City of Newport News Tax Rates: Real Estate, Personal Property, and Relief

Newport News charges a real estate tax of $1.18 per $100 of assessed value for fiscal year 2026, a personal property tax of $4.50 per $100 on cars and trucks, and a 7.5% food and beverage tax. The city also collects business license taxes, lodging charges, and a 10% admissions tax. Newport News tax rates, deadlines, and relief programs vary by tax type, so the sections below walk through what you owe, when it is due, and which exemptions might apply.

Real Estate Tax

For the fiscal year running July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, the real estate tax rate is $1.18 for every $100 of assessed value.¹ On a home assessed at $250,000, that works out to $2,950 for the year.

The bill is split in two. Half is due December 5, the other half June 5.² Pay late and the city adds a 10% penalty on the unpaid amount, plus 10% annual interest beginning the first day of the month after the tax was due.³

If you finish a basement, add a room, or make other improvements during the year, the city can issue a supplemental assessment for the added value, which arrives on top of your regular bill.²

Personal Property Tax

Personal property is taxed based on what you own as of January 1 each year. Rates depend on what the property is:⁴

Cars, trucks, motorcycles, and trailers: $4.50 per $100
Business personal property: $4.50 per $100
Machinery and tools: $3.75 per $100
Mobile homes: $1.18 per $100
Boats under 5 tons, boat motors, RVs, and campers: $1.00 per $100
Boats over 5 tons: $0.90 per $100
Aircraft: $0.50 per $100

Personal property bills follow the same schedule as real estate: June 5 and December 5. If you own a mobile home, boat, boat motor, or airplane, you also need to file a personal property return by February 15, and missing that date can cost up to 10% of the tax owed.⁵

Car Tax Relief

The Personal Property Tax Relief Act lowers what you owe on qualifying personal-use vehicles. To qualify, the vehicle must be owned by an individual (or leased under a contract that puts the tax on you) and used no more than 50% for business. The relief applies to the first $20,000 of assessed value on passenger cars, motorcycles, and pickup or panel trucks under 10,000 pounds registered gross weight.⁶ A qualifying vehicle valued at $1,000 or less owes no tax at all.⁵

High Mileage Reduction

If your car has well above-average mileage for its model year, the city will reduce the assessment. You submit documentation from an automotive business, a state inspection record, or a mileage log, and the paperwork has to be dated before March 1 of the tax year.⁷

Proration When You Move

Vehicle taxes are prorated monthly. Move a vehicle into or out of Newport News and you have 30 days to file a new or amended return with the Commissioner of the Revenue, and you pay only for the months the vehicle had a taxable presence in the city.⁵

Business License Tax

Most businesses operating in Newport News need a Business, Professional, and Occupational License. Businesses under $100,000 in gross receipts pay a flat fee: $30 up to $50,000, and $50 from $50,001 to $100,000. Above $100,000, the tax is calculated per $100 of gross receipts, with rates varying by category:⁴

Contractors: $0.15 per $100
Retail sales: $0.20 per $100 (up to $50 million in receipts)
Repair, personal, and business services: $0.36 per $100 (up to $5 million in receipts)
Financial, real estate, and professional services: $0.58 per $100

Retailers with receipts above $50 million pay $100,000 on the first $50 million plus $0.05 per $100 on the excess. Service businesses above $5 million pay $18,000 on the first $5 million plus $0.05 per $100 on the rest.⁴ New businesses estimate their first-year receipts when applying, and the city reconciles the tax after the year ends, which can produce either an additional bill or a refund.⁸

Meals, Lodging, and Admissions Taxes

The food and beverage tax is 7.5% on everything a food establishment sells, including alcohol. Sellers collect it from buyers and send it to the Commissioner of the Revenue by the 20th of the following month.⁹

Hotels collect two separate charges: a transient room tax based on the total room price, plus a flat $1.00 per room per night. Campgrounds are not subject to the flat charge. The flat tax is also due by the 20th of the month after collection.¹⁰

Event charges carry a 10% admissions tax.¹¹ Businesses that collect meals, lodging, or admissions taxes and remit them late face 10% for the first month past due and 5% for each additional month, capped at 25% of the amount collected but not remitted.

Relief Programs and Exemptions

Elderly and Disabled Homeowners

If you are at least 65 (by December 31 of the prior year) or permanently and totally disabled, you may qualify for a real estate tax deferral. Combined income from everyone living in the home must not exceed $50,000 for the previous calendar year, and combined assets (excluding the home itself) must not exceed $200,000.¹² If anyone besides a spouse appears on the deed, every person on it must independently meet the requirements.

Disabled Veterans

Veterans the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs rates as 100% service-connected, permanently, and totally disabled receive a full real estate tax exemption on their principal residence. Veterans paid at the 100% rate due to individual unemployability also qualify. A surviving spouse keeps the exemption if the veteran died on or after January 1, 2011, has not remarried, and still lives in the home.¹³ You apply with the original VA letter confirming the rating.

Solar Equipment

Virginia classifies certified solar energy equipment as a separate category for local taxation and allows localities to exempt it.¹⁴ Systems of 25 kilowatts or less are automatically exempt statewide; larger systems depend on whether the locality has adopted an authorizing ordinance. You apply through the local building department, which certifies the equipment and forwards approval to the city assessor.

Key Deadlines in One Place

February 15: Personal property returns due for mobile homes, boats, boat motors, and aircraft.⁵
March 1: Latest date for high mileage documentation to qualify for a vehicle assessment reduction.⁷
June 5: First installment of real estate and personal property taxes.²
July 1 through September 1: Window to file a real estate assessment appeal with the Board of Review.¹⁵
December 5: Second installment of real estate and personal property taxes.
20th of each month: Businesses remit the prior month’s meals, lodging, and admissions taxes.⁹

Appealing a Real Estate Assessment

If you think the city overvalued your property, you can appeal to the Board of Review of Real Estate Assessments. Applications are accepted only between July 1 and September 1, with no extensions.¹⁵ Residential owners use Form BOR2; commercial, multi-family, and industrial owners use Form BOR3.

The burden of proof is on you. You must show with substantial evidence that the valuation is wrong, exceeds fair market value, or is out of line with similar properties. Residential filers submit a proposed value and supporting documents at least five business days before the hearing. Commercial filers must include at least two comparables and all supporting materials with the application itself, because the Board will not consider documents brought to the hearing that were not filed in advance. Any comparable sales must have closed before January 1 of the current calendar year.

How to Pay

You can pay online using an electronic check or a credit card. Submitting a separate eCheck for each bill is free; a bundled eCheck costs $1.00, and credit cards carry a processing fee.¹⁶ You can also mail a check to the Treasurer’s Office or use the drop boxes at city buildings.

Late real estate payments trigger the 10% penalty and 10% annual interest noted earlier.³ On personal property taxes more than 30 days past due, the penalty can reach 25%. Penalty and interest run together, so a bill that looked manageable at the due date grows quickly if left alone.

1
City of Newport News. Ordinance – Chapter 40 Taxation, Section 40-12, Levied; Amount
2
City of Newport News. Frequently Asked Questions
3
Municode Library. Newport News Code of Ordinances – Chapter 40 Taxation, Article II Real Estate Taxes, Section 40-28
4
City of Newport News. Tax Rate Schedules
5
City of Newport News. Personal Property Tax
6
City of Newport News. Car Tax Relief
7
City of Newport News. High Mileage Relief
8
City of Newport News. Business License Tax
9
City of Newport News. Food and Beverage Tax
10
City of Newport News. Lodging Flat Tax
11
Municode Library. Newport News Code of Ordinances – Article XIV Admissions Tax, Section 40-232
12
City of Newport News. Real Estate Tax Deferral for Elderly and Disabled
13
City of Newport News. Real Estate Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans
14
Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 58.1-3661 – Certified Solar Energy Equipment, Facilities, or Devices
15
City of Newport News. Board of Review of Real Estate Assessments – Procedures for Appeal
16
City of Newport News. Personal Property Tax