Property tax in Colonial Heights city, Virginia
In Colonial Heights city, the property tax bill comes from the City of Colonial Heights Billing & Collections Office. The 2026 bill is paid in 2 installments, and the next one is due November 15, 2026. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Colonial Heights city's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Colonial Heights city, Virginia is $2,071 a year, which is about 0.84% of the county's median home value of $246,600. That effective rate is higher than the typical Virginia county (0.6%) 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 Colonial Heights city, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the City of Colonial Heights Billing & Collections Office. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the City of Colonial Heights Real Estate 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.
Colonial Heights is an independent city, so there is no separate county bill: the city values the home, bills it and collects it. The city reassesses real estate every two years, with notices mailed in early January of even-numbered years. Real estate taxes are collected by the city's Billing & Collections Office, not the elected Treasurer, whose office collects state funds. The Commissioner of the Revenue takes applications for the elderly and disabled relief program but does not value real estate. The city charges a 2% fee on credit and debit card payments, online or in person; checks, cash and e-checks carry no fee.
When are property taxes due in Colonial Heights city?
For the 2026 bill, Colonial Heights city splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due May 15, 2026 and the last November 15, 2026. The next one due is the second half, on November 15, 2026. A payment not made or postmarked by the due date carries a 10% late payment penalty, and interest at 10% a year is charged on the unpaid tax and penalty, starting on the first of the month after the due date. Delinquent parcels eligible for tax sale are turned over to an outside attorney the city has retained.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First half | May 15, 2026 (passed) | Bills are mailed to owners who do not pay through a mortgage escrow account; the city's policy is to mail them at least 30 days before the due date. A mailed payment must be postmarked by the due date, and the city says there is no grace period. Not receiving a bill does not excuse the penalty. |
| Second half | November 15, 2026 | November 15, 2026 is a Sunday. The city's pages do not restate a weekend rule, but Virginia law lets a payment due on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday be made on the next business day, so a payment made on Monday, November 16, 2026 is on time. Mailed payments must be postmarked by the due date, and the city says there is no grace period. |
From Colonial Heights city'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 Colonial Heights city
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Colonial Heights city's average effective rate of 0.84% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,071 / year
Property tax in Colonial Heights city at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,071 |
| Median home value | $246,600 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.84% |
| 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 Colonial Heights city compare in Virginia?
Among Virginia's 133 counties, Colonial Heights city has the 22nd highest effective property-tax rate: 21 rank higher and 111 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Virginia. Nationally, it ranks 1495th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Virginia county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Colonial Heights city actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Colonial Heights city's 5,127 owner-occupied homes, 17.9% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 49.2% pay at least $2,000, and 5% pay under $800. Another 6% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 254 | 5% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 926 | 18.1% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 1,116 | 21.8% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 1,603 | 31.3% |
| $3,000 or more | 920 | 17.9% |
| No property tax paid | 308 | 6% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,977 and owners without one pay $2,212. Here the owners without a mortgage pay more, which can happen where long-held homes sit in the higher-value parts of the county. Census table B25103.
How does the Colonial Heights city property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,071 is about 2.2% of the median income of Colonial Heights city homeowner households, $92,078 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 68.1% of Colonial Heights city's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Colonial Heights city?
Yes. The median bill went from $1,811 in 2015-2019 to $2,071 in 2020-2024, a 14.4% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 43.6%, from $171,700 to $246,600. 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 Colonial Heights city
Colonial Heights city borders 2 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colonial Heights city, VA (this county) | 0.84% | $2,071 | $246,600 |
| Petersburg city, VA | 0.81% | $1,523 | $189,000 |
| Chesterfield County, VA | 0.76% | $2,773 | $366,000 |
How is a home assessed in Colonial Heights city?
Virginia assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Colonial Heights city included. How Virginia assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Colonial Heights city?
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 Colonial Heights city. Virginia's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Virginia programs, Colonial Heights city runs its own:
- Real Estate Tax Relief for the Elderly and Disabled: For an owner 65 or older or permanently and totally disabled whose home is their sole dwelling, with 2025 household income of $44,000 or less and net worth of $100,000 or less (not counting the home and up to one acre): the city exempts 100% of the tax at income of $25,080 or less, falling in steps to 10% at $40,921 to $44,000, with a maximum exemption of $1,600 a year; a new application is required every year. Apply by March 31.
- Partial exemption for rehabilitated homes: For a home of four or fewer units at least 25 years old, rehabilitation that raises the structure's assessed value by at least 10% has the resulting tax increase abated for ten years; apply to the City Assessor with a $125 fee after applying for the building permit and before work starts, and every installment on the rest of the tax must be paid on time or the exemption is cancelled.
How to appeal your Colonial Heights city property assessment
In Colonial Heights city you appeal to the City Assessor's Office (administrative review), then the Colonial Heights Board of Equalization. The deadline: An administrative review can be requested from the City Assessor's Office within 30 days of receiving the assessment notice. An application to the Board of Equalization, with the required documentation and a letter of authorization, must be received within 60 days of receiving the assessment notice. Assessment notices are mailed the first week of January in even-numbered years. A decision of the Board of Equalization can be taken to the Circuit Court of Colonial Heights. 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 Colonial Heights city'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 Colonial Heights city
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Colonial Heights city, 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.