Sales tax in Washington County, Minnesota
There is no single sales tax rate in Washington County. It runs from 8.375% to 8.875% depending on the exact address, because cities and special districts inside the county levy their own on top of the 6.875% state rate. The 6.875% state rate applies everywhere in the county; everything above that depends on where you are standing. These rates were read from Minnesota's own published schedule and checked on September 9, 2026. The rate in each of the 27 cities is in the table below.
What is the sales tax rate in Washington County?
| Minnesota state rate | 6.875% |
|---|---|
| Washington County rate | 0.5% |
| Lowest combined rate in the county | 8.375% |
| Highest combined rate in the county | 8.875% |
The combined figures are the lowest and highest totals anywhere in Washington County, so the rows above do not add up to them.
What is the sales tax rate in each city in Washington County?
Minnesota publishes the rate for every city it taxes. These are the combined rates, state and local together, as listed in Minnesota's own rate file.
| City | October 1 to December 31, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Afton | 8.375% |
| Bayport | 8.375% |
| Birchwood Village | 8.375% |
| Cottage Grove | 8.375% |
| Dellwood | 8.375% |
| Forest Lake | 8.375% |
| Grant | 8.375% |
| HastingsThe Department marks Hastings as a place that may fall within more than one taxing area; this is the rate it prints for Hastings under Washington County. | 8.375% |
| Hugo | 8.375% |
| Lake Elmo | 8.375% |
| Lake St. Croix Beach | 8.375% |
| Lakeland | 8.375% |
| Lakeland Shores | 8.375% |
| Landfall | 8.375% |
| Mahtomedi | 8.375% |
| Marine on St. Croix | 8.375% |
| Newport | 8.375% |
| Oak Park Heights | 8.375% |
| Oakdale | 8.875% |
| Pine Springs | 8.375% |
| Scandia | 8.375% |
| St. Mary’s Point | 8.375% |
| St. Paul Park | 8.375% |
| Stillwater | 8.875% |
| White Bear LakeThe Department marks White Bear Lake as a place that may fall within more than one taxing area; this is the rate it prints for White Bear Lake under Washington County. | 8.375% |
| Willernie | 8.375% |
| Woodbury | 8.875% |
| Unincorporated Washington County | 8.375% |
Source: Minnesota rate file for October 1 to December 31, 2026, from Minnesota's official rate page.
How much sales tax is that on a purchase in Washington County?
At 8.375%, a $100 purchase carries $8.38 in sales tax and a $1,000 purchase $83.75, at the lowest rate in the county. At the highest, 8.875%, the same purchases carry $8.88 and $88.75. That is general merchandise; Minnesota taxes some categories, often groceries, differently, as the note below explains.
Among Minnesota's 87 counties, Washington County's lowest rate ranks 2nd highest, level with 4 other counties. See every Minnesota county.
Sales tax in counties next to Washington County
Washington County borders 7 counties, 3 of them in another state. The lowest rate next door is 5.5% in Pierce County, WI, which is $28.75 less on a $1,000 purchase than the lowest rate in Washington County.
| County | Combined sales tax |
|---|---|
| Ramsey County, MN | 8.375% to 9.875% |
| Washington County, MN (this county) | 8.375% to 8.875% |
| Anoka County, MN | 8.125% |
| Dakota County, MN | 8.125% to 8.625% |
| Chisago County, MN | 7.375% |
| Pierce County, WI | 5.5% |
| Polk County, WI | 5.5% |
| St. Croix County, WI | 5.5% |
Why the rate here is not the whole story
Minnesota's state rate is 6.875 percent and local sales taxes are not automatic. A city or a county has to get specific authority from the Legislature and then win a local referendum, so the local layer is assembled one jurisdiction at a time and the county line is frequently not the tax boundary. Washington County itself levies a 0.5 percent Washington Transit sales tax, which reaches every address in the county. Two regional taxes also apply at every address in the seven county Twin Cities area, the Metro Area Transportation tax at 0.75 percent and the Metro Area Tax for Housing at 0.25 percent. They are levied across the region rather than by the state or by any one county, so they are not part of the state or county rate, but they are included in the combined rate shown here. Oakdale, Stillwater and Woodbury each add a city tax of their own on top, and the highest combined rate in the county is 8.875 percent in Oakdale, Stillwater and Woodbury. Clothing is exempt from Minnesota sales tax at every rate shown here, which is unusual among states and changes none of the rates. Use the department's Sales Tax Rate Calculator for a specific address rather than a single county figure.
How do I find the exact rate for an address in Washington County?
Use Minnesota's own address lookup. In Washington County the rate depends on the address, anywhere from 8.375% to 8.875%.
Who has to collect sales tax in Washington County?
Any seller with a physical presence in Minnesota collects at the rate for the address of the sale; a remote seller does once it passes Minnesota's economic nexus threshold. Minnesota sales tax covers the statewide rules and what is exempt.
Work out your own numbers
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Sales tax calculator
Tax on a specific purchase at this county's rate, and the total you will actually pay.
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Do you have to collect?
Whether your sales into Minnesota cross its economic nexus threshold. A different question from the rate.
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Property tax in Washington County
The other local tax: effective rate and median bill for this county.
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Sales tax by county
Every US county, and how Minnesota compares with the rest of the country.
Sources
- Washington County rates: Minnesota Department of Revenue, Local Sales and Use Tax Rate Guide, effective October 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/2026-08/local-sales-and-use-tax-rate-guide-2026-q4.pdf
- Collected and verified September 9, 2026. Confidence: P on the rate components, P on the range (P read on a primary agency page, S strong but indirect, U unverified).