Broward Property Tax: Rates, Deadlines & Exemptions (2026)

Direct answer: For a 2026 Broward County value appeal, file with the Broward County Value Adjustment Board (VAB) by September 18, 2026. File online through Broward’s VAB portal, or print the petition and mail/deliver it to Value Adjustment Board, 115 S. Andrews Avenue, Room 120, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301; Broward’s 2026 VAB filing fee is $25 per petition. (bcpa.net)

How assessments work in Broward County

Broward reassesses property every year. For the 2026 tax year, the key valuation date is January 1, 2026—the question is what your property’s market value was on that date, not what it is worth after later 2026 market changes. (bcpa.net)

The Broward County Property Appraiser (BCPA) sets the Just/Market Value, applies assessment caps such as Save Our Homes, and applies exemptions. The Property Appraiser does not set tax rates or collect taxes; county, school, city, hospital, water-management, and other taxing authorities set millage rates, and the Tax Collector handles bills. (web.bcpa.net)

Your August TRIM notice is the document to audit. It shows the proposed 2026 market value, assessed/SOH value, exemptions, taxable values by taxing authority, proposed millage, public budget hearing information, and the VAB filing deadline. Statewide, a value petition is due within 25 days after the TRIM notice is mailed; BCPA’s 2026 Broward deadline is September 18, 2026. (floridarevenue.com)

For homesteaded owners, do not assume a lower market value automatically lowers this year’s bill. Taxes are generally based on assessed/SOH value after exemptions, not just the Just/Market Value. A VAB reduction produces immediate tax savings only if it reduces taxable value for one or more taxing authorities; if your Just Value is still above your capped assessed value, the appeal may help future years more than the current bill.

Whether you should appeal

Appeal if you can show Broward’s January 1, 2026 market value is too high. Strong local evidence includes: closed comparable sales before January 1, 2026; a 2025 purchase price lower than the TRIM value; incorrect living area, unit count, construction quality, view, pool, or land data on the BCPA property record; photographs and contractor estimates for condition problems that existed on January 1; or condo/co-op sales in the same building that point lower.

Do not file a VAB petition just because your tax bill feels high. BCPA is explicit that the VAB cannot lower tax rates; if your complaint is millage, you must attend the taxing authorities’ budget hearings listed on the TRIM notice. (bcpa.net)

Check exemptions before you spend time fighting value. Broward’s 2026 homestead, senior, and other exemption timely deadline was March 2, 2026, with a late-filing deadline of September 18, 2026 for eligible 2026 applicants. (web.bcpa.net) Homestead can reduce taxable value, Save Our Homes can cap future assessment increases, and portability can move up to $500,000 of SOH benefit from a prior Florida homestead if you qualify. (bcpa.net) Broward also publishes senior, disability, veteran, deployed military, first-responder, granny-flat, historic, and other exemption forms; the 2026 limited-income senior threshold published by BCPA is $38,686 of 2025 adjusted gross income, plus age 65+ and homestead requirements. (bcpa.net)

Step-by-step how to file

1. Talk to BCPA first. DR-486 says you have a right to an informal conference with the property appraiser, and that conference does not extend the filing deadline. BCPA encourages owners to contact a deputy appraiser to discuss how market value was calculated. (floridarevenue.com)

2. Use the right form. For a residential value appeal, use DR-486, Petition to the Value Adjustment Board – Request for Hearing, and check Real property value – decrease. For portability denial, use DR-486PORT. For tax deferral or penalties, use DR-486DP. Florida DOR lists the current VAB forms, including DR-486, DR-486PORT, DR-486A authorization, DR-486POA, and DR-486MU for multiple parcels/accounts. (floridarevenue.com)

3. File by September 18, 2026. Broward says 2026 value petitions may be filed after the mid-August TRIM mailing and are due by September 18, 2026. The petition must be complete and the fee paid; DR-486 says the petition is not complete until the filing fee is paid. (bcpa.net)

4. Filing methods. Broward publishes an online filing link for VAB petitions and says owners may print and mail/deliver the petition to the VAB at 115 S. Andrews Avenue, Room 120, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301. (bcpa.net) The 2026 TRIM materials point to the online portal at bcvab.broward.org/axiaweb2026. (bcpa.net) Broward publishes VAB@broward.org for contact and certain post-filing requests, but I did not find an official Broward instruction accepting initial 2026 value petitions by ordinary email; use the portal or mail/deliver unless VAB staff confirms otherwise. (broward.org)

5. Pay the fee. Broward’s VAB page states that, at the February 9, 2026 meeting, the Board approved a $25 petition filing fee effective March 1, 2026. (broward.org)

What happens after

The appeal authority is the Broward County Value Adjustment Board. It is independent of BCPA and serves as the decision-making authority for disputes over valuations, exemptions, classifications, deferrals, portability, and similar issues. (floridarevenue.com)

Broward hearings are quasi-judicial. Appraiser special magistrates hear value cases; attorney special magistrates hear exemption and classification cases. Broward says 2026 exemption, classification, and valuation hearings begin in October 2026 and continue until petitions are heard; hearings are held at the Governmental Center, 115 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale. (broward.org)

At least 25 days before your hearing, the VAB must notify you of the hearing time. For 2026 hearings, evidence exchange is mandatory: the petitioner must give BCPA the evidence list, witness summary, and copies of documents at least 15 days before the hearing, and the property appraiser must also provide its evidence at least 15 days before the hearing. (floridarevenue.com)

If you do not want to appear, DR-486 has a non-oral option: check that you will not attend but want your evidence considered, and submit two copies of the evidence to the VAB clerk before the hearing. The property appraiser may still respond or object, and the ruling uses the same standards as if you attended. (floridarevenue.com)

After the magistrate recommendation, Broward allows a written request for legal review of alleged legal error within 15 calendar days from the date the worksheet is mailed. State VAB timelines say the VAB issues a written decision and sends it to the petitioner by 20 days after the last day the board is in session; value decisions generally may be appealed to circuit court within 60 days. (broward.org)

Local tips

Broward’s own performance materials publish process metrics, not homeowner “win rates” or median reductions. The FY26 adopted operating budget shows FY24 actuals of 97% electronic filing, 80% of petitions going to hearing, and 6,926 folios confirmed by the VAB; I did not find an official Broward-published median value reduction or residential success rate, so don’t rely on sales pitches quoting one without a source. (broward.org)

Use the right tax rate for a savings estimate. BCPA’s current millage table lists Fort Lauderdale millage code 0311 at 18.5714 mills for 2025. A realistic example: if a Fort Lauderdale homeowner wins a $50,000 taxable-value reduction, the rough annual ad valorem savings is $50,000 × 18.5714 ÷ 1,000 = $928.57, before any early-payment discount and excluding non-ad valorem assessments, which value appeals do not reduce. (bcpa.net)

Finally, keep paying taxes while the case is pending. For value or portability petitions still pending near delinquency, you must pay all non-ad valorem assessments and at least 75% of ad valorem taxes before delinquency, generally by March 31, or the VAB must deny the petition. (broward.org)

Broward County Property Tax Rate

FY26 adopted Broward County countywide property-tax levy: 5.6658 mills ($5.6658 per $1,000 of taxable value). This is the countywide County portion only; a parcel’s total bill can also include school, city, hospital, water, and special-district millages/assessments. Official FY26 example: a taxable value of $265,741 multiplied by the 5.6658 millage rate equals about $1,505 for the County share of the property-tax bill.

Source: https://www.broward.org/Budget/Documents/FY26BudgetBrochure.pdf

When Are Property Taxes Due in Broward County?

Property taxes become due November 1, must be paid no later than March 31, and become delinquent if not paid before April 1. Quarterly installment plan is available for next/future year taxes if the application is submitted by April 30 and estimated taxes are more than $100: 1st installment due June 30, 2nd due September 30, 3rd due December 31, and 4th due March 31. Partial payments are also allowed for current taxes in up to five payments between November 1 and March 31, with a $100 minimum and no early-payment discount. Early-payment discounts for bills paid in full: 4% in November, 3% in December, 2% in January, and 1% in February.

This is not the same as the assessment appeal deadline above. The appeal deadline is your window to contest your assessed value; the payment due date is when the resulting tax bill must be paid. Missing one does not affect the other, but missing either has real consequences — one forfeits your right to appeal for the year, the other can trigger penalties and interest.

Source: https://browardtax.org/faqs/about-your-tax-bill/

Property Tax Exemptions in Broward County

• Homestead Exemption — Legal Florida residents who, as of January 1, made the property their permanent home or the permanent home of a legally or naturally dependent person.. Exemption on the first and third $25,000 of assessed value of an owner-occupied residence; BCPA states the additional $25,000 applies only to the non-school portion of the bill. Yes, initial application required; after approval, an annual renewal receipt is mailed, but a new application is required if the property is sold/disposed of, ownership or use changes, or the owner stops residing there as a permanent resident. Apply by For 2027: timely filing period March 3, 2026 through March 1, 2027; late-file deadline September 20, 2027.. (Source: https://bcpa.net/homestead.asp)
• Additional Low-Income Senior Exemption — Applicant must be age 65 or older as of January 1, have Homestead Exemption on the property, and meet the annual household adjusted gross income limit; for 2026, 2025 household adjusted gross income must not exceed $38,686.. Additional $25,000 exemption; BCPA notes local option may increase this exemption up to $50,000 for county/city portions where adopted. Yes, applied for annually. Apply by Filing period is January 1 through March 1 each year; for 2026, BCPA lists March 2, 2026 as the timely deadline, supporting income-tax documents due June 1, 2026, and September 18, 2026 as the late-file deadline.. (Source: https://bcpa.net/senior_instructions.asp)
• Long-Term Residency Senior Exemption — Applicant must meet the senior age and income requirements, have maintained permanent residence on the property for at least 25 years, and the property must have a just value under $250,000 in the initial year of application; applies only in cities that adopted the ordinance.. Exempts the ad valorem city taxes for qualified residents of cities that adopted the Long-Term Senior Residency Exemption. Yes. Apply by Use the senior exemption filing deadlines; for 2026, BCPA lists March 2, 2026 as the timely deadline and September 18, 2026 as the late-file deadline.. (Source: https://bcpa.net/senior_instructions.asp)
• $5,000 Disability Exemption — Bona fide Florida resident certified as totally and permanently disabled by a Florida-licensed physician, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or predecessor agency, or the Social Security Administration.. $5,000 exemption. Yes. Apply by For 2027: timely filing period March 3, 2026 through March 1, 2027; late-file deadline September 20, 2027.. (Source: https://bcpa.net/homestead.asp)
• $5,000 Disability Exemption for Blind Persons — Bona fide Florida resident with a certificate from the Division of Blind Services of the Department of Education or the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs certifying the applicant to be blind.. $5,000 exemption. Yes. Apply by For 2027: timely filing period March 3, 2026 through March 1, 2027; late-file deadline September 20, 2027.. (Source: https://bcpa.net/homestead.asp)
• $5,000 Widowed Persons Exemption — Bona fide Florida resident who provides proof of spouse’s death; BCPA notes the exemption no longer applies if the recipient remarries.. $5,000 exemption. Yes. Apply by For 2027: timely filing period March 3, 2026 through March 1, 2027; late-file deadline September 20, 2027.. (Source: https://bcpa.net/homestead.asp)

How to Look Up Your Property Record in Broward County

You can look up your property's official record at https://web.bcpa.net/bcpaclient/#/Record-Search. Official Broward County Property Appraiser record search for property/tax-roll information; BCPA identifies search options including property, tangible, sales, subdivision, time-share, commercial, and land search, and states values are for tax-roll purposes and are not final until certified under Florida law.