Property tax by ZIP code in Virginia
Enter a Virginia 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 Virginia state median.
Look up a Virginia ZIP code
Enter a 5-digit Virginia 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 Virginia ZIP code. This page covers Virginia only. Other states are launching state by state — check back, or use our state-by-state median page in the meantime.
Virginia's effective property-tax rate runs moderate — around 0.73% of value statewide — but the figure hides wide local variation, because Virginia has no state property tax at all. Every city, county, and town sets its own rate, and all of them assess at 100% of fair market value. A fast-growing Northern Virginia county and a rural Southside county can land far apart on the same statewide map.
Enter a 5-digit Virginia 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 the ZIP compares to the Virginia state and US national medians. The explainer below covers who assesses, the reassessment cycle, the veteran and local elderly/disabled relief programs, and the 2024 amendment that broadened the surviving-spouse exemption.
How Virginia property tax works
Virginia is one of the most locally controlled property-tax states in the country: there is no state property tax, and real estate is assessed and taxed entirely by cities, counties, and towns. By statute, general and annual reassessments are made at 100% of fair market value, so there's no fractional assessment ratio to decode — your assessment is meant to track what the home would sell for. The local commissioner of the revenue, a board of assessors, or a professional assessor handles the valuation, and the locality's governing body sets the rate.
How often values get refreshed depends on where you live. State law generally requires a general reassessment every four years (a county's board may opt for every three), while smaller counties — those of 50,000 or fewer residents, plus Augusta and Bedford — may stretch to five- or six-year cycles. Many cities reassess annually. The longer the gap between reassessments, the more a bill can jump when the next one lands.
Virginia has no statewide homestead exemption, but it offers targeted relief. A veteran with a 100% permanent, service-connected disability — and a qualifying surviving spouse — can claim a full exemption on the principal residence and up to one acre. A local-option program lets each locality exempt or defer tax for owners 65 and older or permanently disabled, with the income and net-worth limits set by local ordinance — so the same program looks different from one county to the next. A constitutional amendment ratified by voters in November 2024 and effective January 1, 2025 broadened the surviving-spouse exemption from service members "killed in action" to any who died in the line of duty.
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:
- Your locality sets the rate. With no state tax and no county-versus-city sharing, two otherwise identical homes can owe quite different amounts purely because one sits in a higher-rate jurisdiction.
- When your area last reassessed. On a four-to-six-year cycle, values can lag the market for years and then reset all at once — so a recent reassessment can push a bill well above the ZIP median.
- Exemptions and local relief. The full disabled-veteran and line-of-duty surviving-spouse exemptions, plus any local elderly or disabled relief your locality offers, pull a qualifying owner's bill below the median.
Virginia has no single statewide bill lookup — each locality runs its own. Fairfax County's real-estate tax site (bills due July 28 and December 5) is a working example; for other localities, start with your city or county treasurer.
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 774 Virginia ZIPs.
Topcoding in Virginia. The Census caps median property tax at $10,000, reporting anything higher as $10,001. It occurs in a small number of high-value Northern Virginia ZIPs; for those, the figure shown is a floor and the rate is a conservative estimate. Everywhere else the figures 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. With no state tax, every locality sets its own rate against a 100%-of-market assessment, so ZIPs in different cities and counties diverge. Reassessment timing and the veteran or local elderly/disabled relief programs move qualifying owners further from the median.
Why might my ZIP show $10,001 as the median tax?
That's the Census topcode for privacy. In Virginia it appears mainly in high-value Northern Virginia ZIPs; the true median there is at least $10,000 and the rate shown is conservative.
Where do I find my actual Virginia property tax bill?
Through your city or county treasurer — there's no statewide portal. Fairfax County's online system is a working example; for other localities, start with your local treasurer.
When does Virginia 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.