The Hanover County real estate tax rate is $0.81 per $100 of assessed value, the lowest among the Richmond region’s largest localities. Bills are split in half, with payments due June 5 and October 5. Your annual bill is simply your property’s assessed value divided by 100 and multiplied by 0.81.
The Board of Supervisors sets the rate each year during budget adoption, and it has held at $0.81 for years. The proposed fiscal year 2027 budget keeps it there.1Hanover County. Proposed FY27 Budget Continues Strategic Investments Any change takes effect July 1.
What You’ll Actually Owe
The math is straightforward. A home assessed at $350,000 owes $2,835 for the year. A home assessed at $250,000 owes $2,025. Same rate everywhere in the county, from Route 301 to Beaverdam.
Assessments are based on fair market value — what the property would realistically sell for under normal conditions.2Hanover County, VA. Hanover County Guide to Property Assessments and Taxes Virginia law requires assessments to reflect 100 percent of that value.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1-3201 – What Real Estate to Be Taxed; Amount of Assessment The figure on your bill reflects the county’s most recent reassessment, not today’s listing prices, so it may lag the market in either direction.
You can look up your parcel’s current assessed value through the county’s online Parcel Search and Mapping Application.4Hanover County, VA. Real Estate Tax
Payment Deadlines
Hanover splits the annual bill in two. The first half is due June 5, and the second half is due October 5.5Hanover County, VA. Tax Due Dates Virginia law requires the Treasurer’s office to mail your bill at least 14 days before the due date.6Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1-3912 – Local Tax Officials to Mail Certain Tax Documents to Taxpayers
If your mortgage company pays through escrow, the lender handles it and you won’t see a bill. After you pay off your mortgage, call the Treasurer’s Office to confirm your mailing address is on file. Not receiving a bill does not excuse a late payment.
How to Pay
The county accepts payment through five channels:7Hanover County, VA. Tax Payments and Prepayments
- Online by electronic check or credit card through the county’s payment portal. Credit card payments carry a convenience fee shown before you authorize.
- By phone at 888-272-9829 using jurisdiction code 1020. A third-party processing fee applies.
- By mail with a check or money order payable to “Hanover County,” with your account number on the check, sent to Treasurer Hanover County, P.O. Box 200, Hanover, VA 23069.
- Drop box: the 24-hour curbside gray box in front of the Chenault-Weems Building at 7507 Library Drive. Checks or money orders only — no cash.
- In person at the Treasurer’s Office, 7507 Library Drive, Room 123, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Late Payment Penalties
Taxes become delinquent the day after the due date. Pay within the same month and the penalty is 2 percent. After the end of that month, the penalty jumps to 10 percent, and interest starts running at 10 percent per year.8Hanover County, VA. Delinquent Taxes On a $2,800 bill, the 10 percent penalty alone is $280 before interest.
Challenging Your Assessment
If the assessment on your notice looks too high, you have three levels of appeal. The windows are short, so check your notice for that year’s exact deadlines.2Hanover County, VA. Hanover County Guide to Property Assessments and Taxes
- Informal appeal in January: call the Assessor’s Office at 804-365-6029 to discuss the valuation with an appraiser. Most disputes end here, especially when you can bring comparable sales or point out errors in the property description.
- Board of Equalization by March 15: if the informal discussion doesn’t resolve it, submit a formal review form to the Assessor’s Office. The Board schedules a hearing and issues a decision.
- Circuit Court: if you’re still dissatisfied, you can appeal through the Hanover County Circuit Court.
Miss the March 15 deadline and you’re stuck with the assessment for the year. Mark both dates when your notice arrives.
Programs That Reduce Your Bill
Elderly and Disabled Residents
Virginia Code 58.1-3210 lets localities exempt or defer taxes for homeowners who are at least 65 or permanently and totally disabled.9Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1-3210 – Exemption or Deferral of Taxes on Property of Certain Elderly Individuals and Individuals With Disabilities Hanover’s program caps gross combined household income at $60,000 and net worth at $400,000 (excluding the home and up to 10 acres).10Hanover County, VA. Real Estate Tax Relief You must own and occupy the property as your sole residence.
Disabled Veterans
Veterans rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as 100 percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability pay no real estate tax on their principal residence.11Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1-3219.5 – Exemption From Taxes on Property for Disabled Veterans There is no income or net worth cap. The exemption extends to a surviving spouse if the veteran died on or after January 1, 2011, and the spouse has not remarried. A surviving spouse can move and keep the exemption.
Surviving Spouses of First Responders
Virginia authorizes localities to exempt the principal residence of a surviving spouse of a law enforcement officer, firefighter, search and rescue member, or emergency medical services worker killed in the line of duty. The spouse must occupy the home as a principal residence and must not have remarried. Because this is a local-option program, contact the Commissioner of the Revenue to confirm Hanover has adopted it and to get the application.
Land Use Assessment for Farms and Forest
Owners of qualifying agricultural, horticultural, forest, or open-space land can apply for a special “land use” assessment that values eligible acreage by current use rather than development potential. The savings can be large for farmland near growing residential areas. Land must be zoned A-1 and must have been in production for at least five years before entering the program.12Hanover County, VA. Land Use Minimum acreage runs from five acres for agricultural, horticultural, and open-space uses to 20 acres for forest use, each excluding a one-acre house site. Pleasure horses don’t count toward agricultural use, and pasture land must support minimum livestock levels.
If you withdraw land from the program or change its use, a rollback tax covers the difference between the land-use valuation and fair market value for prior years. Talk to the Commissioner of the Revenue before making any change.