Kent County property tax in Michigan is calculated by multiplying your property’s taxable value by the combined millage rate levied by the county, your city or township, local schools, and any voter-approved millages. One mill equals $1 of tax for every $1,000 of taxable value, so a home with a taxable value of $150,000 in a district levying 35 mills owes roughly $5,250 for the year. Bills come twice: summer taxes are due September 14, and winter taxes are due February 14.
How Your Taxable Value Is Set
Every property in Michigan carries two values each year. The assessed value equals 50% of the property’s estimated true cash value, as determined by your local city or township assessor.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 211.27a – Property Tax Assessment, Determining Taxable Value A home that would sell for $300,000 should carry an assessed value near $150,000.
The second figure is the capped value. Under Proposal A, your taxable value can grow each year by only the lesser of 5% or the Consumer Price Index inflation rate, plus any new additions such as a garage or extra bedroom. For 2026, the State Tax Commission set the inflation multiplier at 1.027, capping growth at 2.7%.2Michigan Department of Treasury. Bulletin 15 of 2025 – Procedural Changes for 2026 Your taxable value is whichever is lower: the capped value or the assessed value.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 211.27a – Property Tax Assessment, Determining Taxable Value
This is why long-time homeowners often pay much less than the new buyer next door. Fifteen years of slow capped growth while the market climbs creates a real gap between taxable and assessed value, and that gap is savings. It disappears the moment the property changes hands.
Due Dates and Late Costs
Summer tax bills are mailed in early July, and the statutory payment deadline is September 14, though some cities and townships set earlier due dates.3State of Michigan. State Education Tax Frequently Asked Questions Winter tax bills go out in early December and are due by February 14.
Miss the summer deadline and interest accrues at 1% per month on the unpaid balance. Anything still unpaid at the end of February transfers to the Kent County Treasurer on March 1 for delinquent collection, and a 4% administration fee is added on top of the continuing monthly interest.3State of Michigan. State Education Tax Frequently Asked Questions The March 1 handoff is where costs start compounding, so if you’ve already missed a deadline, paying before that date matters.
Where to Pay and How to Look Up Your Bill
Current taxes are paid to your local city or township treasurer, not to the county. Each municipality sets its own accepted payment methods and any online processing fees. Once taxes go delinquent and move to the Kent County Treasurer, e-check payments carry no processing fee, while credit cards incur a 2.98% convenience fee charged by a third-party processor.4Kent County, MI. Delinquent Tax Payment Options In-person and mailed payments are also accepted; if you mail a check, remember the payment date is when it’s received, not when it’s postmarked.
Kent County offers a free online property search that pulls data from the Treasurer and Equalization offices. You can search by parcel number or by street address and see assessed value, taxable value, and amounts due for both billing cycles.5Kent County, MI. Property Search / Tax Records Values displayed are current as of March each year, so changes made during the annual assessment cycle don’t appear until April.
The Principal Residence Exemption
The biggest tax break available to Kent County homeowners is the Principal Residence Exemption, which removes up to 18 mills of local school operating tax from your bill.6Michigan Department of Treasury. Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) Affidavit On a home with a $150,000 taxable value, that’s $2,700 a year. You qualify by owning and occupying the property as your primary home.
To claim it, file Form 2368 with your local city or township assessor. File by June 1 and the exemption applies to both the summer and winter tax bills that year. File between June 2 and November 1 and it applies to the winter bill only.6Michigan Department of Treasury. Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) Affidavit Once filed, the exemption stays in place until you sell the property or stop using it as your principal residence.7Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 211.7cc – Principal Residence Exemption
New homeowners regularly forget this form after closing. If you bought a home and haven’t filed Form 2368, you’re almost certainly overpaying.
Other Exemptions
Poverty Exemption
Homeowners with low income and limited assets may qualify for a poverty exemption that reduces or eliminates their property tax. Each city and township sets its own thresholds, but the income test cannot be stricter than the federal poverty guidelines published by the Department of Health and Human Services.8Michigan Department of Treasury. Bulletin 17 of 2025 – Poverty Exemption The asset test counts cash, investments, and property that could be converted to pay taxes, but excludes the value of the home itself. Apply through your local assessor’s office with documentation of household income and assets.
Disabled Veterans Exemption
Veterans with a 100% service-connected disability are completely exempt from property taxes on their homestead, and the exemption extends to the unremarried surviving spouse of a qualifying veteran.9Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 211.7b – Disabled Veterans Exemption Applying requires your DD214, Form 5107, and a letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs confirming 100% disability, receipt of specially adapted housing assistance, or individual unemployability status. Once approved, no annual renewal is needed.
What Happens When a Property Is Sold
This is the piece of Michigan tax law that catches buyers off guard. When a property is sold or otherwise transferred, the taxable value “uncaps” the following year and resets to equal the full assessed value.10Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 211.27a – Property Tax Assessment If the previous owner had held the home for decades, the gap between their capped taxable value and the current assessed value could be substantial, and the new owner inherits the full amount.
Not every transfer triggers uncapping. Transfers between spouses, conveyances into certain family trusts, and some family transfers of residential property are exempt.10Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 211.27a – Property Tax Assessment A standard arm’s-length sale always triggers it. When you’re budgeting for a home purchase in Kent County, look at the assessed value on the listing rather than the seller’s current tax bill to estimate what you’ll actually owe.
New owners must file a Property Transfer Affidavit with the local assessor within 45 days of the transfer.11Michigan Department of Treasury. Property Transfer Affidavit Failing to file triggers a penalty of $5 per day, up to $200.12Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 211.27b – Failure to Notify Assessing Office Title companies often handle this at closing, but confirm it was actually filed.
Challenging Your Assessment
If you believe your assessed or taxable value is too high, start with your local March Board of Review. Every city and township holds public hearings in March where property owners can present evidence (comparable sales, appraisals, condition problems) that their assessment doesn’t reflect true market value. For residential property, this local hearing is required before you can appeal further. You’ll receive a written decision no later than the first Monday in June.
If the Board of Review denies your protest, you can petition the Michigan Tax Tribunal. For residential and agricultural properties, the petition must be filed by July 31 of the tax year.13Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 205.735a – Tax Tribunal Jurisdiction Commercial and industrial owners follow a separate path and can petition the Tribunal directly by May 31 without going through the Board of Review. The Tribunal process is more formal and can take months, but it’s worth pursuing if a meaningful amount of tax is at stake.
What Happens If You Don’t Pay
Michigan follows a three-year forfeiture and foreclosure process that ends with the county taking title to your home.14State of Michigan. Property Tax Forfeiture and Foreclosure
- Year one (delinquent): Unpaid taxes transfer to the Kent County Treasurer on March 1 of the year after they were billed. A 4% administration fee is added, plus 1% monthly interest that keeps accruing.
- Year two (forfeiture): If still unpaid, the property is forfeited to the county. Interest retroactively increases to 1.5% per month dating back to when the taxes first became delinquent, and additional fees are added.
- Year three (foreclosure): Taxes still unpaid as of March 31 in the third year result in foreclosure. Title transfers to the county treasurer, and the former owner loses the home.14State of Michigan. Property Tax Forfeiture and Foreclosure
If a foreclosed property later sells at auction for more than the total taxes owed, individuals who held an interest in it at foreclosure may file a claim for the excess proceeds. Three years sounds like a lot of runway, but fees and interest accumulate fast. Contacting the Kent County Treasurer’s office early to discuss a payment arrangement is far cheaper than letting the clock run out.