Property tax in James City County, Virginia
In James City County, the property tax bill comes from the James City County Treasurer's Office. The Fiscal Year 2027 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 James City County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in James City County, Virginia is $2,901 a year, which is about 0.65% of the county's median home value of $447,200. 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 James City County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the James City County Treasurer's Office. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the James City County Real Estate Assessments Division, 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.
The county works on a July 1 to June 30 fiscal year and bills real estate tax in two halves, in arrears: the bill due December 5 covers July through December, and the bill due June 5 covers January through June. The Treasurer bills and collects; the Real Estate Assessments Division sets the value, and the Commissioner of the Revenue runs the elderly and disabled exemption. Supplemental bills for new homes and additions carry their own due dates. Anyone who has not received a bill by November 15 or May 15 should call the Treasurer, because taxes are due even if no bill arrives. Payments can be made online, by phone at 855-329-4498, or in person at the Government Center or the Toano satellite office; card and e-check payments carry a convenience fee.
When are property taxes due in James City County?
For the Fiscal Year 2027 (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027) bill, James City County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due December 5, 2026 and the last June 5, 2027. A half not paid by its due date (or by the next business day when the Treasurer's office is closed on the due date) is charged a penalty of 10% of the tax past due or $10, whichever is greater, never more than the tax. Interest of 10% a year starts on the first day of the month after the month the tax was due, so from January 1 for the December half and July 1 for the June half.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First half (July 1 to December 31) | December 5, 2026 | December 5, 2026 falls on a Saturday. The Treasurer says that when the fifth falls on a weekend or holiday, taxes are due the next business day, which makes it Monday, December 7, 2026. Payments postmarked on or before the due date are on time. |
| Second half (January 1 to June 30) | June 5, 2027 | June 5, 2027 falls on a Saturday, so under the same rule taxes are due Monday, June 7, 2027. |
From James City 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 James City County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at James City County's average effective rate of 0.65% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,907 / year
Property tax in James City County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,901 |
| Median home value | $447,200 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.65% |
| 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 James City County compare in Virginia?
Among Virginia's 133 counties, James City County has the 54th highest effective property-tax rate: 53 rank higher and 79 rank lower. That is near the middle for Virginia. Nationally, it ranks 2094th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Virginia county ranked.
How much do homeowners in James City County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across James City County's 24,543 owner-occupied homes, 45.2% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 68.4% pay at least $2,000, and 3.6% pay under $800. Another 5% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 893 | 3.6% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 2,687 | 10.9% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 2,932 | 11.9% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 5,704 | 23.2% |
| $3,000 or more | 11,091 | 45.2% |
| No property tax paid | 1,236 | 5% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,733 and owners without one pay $3,346. 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 James City County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,901 is about 2.3% of the median income of James City County homeowner households, $125,779 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 76.7% of James City 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 James City County?
Yes. The median bill went from $2,520 in 2015-2019 to $2,901 in 2020-2024, a 15.1% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 31.3%, from $340,500 to $447,200. 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 James City County
James City County borders 9 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newport News city, VA | 1.01% | $2,634 | $260,600 |
| Isle of Wight County, VA | 0.7% | $2,510 | $356,500 |
| Surry County, VA | 0.69% | $1,651 | $238,800 |
| James City County, VA (this county) | 0.65% | $2,901 | $447,200 |
| New Kent County, VA | 0.64% | $2,503 | $393,600 |
| York County, VA | 0.64% | $2,794 | $433,200 |
| Williamsburg city, VA | 0.59% | $2,518 | $428,100 |
| Gloucester County, VA | 0.57% | $1,878 | $331,000 |
| Charles City County, VA | 0.56% | $1,343 | $241,400 |
| King and Queen County, VA | 0.52% | $1,209 | $231,600 |
How is a home assessed in James City County?
Virginia assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, James City County included. How Virginia assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in James City 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 James City County. Virginia's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Virginia programs, James City County runs its own:
- Elderly and Disabled Real Estate Exemption: For owners who live in the home and are 65 or older or permanently and totally disabled, with total household income of no more than $55,000 and net worth of no more than $200,000 (not counting the home and up to 10 acres); it exempts the tax on up to the first $150,000 of assessed value, and must be applied for each year with the Commissioner of the Revenue between January 1 and June 1 (first-time applicants and hardship cases until June 30). Apply by June 1.
How to appeal your James City County property assessment
In James City County you appeal to the James City County Board of Equalization. The deadline: The county reassesses every property as of January 1 of each even-numbered year and mails a Notice of Assessment Change (typically by March 1) only to owners whose value changed. Under the County Code, an owner first asks the Real Estate Assessments Division for a review by February 1 of the assessment year or within 30 days after the notice was mailed, whichever is later, and can then apply to the Board of Equalization by March 1 or within 30 days after the review deadline, whichever is later; the deadlines are printed on the notice. The 2026 windows, for values effective July 1, 2026, have closed, and the next general reassessment is as of January 1, 2028. An owner must go through the Board of Equalization before taking the assessment to the Circuit Court for the City of Williamsburg and County of James City. 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 James City 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 James City County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for James City 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.