Chesterfield Property Tax: Rates, Due Dates, and Relief Programs

Chesterfield property tax covers both real estate and personal property such as vehicles, boats, and business equipment. For 2026, the real estate rate is $0.89 per $100 of assessed value, and the personal property rate on vehicles is $3.25 per $100. Real estate taxes are split into two installments due June 5 and December 7, 2026; personal property taxes are due in a single June 5 payment. Several relief programs can reduce or eliminate what you owe, and a strict March 15 deadline governs any appeal of your assessed value.

Current Tax Rates

The Board of Supervisors sets rates each spring. For fiscal year 2027, the board held the real estate rate steady and cut the personal property rate on vehicles by 10 cents.

Real estate (residential and commercial): $0.89 per $100 of assessed value
Personal property (vehicles): $3.25 per $100 of assessed value
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

The $0.89 real estate rate reflects a one-cent reduction adopted in the FY2026 budget.¹ The $3.25 vehicle rate is the lowest in the region, according to the county.² Business tangible property and machinery and tools rates apply to the depreciated value of the equipment.³

How Your Bill Is Calculated

Divide the assessed value by 100, then multiply by the rate. A home assessed at $350,000 owes $3,115 in real estate tax at $0.89 per $100. A vehicle assessed at $25,000 owes $812.50 at the $3.25 rate before any state relief credit.

Virginia’s Personal Property Tax Relief Act offsets part of the tax on qualifying vehicles. The credit applies to the first $20,000 of a vehicle’s assessed value, and the exact percentage the state reimburses changes annually. The relief reduces what you actually owe but does not eliminate the tax entirely.⁴

Virginia law requires real estate to be assessed at 100% of fair market value.⁵ Assessed values are reset each year, so even a flat rate can produce a larger bill in a rising market.

Due Dates for 2026

June 5, 2026: personal property tax and first-half real estate tax
December 7, 2026: second-half real estate tax (shifted from the 5th because that date falls on a Saturday)

Business tangible personal property returns are due March 1 each year, with the resulting tax bill due June 5.³

If a bill hasn’t arrived at least two weeks before a deadline, call the Treasurer’s Office at 804-748-1201 to request a copy. Not receiving a bill does not excuse a late payment.⁶

Late Payment Penalties

A 10% late penalty applies the day after the due date. Interest at 10% per year starts accruing the following month.⁷ Virginia law caps the initial penalty at 10% but allows interest to climb above 10% in later years of delinquency if the IRS underpayment rate is higher, and the county can add up to 20% in attorney or collection fees to a delinquent balance.⁸

Delinquent personal property taxes also trigger a DMV registration hold under Virginia’s Vehicle Registration Withholding program. The county can block the issuance, renewal, or reissuance of license plate decals on any vehicle you own or co-own, and a $25 release fee per vehicle is passed on to you.⁷

Payment Plans

If you can’t pay in full, the Treasurer’s Office considers payment plans case by case. Interest and penalties keep accruing while the plan is active, and a payment plan does not release a DMV hold; the balance must be paid in full before registration privileges are restored. Applications go through the county website, and the office responds within two business days, though approval is not guaranteed.⁹

Ways to Pay

Your bill lists a unique account number and a Tax ID (also called a Parcel ID or RPC for real estate), both needed to make a payment. 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.⁶

Online by eCheck: no processing fee
Online by credit card: 2% convenience fee per transaction
Online by debit card: $2.50 flat fee per transaction
By mail to the Treasurer’s Office address on the bill
Drop box at county administrative buildings
In person at the Treasurer’s Office during business hours

The convenience fees go entirely to the payment processor; the county receives none of them.¹⁰ On a $3,000 bill, the 2% credit card fee adds $60, which eCheck avoids. For mailed payments, the postmark date is the payment date, so mailing on the deadline is risky if your post office doesn’t postmark same day. Keep the online confirmation receipt in case a payment is ever disputed.

Relief and Exemption Programs

Several Chesterfield programs reduce or eliminate real estate taxes for qualifying residents. Each application is verified, so collect documentation before you apply.

Elderly and Disabled Residents

Residents 65 or older, or permanently and totally disabled, may qualify for relief on a primary residence if:

Total household income is less than $65,400
Net assets excluding the home are less than $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 residents.¹¹ The dollar thresholds are set locally.¹²

Disabled Veterans

Veterans rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as 100% service-connected, permanent, and totally disabled receive a complete real estate tax exemption on a primary residence and up to one acre of land. The exemption starts on the date of the disability rating if the veteran already owns the home, or on the purchase date if acquired later. A surviving spouse also qualifies if the veteran’s death occurred on or after January 1, 2011, and the spouse has not remarried; the spouse can move to a different home and keep the exemption.¹³

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 by downloading the Surviving Spouse Real Estate Exemption application, and schedule an appointment with a tax assessment specialist if you need help.¹²

Appealing Your Assessment

If your assessed value looks too high, two levels of appeal are available, and both run on strict deadlines. Appeal first to the Department of Real Estate Assessments by March 15; that step is required before anything else. If the result is unsatisfactory, appeal to the Board of Equalization by April 15. The Board of Equalization is appointed by a Circuit Court judge and trained by the Virginia Department of Taxation, operating independently of the assessor’s office.¹⁴

For a residential appeal, you can submit up to three comparable sales supporting a lower value, along with a recent appraisal or photos showing the property’s condition. If a tax representative is handling the appeal for you, a notarized letter of authorization listing the tax year, owner name, property address, and Tax ID is required.¹⁴

Missing March 15 closes both levels of appeal for the year. If the assessment on your notice looks wrong, this is the deadline that matters most.

1
Chesterfield County. Budget Development and Documents
2
Chesterfield County, Virginia. Board of Supervisors Approves Personal Property Tax Rate, Adopts Fiscal Year 2027 Budget
3
Chesterfield County, VA. Business Taxes, Rates and Appeals
4
Chesterfield County, VA. Personal Property Taxes
5
Chesterfield County, VA. Real Estate Assessments
6
Chesterfield County, Virginia. Treasurer
7
Chesterfield County, VA. Delinquent Billings, Late Payments and Judicial Sales
8
Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 58.1-3916
9
Chesterfield County, VA. Tax Payment Plan Application
10
Chesterfield County, VA. Pay Your Taxes
11
Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 58.1-3210
12
Chesterfield County, VA. Real Estate Tax Relief and Exemptions
13
Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 58.1-3219.5
14
Chesterfield County, VA. Appeal of Real Estate Assessment