Verified July 2026 · By Oleg Kachko · Reviewed for accuracy against primary state and county sources
Chittenden County property tax costs the typical homeowner about $6,617 a year, on a median home value of $439,200 – an effective rate of about 1.44%. That is above the national average annual bill of $4,271. This page shows you where that number comes from, who actually sets it, the deadline to challenge it, and the exemptions you may be leaving on the table.
Chittenden County property tax at a Glance
- Effective property tax rate: 1.44%
- Median annual bill: $6,617
- Median home value: $439,200
- Who assesses your home: your city, town or township – not the county.
- Appeal deadline: no single fixed date – see below
On this page
Chittenden County property tax: the real numbers
Property tax is the most local tax there is. Two homes of the same value in different counties – sometimes in different towns of the same county – can carry very different bills, because the rate is the sum of every overlapping district that taxes you: the county, the town or city, the school district, and often fire, library or water districts on top. So the chittenden county property tax figure below is an average across the whole county – your own bill depends on which districts you sit inside.
| Figure | Chittenden County | National |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual property tax bill | $6,617 | $4,271 |
| Effective property tax rate | 1.44% | about 0.90% |
| Median home value | $439,200 | – |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (5-year), the same dataset the Tax Foundation uses. The effective rate is total real-estate taxes paid divided by total owner-occupied home value – so it reflects what people actually pay, not the headline millage rate.
Who actually sets your chittenden county property tax value
This is the part most guides get wrong. In Vermont, your city, town or township sets your assessed value – not Chittenden County. If you ring the county about your assessment, you are ringing an office that did not set it. Start with your local assessor. The county still matters for the appeal itself, which is covered below.
Worth knowing about Chittenden County:
In Vermont the TOWN/TOWNSHIP assesses; the county does not. The generator must say so.
How often your chittenden county property tax value is reassessed:
Town listers value property at 100% fair market value; the state applies each town’s Common Level of Appraisal (CLA) to keep the education tax fair, and towns must reappraise when the CLA drifts too far from market. Assessment date is April 1.
How to appeal your chittenden county property tax assessment
⚠ The deadline — miss it and you usually wait a full year
IMPORTANT – IN VERMONT YOUR TOWN OR TOWNSHIP ASSESSES, NOT THE COUNTY. Chittenden County does not set your value. Find your local assessor and start there. File a written grievance with your town listers by the town’s grievance date (varies, often mid-May to June, after the grand list is lodged).
If unresolved, appeal to the town Board of Civil Authority within 14 days of the grievance decision – one of the shortest windows anywhere – then to the state Director of Property Valuation & Review or Superior Court. Confirm your town’s date.
Almost every chittenden county property tax appeal comes down to one claim: the assessor thinks my home is worth more than it really is. Everything below is about proving that.
Do this first, before you file anything: ask for your property record card and read it. A surprising share of assessments are simply wrong on the facts – the wrong square footage, a bathroom you do not have, a finished basement that is bare concrete, a garage that was torn down. Factual errors are the easiest appeals to win, because there is nothing to argue about.
Then build the one thing that actually wins appeals: comparable sales. Find three to five homes near you, as similar as you can get on size, age, and condition, that sold recently for less than your assessed value. Not listings – sales. Not Zillow estimates – recorded sales. Boards ignore opinions and respond to comps.
A successful chittenden county property tax appeal does not change your tax rate – it lowers the value the rate is applied to, which lowers the bill for as long as the new value stands.
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Appeals are heard by the Town Listers (grievance), then the Board of Civil Authority (then the state or Superior Court). In most places there is a free, informal step first – a conversation or a paper review with the assessor – and it resolves a large share of cases without a hearing. Take it. It costs you nothing and it is the fastest way to win.
One honest warning: an appeal reviews your value, and a review can go up as well as down. That is uncommon when you bring real comparable sales, and it is exactly why you check your comps before you file.
Where to go: find your office through Vermont Dept of Taxes, which lists the assessing office for every county in Vermont.
Chittenden County property tax exemptions you may qualify for
This is where most homeowners quietly overpay their chittenden county property tax. Exemptions are almost never applied automatically – you have to claim them, and many people simply never do. It is worth ten minutes of your time to check.
HOMESTEAD: No dollar exemption; the Homestead Declaration secures the lower education tax rate. File Form HS-122 by April 15. | SENIOR: Income-based credit (household income limit varies by year, up to roughly $115,000 for part of the benefit). Confirm with the Vermont Dept of Taxes. | VETERAN: $10,000 of value (towns may raise to $40,000). Confirm with the Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs. | DISABILITY: Income-based Property Tax Credit. Confirm with the Vermont Dept of Taxes.
Homestead: Vermont has no dollar homestead exemption, but every resident must file a Homestead Declaration (Form HS-122) each year by April 15 to have their home taxed at the (lower) homestead education tax rate instead of the higher nonhomestead rate – and to qualify for the income-based Property Tax Credit (below). Missing it means the higher rate plus a penalty.
Senior / over-65: Vermont’s main relief is income-based rather than age-based: the Property Tax Credit (filed on Form HS-122 with Schedule HI-144) caps a homestead’s property tax at a percentage of household income for owners under the income limit – so lower-income seniors benefit automatically. Some towns also offer a senior tax deferral. There is no separate senior dollar exemption.
Veteran: Disabled Veterans Exemption (32 V.S.A. 3802(11)): at least $10,000 of assessed value exempt (towns may raise it up to $40,000) for a veteran with a 50%+ VA disability, and surviving spouses. Apply through the Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs by May 1.
Disability: Totally disabled homeowners benefit mainly through the income-based Property Tax Credit (which caps tax as a share of income). Disabled veterans use the veteran exemption above. Vermont has no separate general disability dollar exemption.
Common questions about chittenden county property tax
Why did my chittenden county property tax bill go up when I did nothing to the house?
Two different things can raise a bill: your assessed value went up, or a taxing district raised its rate. They are separate, and only the first one can be appealed. Your notice will show which changed.
Do I call Chittenden County about my assessment?
No. In this state the county does not set your value – your city, town or township assessor does. Start there.
Is it worth appealing my chittenden county property tax?
Ask one question: would a similar home near mine sell for less than the value the assessor has put on mine? If yes, you have a case, it is usually free to file, and in many places the informal review settles it without a hearing.
Do I need to hire someone to appeal?
No. The informal review and the local board are built for ordinary homeowners to use themselves, and there is normally no fee. Appeal services exist and can be worth it for some people, but you are not required to use one and you should never be told you are.
How is my chittenden county property tax bill actually calculated?
Your assessed value is multiplied by the combined rate of every district that taxes you, then any exemptions you have claimed are subtracted. That is why two neighbours can pay different amounts on identical homes – one of them claimed an exemption the other never did.
More on Vermont property tax
- Vermont property tax rates — how Chittenden County compares with every other county in the state.
- How to win your Vermont property tax appeal — the evidence that works and what to say at the hearing.
- Vermont property tax exemptions — who qualifies, how much each one saves, and how to apply.
- Vermont property tax due dates — when the bill is due and what happens if you are late.
- Property tax by state — every state, side by side.
The bottom line on chittenden county property tax
Do two things this week. First, pull your property record card and check the facts – square footage, rooms, condition. Second, check whether you are claiming every exemption you are entitled to, because most people are not. If your chittenden county property tax value looks higher than what a similar home nearby would actually sell for, you have grounds to appeal – and the only thing that can stop you is the deadline above.
Where our chittenden county property tax figures come from
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey — the rate, median bill and median value on this page.
- Tax Foundation, Property Taxes by State and County — the same dataset and method.
- Vermont Dept of Taxes — the office that can confirm your value, your exemptions and your deadline.
- Vermont Dept of Taxes (tax.vermont.gov); 32 V.S.A.; Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs; town lister offices
Informational only. Know Property Tax is not a government agency, not a county assessor, and not a tax-appeal service, and this is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Property tax rates, median bills, exemption amounts, and deadlines change every year, and every property is different. Any figure shown here is illustrative. Confirm your rate, your exemptions, and above all your appeal deadline with the office named on this page before you act.
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