Property tax in Bath County, Virginia
The median property tax bill in Bath County, Virginia is $797 a year, which is about 0.39% of the county's median home value of $206,700. That effective rate is lower 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.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Bath County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Bath County's average effective rate of 0.39% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $806 / year
Property tax in Bath County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $797 |
| Median home value | $206,700 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.39% |
| 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 Bath County compare in Virginia?
Among Virginia's 133 counties, Bath County has the 131st highest effective property-tax rate: 130 rank higher and 2 rank lower. That places it among the least taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 2954th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Virginia county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Bath County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Bath County's 1,299 owner-occupied homes, 4.3% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 6.8% pay at least $2,000, and 49.3% pay under $800. Another 2.1% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 640 | 49.3% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 465 | 35.8% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 79 | 6.1% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 32 | 2.5% |
| $3,000 or more | 56 | 4.3% |
| No property tax paid | 27 | 2.1% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $884 and owners without one pay $760. 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 Bath County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $797 is about 1% of the median income of Bath County homeowner households, $82,250 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 71.3% of Bath 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 Bath County?
The survey cannot tell. The median bill was $787 in 2015-2019 and $797 in 2020-2024, but that $10 difference is inside the Census's own margin of error for a county this size, so it could be sampling noise rather than a real change.
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 Bath County
Bath County borders 6 counties, 2 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alleghany County, VA | 0.79% | $1,000 | $125,800 |
| Rockbridge County, VA | 0.6% | $1,492 | $248,800 |
| Highland County, VA | 0.57% | $1,135 | $200,000 |
| Augusta County, VA | 0.47% | $1,446 | $306,100 |
| Greenbrier County, WV | 0.44% | $663 | $149,000 |
| Bath County, VA (this county) | 0.39% | $797 | $206,700 |
| Pocahontas County, WV | 0.3% | $462 | $152,400 |
How is a home assessed in Bath County?
Virginia assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Bath County included. How Virginia assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Bath 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 Bath County. Virginia's exemptions and relief programs in full.
When are property taxes due in Bath County?
Set locally. Each county, city or town bills on its own schedule, commonly semiannually, and sets its own due dates and late penalties. Virginia has no statewide due date.
That is the Virginia rule. Bath County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.
How to appeal your Bath County property assessment
You contest the assessed value with the Local Board of Equalization, then circuit court. That is the Virginia rule; Bath County sets the exact dates and forms. The Virginia appeal process step by step.
Virginia rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Virginia page.
Work out your own numbers
-
How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Bath County's tax rate to hand.
-
Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
-
Virginia income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Virginia actually taxes.
-
Sales tax in Bath County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Bath 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.