Property tax in Aurora County, South Dakota
The median property tax bill in Aurora County, South Dakota is $1,574 a year, which is about 1.04% of the county's median home value of $151,900. That effective rate is higher than the typical South Dakota county (1.02%) 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.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Aurora County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Aurora County's average effective rate of 1.04% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $1,580 / year
Property tax in Aurora County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $1,574 |
| Median home value | $151,900 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.04% |
| Typical South Dakota county rate | 1.02% |
| 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 Aurora County compare in South Dakota?
Among South Dakota's 66 counties, Aurora County has the 30th highest effective property-tax rate: 29 rank higher and 36 rank lower. That is near the middle for South Dakota. Nationally, it ranks 1029th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every South Dakota county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Aurora County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Aurora County's 774 owner-occupied homes, 16.9% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 37.3% pay at least $2,000, and 18.7% pay under $800. Another 1.6% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 145 | 18.7% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 220 | 28.4% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 108 | 14% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 158 | 20.4% |
| $3,000 or more | 131 | 16.9% |
| No property tax paid | 12 | 1.6% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,011 and owners without one pay $1,380. 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 Aurora County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $1,574 is about 2% of the median income of Aurora County homeowner households, $79,265 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 72.7% of Aurora 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 Aurora County?
Yes. The median bill went from $1,138 in 2015-2019 to $1,574 in 2020-2024, a 38.3% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 77%, from $85,800 to $151,900. 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 Aurora County
Aurora County borders 6 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davison County, SD | 1.23% | $2,526 | $205,800 |
| Sanborn County, SD | 1.17% | $1,586 | $135,600 |
| Charles Mix County, SD | 1.1% | $1,878 | $170,600 |
| Aurora County, SD (this county) | 1.04% | $1,574 | $151,900 |
| Douglas County, SD | 0.99% | $1,653 | $166,900 |
| Brule County, SD | 0.96% | $2,071 | $216,800 |
| Jerauld County, SD | 0.84% | $1,265 | $150,800 |
How is a home assessed in Aurora County?
South Dakota assesses homes at 85% of market value in every county, Aurora County included. How South Dakota assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Aurora County?
Not as a dollar amount. A South Dakota home you own and live in gets the owner-occupied classification, which lowers the school general fund levy. File the certificate with the county director of equalization by March 15. That is the South Dakota rule, and it applies in Aurora County. South Dakota's exemptions and relief programs in full.
When are property taxes due in Aurora County?
Taxes are due and payable January 1 of the year after the assessment, collected by the county treasurer. You can split the bill: pay the first half by April 30 and the second by October 31 and nothing goes delinquent. Miss those and the unpaid half becomes delinquent on May 1 or November 1 and starts accruing monthly interest. Bills of $50 or less must be paid in full by April 30, and when a deadline lands on a weekend it moves to the last working day of that month.
South Dakota splits the bill into 2 installments. That is the South Dakota rule. Aurora County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.
How to appeal your Aurora County property assessment
You contest the assessed value with the local board of equalization, then the county board of equalization, then the Office of Hearing Examiners or circuit court. The filing deadline is typically mid-March to the local board, with the county board about three weeks later; the exact dates shift each year. That is the South Dakota rule; Aurora County sets the exact dates and forms. The South Dakota appeal process step by step.
South Dakota rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the South 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 Aurora 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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South Dakota income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what South Dakota actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Aurora County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Aurora County, South 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.