The St. Louis property tax rate depends on which side of the city line your property sits on. Inside the City of St. Louis, the combined rate is roughly $7.96 per $100 of assessed valuation. In St. Louis County, rates vary by municipality and school district but generally fall between about $6 and $10 per $100. Both are applied to a fraction of your home’s market value, not the full value, so the headline rate overstates what you actually pay.
Why the City and County Rates Are Different
St. Louis has an unusual structure. The City of St. Louis operates as an independent city, functioning as both a city and a county under one government.1St. Louis Missouri. City Government Structure The Missouri Constitution formally recognizes this dual status.2Justia. Missouri Constitution Article VI Section 31 – Recognition of City of St Louis as Now Existing Both as a City and as a County St. Louis County is a separate government that surrounds the city but has no authority over it. If your property is inside city limits, you work with city offices for assessments and tax rates. If it’s in the county, you deal with the county assessor and the county collector of revenue.
The county itself is divided into dozens of municipalities, each of which can add its own levy on top of the county’s base rate. The school district accounts for the largest piece of most bills. That’s why two homes a few miles apart in the county can carry noticeably different rates.
What’s Inside the City of St. Louis Rate
The city’s combined rate is built from about a dozen separate taxing districts. Based on the most recent published figures from the city assessor, the total comes to approximately $7.9593 per $100, broken down roughly as follows:3St. Louis Missouri. Property Tax Rates
- School District: $4.6717 (St. Louis Public Schools)
- City government: $1.6019 (police, fire, streets, general operations)
- Library: $0.5459
- Junior College: $0.2619 (St. Louis Community College)
- Children’s Services: $0.2407
- Zoo-Museum District: $0.2340
- Sheltered Workshop: $0.1370
- Metropolitan Sewer District: $0.0997
- Mental Health Services: $0.0875
- Senior Services: $0.0490
- Blind Pension Fund: $0.03
Commercial properties in the city pay a surtax of about $1.64 per $100 on top of the standard rate, which pushes their effective rate closer to $9.60.3St. Louis Missouri. Property Tax Rates These individual levies change year to year as each district sets its budget, so check the city assessor’s site for the current figures.
St. Louis County Rates
County rates are harder to pin down because the county collects for more than 200 taxing districts.4St. Louis County Government. Collector of Revenue Some levies apply countywide. The Zoo-Museum District rate, for example, is about $0.2347 everywhere in the county.5Eureka, MO. St. Louis County Real and Personal Property Tax Rates But school district, municipal, and fire district levies change from neighborhood to neighborhood.
A property in unincorporated county territory with a lower-levy school district might face a combined rate around $6 to $7 per $100. A home in a municipality with a well-funded school district can see rates approaching $9 or $10. For your exact figure, look up your parcel on the county collector’s website or call the office.
How to Calculate What You’ll Actually Pay
Missouri doesn’t tax property at full market value. The state applies fixed assessment ratios set by statute:6Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 137.115 – Real and Personal Property, Assessment
- Residential: 19% of market value
- Commercial: 32% of market value
- Agricultural: 12% of productivity value
Your bill works off that assessed value, not the market value. Take a residential home in the City of St. Louis appraised at $200,000:
- Step 1: $200,000 × 19% = $38,000 assessed value
- Step 2: $38,000 ÷ 100 = 380
- Step 3: 380 × $7.9593 = $3,024.53 annual tax bill
A commercial property at the same $200,000 market value would be assessed at 32%, giving a $64,000 assessed value. After the commercial surtax, the bill lands near $6,144, more than double the residential amount on the same market value.
Personal property such as vehicles, boats, and equipment is assessed at 33⅓% of market value and taxed at the same composite rates. You get a separate personal property bill each year based on values you declare to the assessor.
When Values Get Reset
Missouri law requires new assessed values for real property to be set as of January 1 of each odd-numbered year, and those values carry over to the following even-numbered year unless you’ve added new construction or improvements.6Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 137.115 – Real and Personal Property, Assessment So 2025 values apply for 2025 and 2026, and the next reassessment takes effect January 1, 2027. If your neighborhood has appreciated quickly, expect a jump at the next odd-year reassessment. The assessor usually mails notices of changed assessments in late spring.
When Bills Are Due and What Late Payment Costs
Property tax bills go out in the fall. The full amount is due by December 31 of the year billed. Miss that deadline and the costs stack quickly. In St. Louis County, delinquent taxes accrue interest of up to 18% per year plus a flat 2% penalty.7St. Louis County Website. Delinquent Property Tax Information The City of St. Louis charges penalties and interest that compound monthly from January through September of each delinquent year.8City of St. Louis. Personal Property Tax Department
You can pay online through the collector of revenue’s portal for the city or the county, by mail, or in person. Keep your paid personal property receipt. Missouri requires one to renew your vehicle registration, and losing it means a trip to the collector’s office for a duplicate before you can renew plates.9Missouri Department of Revenue. Plate Renewal
If You Think Your Assessment Is Too High
The rate is set by the taxing districts, but the number of dollars you actually pay depends on the assessed value the assessor assigns. If you believe that value is too high, you can appeal. Missouri law requires written appeals to the Board of Equalization to be filed before the second Monday in July, though the board has some discretion to extend that deadline.10Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 137.385 – Appeal to County Board of Equalization In St. Louis County, property owners who disagree with the board’s decision can appeal further to the State Tax Commission.11St. Louis County Government. Board of Equalization
The strongest appeals bring evidence: recent comparable sales nearby, a professional appraisal with a lower value, or documentation of defects the assessor missed. Odd-numbered years are when appeals matter most, since the value you don’t challenge in 2027 locks in for 2028 as well.
Programs That Reduce What You Owe
Missouri Property Tax Credit
Missouri offers a property tax credit, sometimes called the “circuit breaker,” for seniors and people with disabilities on fixed incomes. You generally qualify if you are 65 or older, 100% disabled, or 60 or older and receiving surviving-spouse Social Security benefits.12Missouri Department of Revenue. Property Tax Credit Income limits apply: for homeowners filing singly, total household income cannot exceed $30,000; married homeowners filing jointly are capped at $34,000. Renters face lower thresholds of $27,200 single and $29,200 married.13Missouri Department of Revenue. Form MO-PTC Property Tax Credit Instructions
The maximum credit is $1,100 for homeowners and $750 for renters. You claim it on your Missouri income tax return using Form MO-PTC. The credit scales with your income and the amount of tax or rent paid, so not everyone receives the maximum.
Disabled Veteran Exemption
Missouri’s property tax exemption for veterans is narrower than many people assume. Under the state constitution, only former prisoners of war who also have a 100% service-connected disability qualify for a full homestead exemption.14Missouri State Tax Commission. Are Veterans or Former POWs Exempt from Property Tax Legislation to expand eligibility to a broader group of disabled veterans has been proposed, but as of early 2026 the existing exemption remains limited to former POWs meeting both requirements.