Property tax in Kitsap County, Washington
In Kitsap County, the property tax bill comes from the Kitsap County Treasurer. The 2026 bill is paid in 2 installments, and the next one is due October 31, 2026. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Kitsap County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Kitsap County, Washington is $4,279 a year, which is about 0.77% of the county's median home value of $555,100. That effective rate is higher than the typical Washington county (0.73%) 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 Kitsap County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Kitsap County Treasurer. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Kitsap County 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.
Washington collects in the same calendar year it names: the 2026 bill is paid April 30 and October 31, 2026. Notices of value mailed in 2026 set the value used for 2027 taxes, so an appeal filed now affects next year's bill. Online payments go through the county's processor, InvoiceCloud: e-checks are free and cards and other wallets cost 2.95%. Phone payments cost 2.95% plus $1.95 by card, or $1.95 by e-check. The Treasurer also offers twice-yearly autopay and a monthly prepayment plan with a $2 monthly fee. Every relief program the Assessor lists is a state program.
When are property taxes due in Kitsap County?
For the 2026 bill, Kitsap County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due April 30, 2026 and the last October 31, 2026. The next one due is the second half, on October 31, 2026. Late taxes are charged interest monthly from the date of delinquency until paid: 9% a year (0.75% a month) on residential parcels with four or fewer units, with no penalties, and 12% a year (1% a month) on all other parcels plus penalties of 3% on June 1 and 8% on December 1. These are the state rates for taxes due in 2023 and later. The Treasurer's FAQ still lists the June and December penalties for homes, but state law no longer charges them on residential parcels with four or fewer units.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First half (or full amount) | April 30, 2026 (passed) | Already past for the 2026 cycle. A total yearly tax under $50 is due in full by April 30. A first half paid late is charged interest on the full year's tax, not just the first half. |
| Second half | October 31, 2026 | October 31, 2026 is a Saturday. State law makes a tax payment made on the next business day timely when the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, so a payment made Monday, November 2, 2026 is on time. The Treasurer's own pages do not mention the weekend rule; they say taxes must be paid or postmarked by the due date, and that payments left in any of the county's 27 ballot drop boxes, open around the clock starting two weeks before the due date, are treated as on time. |
From Kitsap 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 Kitsap County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Kitsap County's average effective rate of 0.77% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $4,274 / year
Property tax in Kitsap County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $4,279 |
| Median home value | $555,100 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.77% |
| Typical Washington county rate | 0.73% |
| 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 Kitsap County compare in Washington?
Among Washington's 39 counties, Kitsap County has the 16th highest effective property-tax rate: 15 rank higher and 23 rank lower. That is near the middle for Washington. Nationally, it ranks 1688th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Washington county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Kitsap County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Kitsap County's 76,121 owner-occupied homes, 71.6% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 84.9% pay at least $2,000, and 3.9% pay under $800. Another 3.3% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 2,972 | 3.9% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 3,112 | 4.1% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 2,916 | 3.8% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 10,097 | 13.3% |
| $3,000 or more | 54,504 | 71.6% |
| No property tax paid | 2,520 | 3.3% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $4,237 and owners without one pay $4,397. That is within 10% either way, so in Kitsap County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Kitsap County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $4,279 is about 3.5% of the median income of Kitsap County homeowner households, $121,857 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 70.1% of Kitsap 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 Kitsap County?
Yes. The median bill went from $3,089 in 2015-2019 to $4,279 in 2020-2024, a 38.5% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 68.3%, from $329,900 to $555,100. 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 Kitsap County
Kitsap County borders 6 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pierce County, WA | 0.91% | $4,770 | $526,600 |
| King County, WA | 0.83% | $7,114 | $859,900 |
| Snohomish County, WA | 0.77% | $5,364 | $696,000 |
| Kitsap County, WA (this county) | 0.77% | $4,279 | $555,100 |
| Mason County, WA | 0.73% | $3,006 | $411,800 |
| Jefferson County, WA | 0.71% | $3,818 | $535,000 |
| Island County, WA | 0.67% | $3,999 | $593,300 |
How is a home assessed in Kitsap County?
Washington assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Kitsap County included. How Washington assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Kitsap County?
No. Washington has no general homestead exemption; the broad protection is the 1% limit on how much a taxing district's regular levy can grow each year without voter approval. That is the Washington rule, and it applies in Kitsap County. Washington's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Kitsap County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the Washington ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Kitsap County property assessment
In Kitsap County you appeal to the Kitsap County Board of Equalization. The deadline: By July 1 of the assessment year or within 60 calendar days of the date on the notice of value, whichever is later. The 2026 notices, which set values for taxes payable in 2027, were dated June 29, 2026, so the filing deadline was Monday, August 31, 2026, and that window has closed; a late filing is accepted only in very limited circumstances with a good cause waiver. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Washington's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Washington rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Washington 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 Kitsap 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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Washington income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Washington actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Kitsap County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Kitsap County, Washington: 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.