Chesterfield County property tax for 2026 runs $0.89 per $100 of assessed value on real estate and $3.25 per $100 on vehicles, with the personal property rate down a dime from last year. Real estate bills are split into two payments due June 5 and December 7, 2026. Vehicle taxes are due in one payment on June 5. Miss either deadline and a 10% penalty hits the next day, followed by 10% annual interest and, for unpaid vehicle taxes, a hold on your DMV registration.
Tax Rates for 2026
The Board of Supervisors sets rates each spring. For the fiscal year covering 2026 bills, the board held real estate flat and cut personal property by ten cents.1Chesterfield County, Virginia. Board of Supervisors Approves Personal Property Tax Rate, Adopts Fiscal Year 2027 Budget
- Real estate (residential and commercial): $0.89 per $100 of assessed value
- Personal property (vehicles): $3.25 per $100
- Business tangible property (furniture, fixtures, equipment): $3.35 per $100
- Machinery and tools: $1.00 per $100
- Boats: $3.35 per $100
- Aircraft: $0.50 per $100
Business tangible property and machinery and tools rates apply to the depreciated value of the equipment.2Chesterfield County, VA. Business Taxes, Rates and Appeals
How to Calculate Your Bill
Take the assessed value, divide by 100, and multiply by the rate. A home assessed at $350,000 owes $3,115 in real estate tax at the $0.89 rate. A vehicle assessed at $25,000 owes $812.50 at the $3.25 rate before any state relief is applied.
Vehicle Tax Relief
Virginia’s Personal Property Tax Relief Act reduces the vehicle tax on the first $20,000 of assessed value. The reimbursement percentage the state sets changes annually, so the credit shrinks or grows year to year, but for qualifying cars and trucks it takes a meaningful bite out of what you actually pay.3Chesterfield County, VA. Personal Property Taxes
Due Dates for 2026
- June 5, 2026: personal property tax and first-half real estate tax
- December 7, 2026: second-half real estate tax (moved from December 5 because the 5th is a Saturday)
Business tangible personal property returns are due March 1, with the resulting bill due June 5.2Chesterfield County, VA. Business Taxes, Rates and Appeals
Penalties for Late Payment
The day after a due date, a 10% late payment penalty attaches. Interest at 10% per year starts accruing the following month.4Chesterfield County, VA. Delinquent Billings, Late Payments and Judicial Sales Virginia law caps the initial penalty at 10% but allows interest to rise above 10% in later years of delinquency if the IRS’s underpayment rate is higher. The county can add up to 20% in attorney or collection agency fees on top of the delinquent balance.5Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 58.1-3916 – Counties, Cities, and Towns May Provide Dates for Filing Returns and Paying Local Taxes
Unpaid vehicle taxes trigger a DMV hold through Virginia’s Vehicle Registration Withholding program. The county can block issuance, renewal, or reissuance of license plate decals on every vehicle you own or co-own. Releasing the hold costs $25 per vehicle, passed on to you.4Chesterfield County, VA. Delinquent Billings, Late Payments and Judicial Sales
Not getting a bill in the mail is not a defense. You still owe the penalty and interest.6Chesterfield County, Virginia. Treasurer If a deadline is two weeks away and no bill has arrived, call the Treasurer’s Office at 804-748-1201 and ask for a copy.
Payment Plans
The Treasurer’s Office grants payment plans case by case. Two caveats matter. Interest and penalties keep accruing while you’re on the plan, and a plan does not release a DMV registration hold. The full balance has to clear before the hold comes off. Applications go through the county website; responses come within two business days, and approval isn’t automatic.7Chesterfield County, VA. Tax Payment Plan Application
How to Pay
Your bill carries an account number and a Tax ID (called a Parcel ID or RPC for real estate). You need those to pay online or by mail. The Treasurer’s Office is at 9901 Lori Road, Chesterfield, VA 23832, open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.6Chesterfield County, Virginia. Treasurer
- Online eCheck: no processing fee
- Online credit card: 2% convenience fee per transaction
- Online debit card: $2.50 flat fee per transaction
- Mail: check to the address on your bill
- Drop box: secure boxes at county administrative buildings
- In person: at the Treasurer’s Office during business hours
Convenience fees go entirely to the payment processor, not the county.8Chesterfield County, VA. Treasurer – Pay Your Taxes On a $3,000 real estate bill, the 2% credit card fee is $60. The eCheck option avoids it.
Save the confirmation receipt after any online payment. If a payment is later disputed or misapplied, that receipt is your proof. For mailed payments, the postmark counts as the payment date, so dropping a check in the box on deadline day is risky at post offices that don’t postmark same-day.
Appealing Your Assessment
If your assessed value looks too high, the deadline to act is March 15. You have to appeal first to the Department of Real Estate Assessments by that date. That step is required before you can go further. If the department’s answer doesn’t satisfy you, you can then appeal to the Board of Equalization by April 15. The Board is independent, appointed by a Circuit Court judge and trained by the Virginia Department of Taxation.9Chesterfield County, VA. Appeal of Real Estate Assessment
Miss March 15 and both levels of appeal close for that tax year.
Evidence carries the appeal. For a residence, you can submit up to three comparable sales that support a lower value, along with a recent appraisal or photos showing condition problems. If a tax representative is filing for you, the county needs a notarized letter of authorization listing the tax year, owner name, property address, and Tax ID.9Chesterfield County, VA. Appeal of Real Estate Assessment
Virginia law requires real estate to be assessed at 100% of fair market value.10Chesterfield County, VA. Real Estate Assessments In a rising market, that means your assessment (and your bill) can climb even when the rate doesn’t. Reading the annual notice when it arrives is the only way to catch a value that looks off in time to appeal.
Relief and Exemption Programs
Chesterfield runs several programs that reduce or eliminate real estate tax for qualifying owners. Every application is verified, so pull your paperwork together before you file.
Elderly and Disabled Residents
Owners 65 or older, or permanently and totally disabled, may qualify for relief on a primary residence when both financial limits are met:
- Total household income under $65,400
- Net assets, excluding the home, under $514,000
The program is authorized by Virginia Code § 58.1-3210, which lets localities exempt or defer real estate taxes for qualifying elderly and disabled owners.11Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 58.1-3210 – Exemption or Deferral of Taxes on Property of Certain Elderly Individuals and Individuals With Disabilities The income and asset numbers above are the Chesterfield thresholds.12Chesterfield County, VA. Real Estate Tax Relief and Exemptions
Disabled Veterans
A veteran the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs rates as 100% service-connected, permanent, and totally disabled is fully exempt from real estate tax on a primary residence and up to one acre of land. The exemption starts on the date of the disability rating for a home already owned, or on the purchase date if the home is bought after the rating. Surviving spouses qualify if the veteran’s death occurred on or after January 1, 2011, and the spouse has not remarried. A surviving spouse can move to a different home and keep the exemption.13Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 58.1-3219.5 – Exemption From Taxes on Property for Disabled Veterans
Surviving Spouses of First Responders
The surviving spouse of a law enforcement officer, firefighter, search and rescue worker, or EMS provider killed in the line of duty is exempt from real estate tax on a primary residence. Apply through the county’s Citizen Portal or download the Surviving Spouse Real Estate Exemption application. The county allows you to schedule an appointment with a tax assessment specialist for help with the process.12Chesterfield County, VA. Real Estate Tax Relief and Exemptions