Property tax in Portsmouth city, Virginia
In Portsmouth city, the property tax bill comes from the Portsmouth City Treasurer's Office. The FY 26-27 bill is paid in 4 installments, and the next one is due December 31, 2026. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Portsmouth city's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Portsmouth city, Virginia is $2,557 a year, which is about 1.04% of the county's median home value of $246,900. 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 Portsmouth city, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Portsmouth City Treasurer's Office. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Portsmouth City 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.
Portsmouth is an independent city, so there is no separate county bill: the City Assessor values the home and the City Treasurer bills and collects it. Real estate tax is paid in four quarterly installments over a fiscal year that starts July 1, and the city's stormwater fee is billed with it. If taxes are paid through a mortgage escrow, the city bills the lender; owners who do not receive a statement are still liable for the tax, penalty and interest. Online payments go through the city's payment processor, Paymentus. The elderly and disabled relief programs are run by the Department of Social Services, not the Assessor.
When are property taxes due in Portsmouth city?
For the FY 26-27 (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027) bill, Portsmouth city splits the bill into 4 payments, the first due September 30, 2026 and the last June 30, 2027. The next one due is the second quarter, on December 31, 2026. A quarter not paid on or before its due date is charged a penalty of 10% of the unpaid installment or $10, whichever is greater, never more than the installment. Interest of 10% a year is charged on the tax and the penalty from the day after the due date until paid. Administrative collection fees are added later on accounts that stay delinquent.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First quarter | September 30, 2026 (passed) | Owners approved for the city's elderly and disabled tax relief or tax freeze pay on a later schedule: October 5, January 5, April 5 and July 5. Other owners who are 65 or older or disabled can also use those dates once the Treasurer verifies their age or disability. |
| Second quarter | December 31, 2026 | |
| Third quarter | March 31, 2027 | |
| Fourth quarter | June 30, 2027 | On the later schedule for relief recipients, the last quarter is due July 5, 2027, which is the observed Independence Day holiday; Virginia law lets a payment due on a holiday be made on the next business day, Tuesday, July 6, 2027. |
From Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth city
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Portsmouth city's average effective rate of 1.04% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,568 / year
Property tax in Portsmouth city at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,557 |
| Median home value | $246,900 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.04% |
| 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 Portsmouth city compare in Virginia?
Among Virginia's 133 counties, Portsmouth city has the 3rd highest effective property-tax rate: 2 rank higher and 130 rank lower. That places it among the most heavily taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 1033rd of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Virginia county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Portsmouth city actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Portsmouth city's 23,344 owner-occupied homes, 35.1% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 61.4% pay at least $2,000, and 10.1% pay under $800. Another 6.4% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 2,365 | 10.1% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 2,901 | 12.4% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 2,238 | 9.6% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 6,145 | 26.3% |
| $3,000 or more | 8,203 | 35.1% |
| No property tax paid | 1,492 | 6.4% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,528 and owners without one pay $2,611. That is within 10% either way, so in Portsmouth city paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Portsmouth city property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,557 is about 3.4% of the median income of Portsmouth city homeowner households, $75,503 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 57.9% of Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth city?
Yes. The median bill went from $2,104 in 2015-2019 to $2,557 in 2020-2024, a 21.5% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 44.5%, from $170,900 to $246,900. 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 Portsmouth city
Portsmouth city borders 5 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth city, VA (this county) | 1.04% | $2,557 | $246,900 |
| Newport News city, VA | 1.01% | $2,634 | $260,600 |
| Norfolk city, VA | 1% | $2,890 | $289,900 |
| Hampton city, VA | 0.95% | $2,327 | $245,700 |
| Suffolk city, VA | 0.93% | $3,229 | $347,400 |
| Chesapeake city, VA | 0.82% | $3,108 | $378,400 |
How is a home assessed in Portsmouth city?
Virginia assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Portsmouth city included. How Virginia assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth city. Virginia's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Virginia programs, Portsmouth city runs its own:
- Real estate tax relief for the elderly and disabled (tax abatement): For owners who are 65 or older by June 30 of the prior year, or permanently and totally disabled, with total household income of no more than $30,000 and net financial worth of no more than $75,000 (not counting the home and up to one acre); it cuts the tax on the home by 10% to 100% depending on income, is filed with the Department of Social Services, and depends on the city council funding it each year. Apply by April 30.
- Real estate tax freeze for the elderly and disabled: For owners who are 65 or older by June 30 of the prior year, or permanently and totally disabled, with total household income of no more than $67,000 and net financial worth of no more than $350,000 (not counting the home and up to one acre); it holds the tax on the home at the amount from the year the owner first qualified, with tax added only for later additions or major improvements. An owner can receive only one of the two relief programs, the application is filed with the Department of Social Services, and the freeze depends on the city council funding it each year. Apply by April 30.
How to appeal your Portsmouth city property assessment
In Portsmouth city you appeal to the Portsmouth Board of Equalization. The deadline: The City Assessor revalues every property each year and mails a Notice of Proposed Assessment to all owners in the spring for values that take effect July 1. The dates and deadlines for the informal review with the Assessor's Office and for applying to the Board of Equalization are printed on that notice. Under the City Code the Board holds its hearings in April and May, so the 2026 appeal period for values effective July 1, 2026 has closed. After the Board, an owner can apply to the Circuit Court of Portsmouth within three years after the end of the tax year or one year from the assessment, whichever is later. 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
-
How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Portsmouth city'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 Portsmouth city
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Portsmouth 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.