Property tax by ZIP code in Kentucky
Enter a Kentucky ZIP and see the median property tax paid, median home value, and effective tax rate from the 2020–2024 American Community Survey — plus how it compares to the Kentucky state median.
Look up a Kentucky ZIP code
Enter a 5-digit Kentucky ZIP code above to see its property tax data.
ZIP doesn't have ACS data — typically because it's a PO-box-only ZIP, a single-business ZIP, or a small area where the Census suppresses small-sample estimates. Try a nearby ZIP.
ZIP isn't a Kentucky ZIP code. This page covers Kentucky only. Other states are launching state by state — check back, or use our state-by-state median page in the meantime.
Kentucky's effective property-tax rate runs moderate — around 0.75% of value statewide. Unlike states that assess a fraction of value, Kentucky assesses homes at 100% of fair cash value, but the state's own real-property rate is among the lowest anywhere, so the size of your bill comes almost entirely from local rates and from whether you qualify for the over-65 homestead exemption.
Enter a 5-digit Kentucky ZIP to see its median property tax, median home value, and effective rate from the US Census American Community Survey 2020–2024 vintage, plus how it compares to the Kentucky state and US national medians. The explainer below covers full fair-cash-value assessment, the four-year reassessment cycle, the low state rate, and the homestead exemption for seniors and disabled owners.
How Kentucky property tax works
In each county a Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) assesses all real property at fair cash value — the price it would bring in a fair voluntary sale, as the Kentucky Constitution (§172) requires. Values are updated annually, and each parcel is physically examined at least once every four years under KRS 132.690. So there's no fractional ratio to decode — the assessment is meant to be full market value.
What keeps Kentucky bills moderate despite full-value assessment is the state rate. The Department of Revenue sets the state real-property rate under a formula (KRS 132.020) that caps annual state real-property revenue growth at 4%, and the rate has drifted down to 10.6 cents per $100 of value for 2025 (down from 10.9 cents in 2024). That state piece is tiny; the bulk of any bill is local county, city, school, and special-district rates.
Kentucky's main homeowner break is the homestead exemption for owners who are 65 or older or classified as totally disabled. It removes a fixed amount of assessed value — $49,100 for the 2025–2026 tax periods — and is re-set for inflation every two years (it was $46,350 for 2023–2024). Unlike many states, there is no general homestead exemption for younger owners; this break is specifically for seniors and disabled owners.
Why your actual bill differs
The numbers above describe a typical homeowner in this ZIP — not your specific bill. A few things move bills away from the median:
- Local rates dominate. The state rate is about a dime per $100; the rest is local. Two homes of equal value in different school or city districts within the same ZIP can owe noticeably different amounts.
- The 65+/disabled homestead. Removing $49,100 of assessed value (2025–2026) is a meaningful cut on a typical Kentucky home, so a qualifying older owner sits well below the median.
- Reassessment timing. With annual updates and a four-year physical-inspection cycle, a recent reassessment can move your value — and bill — relative to neighbors not yet revisited.
Kentucky has no single statewide bill lookup. The PVA values your property and the county sheriff bills and collects; the Jefferson County (Louisville) Sheriff's property-tax search is a working example. For other counties, search your county PVA and sheriff sites.
Methodology
Data on this page comes from the US Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 vintage (released January 29, 2026), at the ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) level. After filtering ZCTAs the Census suppresses for privacy or small-sample reasons, this page covers 606 Kentucky ZIPs.
Topcoding in Kentucky. The Census caps median property tax at $10,000, reporting anything higher as $10,001. Kentucky's moderate home values keep essentially every ZIP below the cap, so the figures here are true medians.
See the full methodology page for source details (Census table IDs, the comparison-median rule, calculator formulas), how we handle topcoding across every state, and the refresh cadence.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the median tax in my ZIP different from what I pay?
Median is the middle of the distribution, not your bill. Kentucky assesses at full value but the state rate is tiny, so local rates drive the bill — and the over-65/disabled homestead exemption moves qualifying owners below the median.
Why might my ZIP show $10,001 as the median tax?
That's the Census topcode for privacy. It's rare in Kentucky — moderate home values keep most medians under the $10,000 cap.
Where do I find my actual Kentucky property tax bill?
Through your county. There's no statewide portal; the PVA values the property and the sheriff collects. The Jefferson County Sheriff's search is a working example.
When does Kentucky data update on this page?
Annually, when the Census Bureau releases a new ACS 5-year vintage. The 2020–2024 vintage released January 29, 2026. The next vintage (2021–2025) typically follows the next year, though the Census has not yet posted its release date.
Why don't you cover other states yet?
State-by-state rollout. Each state needs its own context section (assessment method, exemptions, local taxing structure) to be genuinely useful. High-search-volume states are going live first.