% | $2,485 | $228,500 |
| Hancock County, WV | 0.63% | $826 | $130,800 |
| Ohio County, WV | 0.6% | $999 | $166,000 |
| Brooke County, WV | 0.53% | $746 | $141,500 |
| Marshall County, WV | 0.45% | $680 | $149,800 |
How is a home assessed in Washington County?
Pennsylvania sets the assessment rules and Washington County applies them. How Pennsylvania assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Washington County?
Yes, but the amount varies. Pennsylvania's Homestead and Farmstead Exclusion lowers a home's assessed value for school tax, and each school district sets its own exclusion each year. That is the Pennsylvania rule, and it applies in Washington County. Pennsylvania's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Washington County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the Pennsylvania ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Washington County property assessment
In Washington County you appeal to the Washington County Board of Assessment Appeals. The deadline: For the annual appeal, file after January 1 and no later than 4:30 p.m. on August 1 (an appeal postmarked by August 1 is accepted). If your assessment is changed during the year, the appeal must be received within 40 days of the date on the change notice. A Board decision can be appealed to the Court of Common Pleas within 30 days of the date on the Board's decision notice. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Pennsylvania's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Pennsylvania rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Pennsylvania 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 Washington 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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Pennsylvania income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Pennsylvania actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Washington County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Washington County, Pennsylvania: 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.