Property tax in Highland County, Virginia
The median property tax bill in Highland County, Virginia is $1,135 a year, which is about 0.57% of the county's median home value of $200,000. 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 Highland County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Highland County's average effective rate of 0.57% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $1,140 / year
Property tax in Highland County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $1,135 |
| Median home value | $200,000 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.57% |
| 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 Highland County compare in Virginia?
Among Virginia's 133 counties, Highland County has the 81st highest effective property-tax rate: 80 rank higher and 52 rank lower. That is on the lower side for Virginia. Nationally, it ranks 2390th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Virginia county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Highland County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Highland County's 892 owner-occupied homes, 10.5% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 25.6% pay at least $2,000, and 28.5% pay under $800. Another 2% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 254 | 28.5% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 327 | 36.7% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 64 | 7.2% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 135 | 15.1% |
| $3,000 or more | 94 | 10.5% |
| No property tax paid | 18 | 2% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,284 and owners without one pay $1,030. 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 Highland County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $1,135 is about 1.6% of the median income of Highland County homeowner households, $69,444 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 88.9% of Highland 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 Highland County?
The survey cannot tell. The median bill was $928 in 2015-2019 and $1,135 in 2020-2024, but that $207 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 Highland County
Highland County borders 4 counties, 2 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland County, VA (this county) | 0.57% | $1,135 | $200,000 |
| Augusta County, VA | 0.47% | $1,446 | $306,100 |
| Bath County, VA | 0.39% | $797 | $206,700 |
| Pendleton County, WV | 0.34% | $633 | $183,800 |
| Pocahontas County, WV | 0.3% | $462 | $152,400 |
How is a home assessed in Highland County?
Virginia assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Highland County included. How Virginia assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Highland 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 Highland County. Virginia's exemptions and relief programs in full.
When are property taxes due in Highland 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. Highland County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.
How to appeal your Highland County property assessment
You contest the assessed value with the Local Board of Equalization, then circuit court. That is the Virginia rule; Highland 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
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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 Highland 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 Highland County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Highland 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.