If you live, own property, or run a business in Chesapeake, Virginia, taxes come at you from several directions: a real estate tax on your home, a personal property tax on your vehicles, a business license tax if you have a company, and a handful of consumer taxes on meals, lodging, and retail purchases. Chesapeake VA taxes are assessed by the Commissioner of the Revenue and collected by the City Treasurer, who both operate independently of any surrounding county because Chesapeake is a Virginia independent city. The rates, due dates, and relief programs below cover what most residents and small-business owners will deal with in a given year.
Real Estate Tax
For fiscal year 2025–2026, the real estate tax rate is $1.01 per $100 of assessed value. That figure is a $1.00 base rate plus a $0.01 levy for mosquito control.1City of Chesapeake. Real Estate Assessor’s Office The city assesses property at 100 percent of fair market value, so a home valued at $350,000 generates a tax bill of $3,535 per year before any exemptions.
The bill is split into four quarterly installments. Payments are due September 30, December 31, March 31, and June 5.2City of Chesapeake. Real Estate Taxes If a due date lands on a weekend or holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.3City of Chesapeake. Due Dates Chesapeake’s fiscal year runs July 1 through June 30.4City of Chesapeake. Charter Provisions Governing the Operating Budget
Reassessment notices go out by early March to owners whose values changed.1City of Chesapeake. Real Estate Assessor’s Office If you think the number is wrong, you can ask the Assessor’s Office for an informal review, apply to the Board of Equalization, or petition the Circuit Court. Each path has its own time limits, so start with the Assessor’s Office before escalating.
Personal Property Tax
Chesapeake taxes vehicles, boats, business equipment, and other tangible personal property based on what you own as of January 1 each year.5Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1-3515 – Tax Day January 1 The rates vary sharply by category:6City of Chesapeake. Local Tax Rates
- Automobiles, trucks, trailers, and motorcycles: $4.08 per $100
- Recreational vehicles, including motor homes and camping trailers: $1.58 per $100
- Business furniture, fixtures, and equipment: $4.08 per $100
- Machinery and tools used in manufacturing: $3.20 per $100
- Boats: $0.09 per $100
- Aircraft: $0.58 per $100
- Mobile homes: $1.05 per $100
- Vehicles owned by qualifying disabled veterans or handicapped drivers: $0.09 per $100
The whole bill is due in one payment on June 5.3City of Chesapeake. Due Dates Vehicle values come from recognized pricing guides, as Virginia law requires.7Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1 – Chapter 35, Article 1
High Mileage or Damaged Vehicles
If your car has unusually high mileage, body damage, or mechanical problems, you can ask the Commissioner of the Revenue to reduce the assessed value. You need to submit proof before the deadline on your notice. The city will not go back and adjust a bill you’ve already paid or that has already gone delinquent.
Car Tax Relief (PPTRA)
Virginia’s Personal Property Tax Relief Act applies a state-funded credit to qualifying vehicles. The vehicle has to be used mostly for personal, non-business purposes and owned or leased by an individual.8City of Chesapeake. Car Tax Relief Pickup trucks need regular passenger plates to qualify, and anything over 10,000 pounds gross weight is out.
Relief applies only to the first $20,000 of assessed value, and a vehicle assessed at $1,000 or less owes nothing. Virginia reimburses localities a fixed $950 million statewide per year, divided across all qualifying vehicles, so Chesapeake’s percentage shifts each year as values move. In recent years it has run around 38 percent.9Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1 – Chapter 35.1, Personal Property Tax Relief The credit shows up on the bill automatically; no application needed.
Business, Meals, Lodging, and Sales Taxes
Businesses operating in Chesapeake need a Business, Professional, and Occupational License (BPOL) and pay a tax on gross receipts. Retailers pay $0.20 per $100, wholesalers $0.12 per $100, and professional services and contractors use their own rate schedules. The license has to be renewed every year, and missed renewals trigger penalties.
Prepared food and drinks sold at restaurants carry a 6 percent city meals tax, up from 5.5 percent in July 2022.10City of Chesapeake. Miscellaneous Local Taxes11City of Chesapeake. Public Notices – Commissioner of the Revenue Hotels and motels charge an 8 percent lodging tax plus a flat $1 per room per night.
The combined sales tax rate on most retail purchases is 6 percent, which includes the Hampton Roads regional component on top of Virginia’s 5.3 percent base.12Virginia Tax. Retail Sales and Use Tax Groceries and personal hygiene items are taxed at a reduced 1 percent statewide.
Relief and Exemption Programs
Seniors and Disabled Residents
Chesapeake offers real estate tax relief to homeowners who are at least 65 or permanently disabled. Household income has to be $70,000 or less, and combined net worth (excluding the home and up to three acres it sits on) has to be $350,000 or less. You have to own and live in the home. Applications are filed each year between January 1 and May 15, and missing that May 15 deadline means losing the relief for the full year.13City of Chesapeake. Real Estate Tax Relief
Disabled Veterans
Veterans certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as 100 percent permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected condition get a full real estate tax exemption on their primary residence.14City of Chesapeake. Disabled Veterans Tax Benefits The exemption covers a manufactured home even if the veteran doesn’t own the land under it, though the land itself would still be taxed. A surviving spouse qualifies if the veteran died on or after January 1, 2011, and the spouse hasn’t remarried. Qualifying veterans also pay the reduced personal property rate of $0.09 per $100 on their vehicles.6City of Chesapeake. Local Tax Rates
What Happens If You Pay Late
Virginia law lets Chesapeake add a penalty of up to 10 percent on past-due real estate taxes and up to 25 percent on personal property taxes left unpaid for more than 30 days. Interest starts accruing the day after the due date at up to 10 percent per year, and in later years of delinquency can climb to the higher of 10 percent or the federal underpayment rate.15Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1-3916 – Counties, Cities, and Towns May Provide Dates for Filing Collection fees can add up to another 20 percent.
The Treasurer can start collection actions once a tax is 30 days past due.16City of Chesapeake. Collection Procedures The city matches delinquent accounts against employer and bank records and files wage and bank liens. If that doesn’t produce payment, the Treasurer can issue a distress warrant through the Sheriff’s Office to seize and auction personal property. Vehicles are a common target, and the city can place a DMV hold that blocks you from renewing your registration until the full balance is paid. The Treasurer can also intercept your Virginia state income tax refund through the debt set-off program; you get 30 days’ notice before the refund is redirected.
How to Pay
The Treasurer’s Office accepts payment by mail, in person at City Hall, through 24-hour drop boxes at satellite locations, and online. The online portal takes e-checks and credit cards. E-checks are free for real estate and personal property taxes. Credit cards carry a 2.4 percent convenience fee for property taxes online and a separate 2.2 percent fee for cards used in person at a Treasurer’s office.17City of Chesapeake. Treasurer’s Payment Portal
You’ll need the bill number from your statement to pay. The format differs depending on whether you’re paying by e-check or credit card, so follow the instructions on the bill. Payments have to be postmarked or received by the Treasurer’s Office on or before the deadline, not the day after, or penalty and interest start automatically.3City of Chesapeake. Due Dates