Baltimore City mails real property tax bills on July 1 each year at a rate of $2.248 per $100 of assessed value, one of the highest municipal rates in Maryland. Pay the full amount by July 31 and the city takes 0.5% off. Otherwise, the balance is due before December 31.1Baltimore City. Real Property Taxes
What Makes Up the Bill
The city rate of $2.248 per $100 of assessed value is set each year by the City Council and is the largest line on your statement.2Baltimore City. City Tax Rates The State of Maryland adds its own property tax of $0.112 per $100 of assessed value as a separate line.3Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Tax-Property 6-201 – Imposition of State Property Tax
You’ll also see the Bay Restoration Fee, a flat $5 per month ($60 per year for most residential properties) that funds wastewater treatment upgrades statewide.4Maryland Department of the Environment. Bay Restoration Fund Frequently Asked Questions Properties inside designated areas such as the Downtown Management District or Waterfront Management District carry Special Benefit District surcharges that vary by district and are billed through the city’s payment portal.
One boundary worth flagging: if your property is classified as vacant, the rate is tripled. Beginning with the 2026–2027 tax year, vacant properties are taxed at roughly $6.744 per $100 of assessed value. If you’ve been flagged as vacant and shouldn’t be, contact the city’s housing department quickly, because the dollar difference is large.
Due Dates and the Early-Pay Discount
Pay the full bill by July 31 and the city applies a 0.5% discount on the city portion. On a $4,000 bill, that’s $20 for paying something you were going to pay anyway.1Baltimore City. Real Property Taxes
If you don’t pay early, the whole balance is due before December 31 of the year the bill was issued. Miss that date and interest and penalties start accruing under Baltimore City Code Article 28.
Semi-Annual Billing for Owner-Occupied Homes
If the property is your principal residence, you can split the bill into two installments. The first is due in July and becomes delinquent in October. The second is billed on December 1 and becomes past due on January 1.1Baltimore City. Real Property Taxes Rental properties, commercial parcels, and second homes don’t qualify.
Finding Your Bill
Look up your bill through the Baltimore City Department of Finance payment portal. The search accepts a block and lot number, a street address, or the owner’s name.1Baltimore City. Real Property Taxes If you search by block and lot, enter those numbers in the fields on the payment page.5City of Baltimore. Real Property
Don’t know your block and lot? SDAT’s Real Property Search tool returns them when you enter the address, and shows the current assessed value so you can check the bill’s math.6Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. Real Property
If Your Mortgage Pays It
Many Baltimore homeowners have an escrow account with their lender that collects a portion of each monthly payment and uses it to pay property taxes. If that’s your setup, your lender receives the bill directly and should pay it by the deadline. “Should” isn’t a guarantee. Lenders adjust your monthly payment each year through an escrow analysis when the tax bill changes, but errors happen. Confirm the payment on your escrow statement every year, because the city holds the property owner responsible for unpaid taxes regardless of who was supposed to pay them.
Ways to Pay
- Online by electronic check (ACH) through the city portal. No fee. You’ll need your checking account and routing numbers.7City of Baltimore. Online Payments and Account Lookup
- Online by credit card through the same portal, with a 2.39% convenience fee on the transaction amount.7City of Baltimore. Online Payments and Account Lookup
- By mail. Make checks payable to the Director of Finance and send them to the Bureau of Revenue Collections, Abel Wolman Municipal Building, 200 North Holliday Street, Baltimore, MD 21202.7City of Baltimore. Online Payments and Account Lookup
- In person at the Abel Wolman Municipal Building downtown. Cash, checks, and money orders are processed at the teller windows and you’ll get a receipt on the spot.8Baltimore City. Bureau of Revenue Collections
If you mail a payment close to the deadline, the city goes by the date it’s received, not the postmark. ACH through the portal is the safest free option and typically posts within a few business days.
Credits That Lower the Bill
Three programs reduce what Baltimore City property owners owe. None apply automatically. You have to apply for each.
Homestead Tax Credit
The Maryland Homestead Tax Credit caps how much the taxable assessment on your principal residence can rise in a single year, no matter how fast the market moves. The statewide maximum cap is 10%.9Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. Maryland Homestead Property Tax Credit Program You apply once. SDAT typically mails a one-time application after you buy the property and the deed is recorded. If you never submitted it, you’re likely missing savings in any year your assessment jumps.
Homeowners’ Property Tax Credit
This is an income-based credit for homeowners whose tax bill is high relative to income. To qualify, combined gross household income cannot exceed $60,000 and net worth must be under $200,000, excluding the home and retirement accounts like IRAs.10Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. Homeowners Property Tax Credit Program Gross income here means everything before deductions, including Social Security and other nontaxable benefits. Applications for the 2026 tax year are available through SDAT.
Disabled Veteran Exemption
Veterans with a 100% service-connected permanent and total disability rating from the VA are exempt from property taxes on their principal residence. The exemption also extends to surviving spouses of disabled veterans who held a 100% rating, and to surviving spouses of military members who died in the line of duty.11Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. Real Property Exemptions
If the Assessed Value Looks Wrong
Your bill is driven by the assessed value SDAT assigns to your property, not a figure the city picks. You’ll receive an assessment notice in late December of the year your property is reassessed, and you have 45 days from the date on that notice to appeal online through SDAT’s portal. There’s no filing fee.12Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. Real Property Assessment Appeal Form
The strongest appeals rest on evidence of actual market value. Recent comparable sales of similar nearby properties are the most persuasive, ideally from within the past year. You can also challenge the assessment if SDAT has incorrect information in the property record, such as wrong square footage, a bedroom that doesn’t exist, or a finished basement that’s actually unfinished. Assessments of other properties, on their own, don’t count as valid evidence of your home’s value.
The current assessment carries a presumption of correctness, so you bear the burden of showing it’s wrong. Concrete data moves the needle: sale prices, an independent appraisal, or documented errors in the record. Miss the 45-day window and you’ll wait until the next reassessment cycle to try again.
If You Fall Behind
Once your payment passes the deadline, interest and penalties start accruing under Baltimore City Code Article 28. The consequences escalate past extra fees.
The Annual Tax Sale
Baltimore City holds a tax sale each year to recover unpaid taxes. If you owe $1,000 or more in combined property taxes and other city charges, including water bills, your property is eligible. In March, the city publishes a complete list of eligible properties in two newspapers of general circulation, with the property address and the total owed.13Baltimore City. Tax Sale Process
At the sale, the city doesn’t sell your property. It sells a lien certificate to an investor who pays off your delinquent balance and then has the right to collect that amount from you, plus interest. Redemption interest rates in Maryland range from 6% to 18%, depending on the jurisdiction.
You keep the right to redeem by paying the certificate holder the full lien amount plus interest, any additional taxes and penalties that accrued after the sale, and any legal fees the certificate holder incurred.14Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. Office of the State Tax Sale Ombudsman A lot of homeowners get caught here: the original debt may have been a few thousand dollars, but once redemption interest, legal fees, and post-sale taxes paid by the certificate holder stack up, the total can run several times the original amount.
Payment Plans
If you’re behind and worried about the tax sale, Baltimore City offers monthly payment plans for past-due balances. Enrolling protects your property from being included in the upcoming sale. You can set up a plan online and choose monthly payments that fit your budget.15Baltimore City. Real Property Payment Plans Enrollment deadlines fall in the spring before the annual tax sale, so don’t wait.