Verified July 2026 · By Oleg Kachko · Reviewed for accuracy against primary state and county sources
York County property tax costs the typical homeowner about $3,787 a year, on a median home value of $395,700 – an effective rate of about 0.89%. That is below 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.
York County property tax at a Glance
- Effective property tax rate: 0.89%
- Median annual bill: $3,787
- Median home value: $395,700
- Who assesses your home: your city, town or township – not the county.
- Appeal deadline: 185 days from the commitment date (the roll is usually committed around August)
On this page
York 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 york county property tax figure below is an average across the whole county – your own bill depends on which districts you sit inside.
| Figure | York County | National |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual property tax bill | $3,787 | $4,271 |
| Effective property tax rate | 0.89% | about 0.90% |
| Median home value | $395,700 | – |
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 york county property tax value
This is the part most guides get wrong. In Maine, your city, town or township sets your assessed value – not York 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 York County:
In Maine the TOWN/TOWNSHIP assesses; the county does not. The generator must say so.
How often your york county property tax value is reassessed:
Municipal assessors value property and apply a certified assessment ratio (the town’s assessed value as a percentage of market). Assessment date is April 1; partial exemptions are scaled by that ratio.
How to appeal your york county property tax assessment
⚠ The deadline — miss it and you usually wait a full year
185 days from the commitment date (the roll is usually committed around August)
IMPORTANT – IN MAINE YOUR TOWN OR TOWNSHIP ASSESSES, NOT THE COUNTY. York County does not set your value. Find your local assessor and start there. Request an abatement from your municipal assessor within 185 days of the commitment date (when the tax roll is committed, usually around August). If denied, appeal to the local Board of Assessment Review (or county commissioners), then Superior Court. Confirm your town’s commitment date.
Almost every york 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 york 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 Municipal Assessor (abatement), then the local Board of Assessment Review or county commissioners (then 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 Maine Revenue Services, which lists the assessing office for every county in Maine.
York County property tax exemptions you may qualify for
This is where most homeowners quietly overpay their york 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: $25,000 off just value (adjusted by the town’s assessment ratio). Confirm with your municipal assessor. | SENIOR: Property Tax Fairness Credit (income-based refund); plus deferral. The senior freeze no longer exists. Confirm with Maine Revenue Services. | VETERAN: $6,000 (veteran); $50,000 (paraplegic/specially adapted housing), ratio-adjusted. Confirm with your municipal assessor. | DISABILITY: Blind $4,000 off just value; plus the income-based Fairness Credit. Confirm with your municipal assessor.
Homestead: Homestead Exemption (36 M.R.S. 683): $25,000 off the just (market) value of a permanent resident’s home – you must have owned a Maine home for 12+ months and occupy it as your permanent residence on April 1. The $25,000 is adjusted by the town’s certified assessment ratio (e.g., at an 80% ratio it’s $20,000 off). File once with your municipal assessor by April 1; no annual refiling.
Senior / over-65: Maine’s senior relief is income-based, not a dollar exemption: the Property Tax Fairness Credit (a refundable state income-tax credit on Form 1040ME) refunds property tax – or 25% of rent – that exceeds a set percentage of income, and it was expanded in 2022 (especially for seniors and veterans). There’s also a state Property Tax Deferral for owners 65+ or disabled (defer the tax as a lien, repaid later). Note: the old senior ‘Stabilization/freeze’ program was REPEALED after 2023.
Veteran: Veteran Exemption (36 M.R.S. 653): $6,000 off just value for a veteran who served in a recognized war period AND is 62+, OR is 100% disabled – and surviving spouses. A veteran with VA-granted specially adapted housing (paraplegic) gets a $50,000 exemption. Apply with your municipal assessor by April 1. (2026 legislation adjusted these programs – confirm current amounts.)
Disability: Blind Exemption (36 M.R.S. 654): $4,000 off just value for a legally blind resident. Disabled owners also benefit from the income-based Property Tax Fairness Credit and the Property Tax Deferral. Apply for the blind exemption with your municipal assessor by April 1.
Common questions about york county property tax
Why did my york 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 York 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 york 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 york 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 Maine property tax
- Maine property tax rates — how York County compares with every other county in the state.
- How to win your Maine property tax appeal — the evidence that works and what to say at the hearing.
- Maine property tax exemptions — who qualifies, how much each one saves, and how to apply.
- Maine 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 york 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 york 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 york 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.
- Maine Revenue Services — the office that can confirm your value, your exemptions and your deadline.
- Maine Revenue Services (maine.gov/revenue); 36 M.R.S. (Title 36); municipal assessor sites
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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