Property tax in Albemarle County, Virginia
In Albemarle County, the property tax bill comes from the Albemarle County Department of Finance and Budget, Office of Revenue Administration. The 2026 bill is paid in 2 installments, and the next one is due December 5, 2026. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Albemarle County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Albemarle County, Virginia is $3,719 a year, which is about 0.75% of the county's median home value of $495,400. That effective rate is higher than the typical Virginia county (0.6%) 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 Albemarle County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Albemarle County Department of Finance and Budget, Office of Revenue Administration. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Albemarle County Assessor's 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.
Albemarle has no Treasurer or Commissioner of the Revenue: under its form of government the Director of Finance does both jobs, so the Department of Finance and Budget sends the bill and the County Assessor values the property, every year as of January 1. The Town of Scottsville levies no real estate tax of its own, so homes there get only the county bill. Mailed payments go to County of Albemarle, P.O. Box 7604, Merrifield, VA 22116-7604. Online card payments go through PayPal, which charges a convenience fee of about 2.35% to 2.5% (minimum $1.95); electronic checks are free.
When are property taxes due in Albemarle County?
For the 2026 bill, Albemarle County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due June 25, 2026 and the last December 5, 2026. The next one due is the second half, on December 5, 2026. Tax unpaid after the due date carries a late payment penalty of 10% or $10, whichever is greater (never more than the tax itself), imposed the day after the due date; the penalty becomes part of the tax. Interest of 10% a year is charged on the unpaid tax and penalty starting the first day of the month after the month the tax was due, so July 1 for the June bill and January 1 for the December bill. Not receiving a bill does not excuse late payment.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First half | June 25, 2026 (passed) | First-half bills are mailed in the spring. A mailed payment postmarked by the due date counts as on time. |
| Second half | December 5, 2026 | December 5, 2026 is a Saturday. The county says a due date that falls on a weekend automatically extends to the next business day, so a payment made on Monday, December 7, 2026 is on time. Second-half bills are mailed in the fall. |
From Albemarle 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 Albemarle County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Albemarle 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.
Estimated property tax: $3,716 / year
Property tax in Albemarle County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $3,719 |
| Median home value | $495,400 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.75% |
| Typical Virginia county rate | 0.6% |
| 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 Albemarle County compare in Virginia?
Among Virginia's 133 counties, Albemarle County has the 37th highest effective property-tax rate: 36 rank higher and 96 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Virginia. Nationally, it ranks 1742nd of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Virginia county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Albemarle County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Albemarle County's 30,269 owner-occupied homes, 63.1% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 82.1% pay at least $2,000, and 4% pay under $800. Another 1.8% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 1,212 | 4% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 1,831 | 6% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 1,818 | 6% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 5,765 | 19% |
| $3,000 or more | 19,098 | 63.1% |
| No property tax paid | 545 | 1.8% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $3,687 and owners without one pay $3,798. That is within 10% either way, so in Albemarle County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Albemarle County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $3,719 is about 2.8% of the median income of Albemarle County homeowner households, $132,763 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 65.9% of Albemarle 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 Albemarle County?
Yes. The median bill went from $2,673 in 2015-2019 to $3,719 in 2020-2024, a 39.1% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 39.1%, from $356,100 to $495,400.
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 Albemarle County
Albemarle County borders 9 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlottesville city, VA | 0.8% | $3,915 | $486,700 |
| Albemarle County, VA (this county) | 0.75% | $3,719 | $495,400 |
| Fluvanna County, VA | 0.63% | $1,967 | $314,100 |
| Greene County, VA | 0.61% | $2,086 | $343,300 |
| Louisa County, VA | 0.6% | $1,883 | $315,300 |
| Orange County, VA | 0.55% | $1,997 | $364,200 |
| Rockingham County, VA | 0.53% | $1,645 | $313,000 |
| Buckingham County, VA | 0.52% | $906 | $173,400 |
| Nelson County, VA | 0.5% | $1,622 | $321,700 |
| Augusta County, VA | 0.47% | $1,446 | $306,100 |
How is a home assessed in Albemarle County?
Virginia assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Albemarle County included. How Virginia assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Albemarle County?
No. Virginia has no general homestead exemption; relief is limited to the elderly and disabled, disabled veterans, and surviving spouses of service members and first responders killed in the line of duty. That is the Virginia rule, and it applies in Albemarle County. Virginia's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Virginia programs, Albemarle County runs its own:
- Tax Relief for the Elderly and Disabled: For an owner who is at least 65, or totally and permanently disabled, as of December 31 of the prior year and lives in the home, with combined income of no more than $100,650 and net worth of no more than $321,000: the county relieves 100% of the real estate tax on the home and up to ten acres at income up to $50,325, 75% at $50,326 to $75,488, and 50% at $75,489 to $100,650. The home may not be used in a business. Apply by October 31 for first-time applicants; April 1 for returning recipients' recertification (either moves to the next business day if it falls on a weekend or holiday).
How to appeal your Albemarle County property assessment
In Albemarle County you appeal to the Albemarle County Board of Equalization (after an optional administrative review by the County Assessor). The deadline: Reassessment notices go out in late January each year. County code sets February 28 as the deadline to raise objections with the County Assessor (an administrative review) and March 30 to apply to the Board of Equalization. For the 2026 assessment, the administrative review deadline was March 2, and the Board of Equalization deadline was March 30 or 30 days after the result of an administrative review, whichever was later. The Board of Equalization application is available only by contacting the Assessor's Office. A further appeal goes to the Circuit Court. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Virginia's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Virginia rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Virginia 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 Albemarle 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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Virginia income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Virginia actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Albemarle County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Albemarle County, Virginia: 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.