Kentwood property tax bills arrive twice a year: summer bills due August 20 and winter bills due February 14. What you owe is your property’s taxable value divided by 1,000, multiplied by the combined millage rate set by the city, Kent County, your school district, and other local authorities. If Kentwood is your primary home, filing a Principal Residence Exemption removes roughly 18 mills of school operating tax from that calculation, and several other programs can lower the bill further if you qualify.
How Your Bill Is Calculated
Two numbers drive every Kentwood tax bill: your taxable value and the total millage rate.
The Kentwood City Assessor appraises each parcel annually.1City of Kentwood. Assessor Michigan law sets State Equalized Value (SEV) at 50 percent of true cash value, so a home with a market value of $300,000 has an SEV around $150,000. Your bill, though, uses taxable value, which under Michigan’s Proposal A can rise no more than 5 percent or the rate of inflation each year, whichever is lower.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 211.27a – Property Tax Assessment; Determining Taxable Value Long-term owners often see a growing gap between SEV and taxable value, and that gap is real money.
One important exception: when a property changes hands, the cap comes off. In the year after the sale, taxable value resets to match the full SEV.3Michigan Department of Treasury. Transfer of Ownership Guidelines Buyers who compare their expected tax bill to the seller’s are usually surprised by the jump.
One mill equals $1 of tax per $1,000 of taxable value. Your total mills are the sum of levies from the City of Kentwood, Kent County, your local school district (Kentwood Public Schools or another, depending on address), Grand Rapids Community College, and the Kent Intermediate School District. The city posts current millage breakdowns.4City of Kentwood. Millage Rates The math: taxable value ÷ 1,000 × total mills.5City of Kentwood. How to Read an Assessment Change Notice A taxable value of $125,000 at 40 mills produces a $5,000 annual bill.
Every February, Michigan property owners receive a Notice of Assessment showing SEV, taxable value, and classification.6Michigan State University Extension. Reading Your Property Assessment Notice It is not a bill, but the numbers on it are the ones your bill will be built from. Read it when it arrives.
When to Pay and How
Summer tax bills go out in the first week of July and are due August 20. Winter bills go out the first week of December and are due February 14.7City of Kentwood. Treasurer
You have several options:
- Pay online through the BS&A Online portal linked from the city’s website. Credit card payments carry a 3 percent convenience fee, minimum $2, whether made online, by phone, or in person.8City of Kentwood. Make a Tax Payment
- Drop a check or money order in the 24-hour box outside Kentwood City Hall, or use the drive-up teller tube during business hours.8City of Kentwood. Make a Tax Payment
- Mail payment to City of Kentwood, PO Box 8848, Kentwood, MI 49518. The postmark must fall on or before the due date.
After paying, check the BS&A portal to confirm a zero balance.
What Happens If You Pay Late
Late penalties escalate in stages, and none of them are negotiable.
If winter taxes are paid after February 14 but before the county takes over the debt, the city can add a 3 percent late penalty plus an administration fee of up to 1 percent.9Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 211.44 – Amounts Includable in Return of Delinquent Taxes On March 1, unpaid taxes are transferred to the Kent County Treasurer. That trigger immediately adds a 4 percent county administration fee and 1 percent interest, with another 1 percent interest added on the first of each month afterward.10Kent County, MI. Delinquent Property Tax Timelines
About two years after the original delinquency, the property enters forfeiture. Interest jumps to 1.5 percent per month retroactive to the original delinquency date, and a $235 forfeiture fee is added. Roughly a year after that, foreclosure ends all redemption rights at close of business on the final payment date.10Kent County, MI. Delinquent Property Tax Timelines If you fall behind, call the Kent County Treasurer early. Waiting is the mistake that costs people their homes.
The Principal Residence Exemption
If you own and live in your Kentwood home, filing a Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) removes the local school operating millage from your bill, typically 18 mills.11Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 211.7cc – Principal Residence; Exemption From Tax Levied by Local School District for School Operating Purposes On a $125,000 taxable value, that’s $2,250 per year.
File Form 2368 with the local assessor’s office. Filing deadlines tie to the summer and winter billing cycles, so submit it soon after you move in. You can verify your status on the BS&A Online portal: a PRE status of 100 percent means the full exemption is active; 0 percent means you’re being taxed as non-homestead and paying school operating millage you may not owe.12BS&A Online. City of Kentwood
If you move out or convert the home to a rental, rescind the exemption within 90 days. Failing to do so triggers a penalty of $5 per day up to $200, plus back taxes with interest at 1.25 percent per month.11Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 211.7cc – Principal Residence; Exemption From Tax Levied by Local School District for School Operating Purposes Landlords who forget after placing a tenant get caught most often.
Other Ways to Lower Your Bill
Michigan Homestead Property Tax Credit
This is one of the most underused benefits available to Kentwood homeowners and renters. If total household resources are $71,500 or less and taxable value does not exceed $165,400, you can claim a credit on your Michigan income tax return that offsets property taxes paid.13Michigan Department of Treasury. Michigan Taxpayers Encouraged to Check Eligibility for Homestead Property Tax Credit File Form MI-1040CR with your MI-1040, or on its own if you don’t otherwise file. Renters qualify because a share of rent counts as property tax for this credit. The deadline follows the April 15 income tax deadline, but you have up to four years to claim a credit you missed.
Summer Tax Deferment
You can defer the summer bill to February 14 if the property is your homestead, gross household income is $40,000 or less, and you fit one of these categories: age 62 or older, disabled veteran or eligible surviving spouse, blind, or totally and permanently disabled.14City of Kentwood. Summer Tax Deferment Apply by September 15.
Disabled Veterans Exemption
Veterans with a 100 percent VA disability rating, or those certified as individually unemployable due to a service-connected disability, may qualify for a full property tax exemption on their homestead under MCL 211.7b. The exemption extends to an un-remarried surviving spouse.15State of Michigan. Disabled Veterans Exemption Starting in 2026, once granted the exemption stays in place until the owner rescinds it or the assessor denies it, removing the previous annual reapplication requirement.
Checking Your Record
The fastest way to review your balance, assessment history, and payment record is the BS&A Online portal for Kentwood. You can search by address, owner name, or parcel number.12BS&A Online. City of Kentwood While you’re there, look at PRE status, taxable value versus SEV, and any outstanding balance. Catching an error on the portal is much easier than unwinding it after the billing cycle closes.
If You Think Your Assessment Is Too High
The February assessment notice is your window to push back. The Kentwood Board of Review meets during the first few weeks of March.16City of Kentwood. Board of Review You must appear or file a written protest at this stage to preserve your right to appeal further. Skip it and the Michigan Tax Tribunal will not hear the case.
Bring evidence. Recent sale prices of comparable homes are the strongest. A professional appraisal helps. Photographs of condition problems the assessor likely didn’t see, such as foundation damage or outdated systems, also carry weight. If the board rules against you, residential owners can petition the Michigan Tax Tribunal by July 31 of the tax year, and the Small Claims Division handles most residential cases without requiring an attorney.
A Note for Businesses
Everything above concerns real property. Businesses operating in Kentwood also owe personal property tax on equipment, furniture, fixtures, and other tangible assets, and the deadlines are different: Form 632 (the Personal Property Statement) must be received by the assessor by February 20, and small businesses with combined true cash value under $180,000 can claim the Small Business Taxpayer Exemption on Form 5076 by the same date. The assessor has no authority to grant an extension, so a missed filing means being assessed regardless of eligibility.