Orange County Property Tax: Rates, Deadlines & Appeals (2026)

For most Orange County homeowners, the 2026 assessment grievance deadline was Tuesday, May 26, 2026—Grievance Day, the fourth Tuesday in May. The next standard Orange County town/city grievance deadline is Tuesday, May 25, 2027, but Crawford and Mount Hope use the first Wednesday after the fourth Tuesday, and Greenville uses the first Thursday after, so always confirm with your local assessor before filing. (orangecountygov.com)

File Form RP-524, Complaint on Real Property Assessment, with your city or town assessor or Board of Assessment Review, not with the county tax collector. There is no filing fee for the local grievance; mail must be received by the deadline, and electronic filing is available only if your assessing unit has opted to accept it. (tax.ny.gov)

How assessments work in Orange County

Orange County does not centrally assess most homes the way Nassau County does. Your city or town assessor sets the assessment; the Orange County Real Property Tax Services Office maintains tax maps and ownership information, supports assessors, produces rolls, apportions county tax rates, and processes tax-bill corrections. (orangecountyny.gov)

The normal Orange County calendar is: valuation date July 1 of the prior year, taxable status and exemption filing date March 1, tentative assessment roll May 1, public inspection from May 1 to Grievance Day, Grievance Day on the fourth Tuesday in May, and final assessment roll July 1. Orange County’s own tax-cycle sheet warns that the fourth-Tuesday rule should be verified locally because several towns differ. (orangecountygov.com)

New York assessment practice is based on market value at a uniform percentage within the assessing unit. The state’s Uniform Assessment Standards describe market value as what a willing buyer would pay a willing seller in an arm’s-length sale, and say residential property is typically valued by comparable sales, with cost and income approaches used where appropriate. (orangecountyny.gov)

Also check whether your parcel is in a homestead/non-homestead assessing unit. In Orange County, Newburgh and Port Jervis appear on the state’s Article 19 homestead list; a one-, two-, or three-family residence is generally in the homestead class there, which can matter for tax rates and misclassification appeals. (tax.ny.gov)

Whether you should appeal

Appeal if the assessor’s implied market value is materially higher than what your home would sell for, or if your assessment is higher than similar nearby homes. In a fractional-assessment municipality, do not compare raw assessed values until you account for the local level of assessment, equalization rate, or residential assessment ratio.

Start with Orange County’s online parcel system, which lets you search by owner, address, tax map number, or municipality and view assessed values, tax maps, photos, and comparable sales/assessment reports. (orangecountyny.gov) Then gather evidence: recent arm’s-length sales, listing history, a recent appraisal, photos of condition problems, incorrect inventory data, or proof an exemption was wrongly denied.

Do not appeal just because the tax bill is high. The Board of Assessment Review can change the assessment, not school budgets, town levies, or tax rates. That said, an assessment reduction can save real money because Orange County rates are applied per $1,000 of assessed value.

Worked example using actual 2026 rates: assume a house in the Town of Goshen, outside villages, Goshen school district wins a $20,000 assessment reduction. The relevant listed rates are county $5.585431, town $1.858977, outside-village highway $3.683178, outside-village part-town $1.048877, Goshen school $40.788100, and library $1.807357, for about $54.77192 per $1,000 before any parcel-specific special districts. Savings: 20 × $54.77192 = about $1,095 per year. (orangecountyny.gov)

I did not find an official Orange County publication of homeowner grievance success rates or median reductions, so you should judge your case on the quality of your own comparable-sales evidence rather than countywide averages.

Step-by-step how to file

1. Find your tentative assessment after May 1. Use the Orange County parcel search and your city/town roll. Confirm the assessing unit for your address.

2. Call or visit your local assessor first. Orange County’s FAQ says assessment problems should be directed to the local assessor. Many errors—wrong square footage, finished basement, missing exemption—can sometimes be resolved before the BAR hearing. (orangecountyny.gov)

3. Complete Form RP-524. The official form name is RP-524, Complaint on Real Property Assessment. Use the state form and instructions; a separate complaint is generally required for each separately assessed parcel. (tax.ny.gov)

4. File in the correct place. File with the assessor or Board of Assessment Review for your city or town. Do not send it to Orange County Real Property unless your assessing unit is one of the county-contract offices and you have confirmed that is the right filing location. Orange County’s assessor list gives the official addresses and phone numbers—for example, City of Middletown at 16 James Street, City of Newburgh at 83 Broadway, Town of Newburgh at 1496 Route 300, Town of Goshen at 41 Webster Avenue, Town of Warwick at 132 Kings Highway, and Town of Wallkill at 99 Tower Drive Building A. (orangecountyny.gov)

5. Use an accepted delivery method. In-person delivery and mail are recognized by the state grievance instructions; mailed RP-524 forms must arrive by Grievance Day. Email or portal filing is not countywide—New York permits electronic RP-524 filing only where the assessing unit has opted in—so get written confirmation before relying on email or an online upload. (tax.ny.gov)

6. Fee: $0 for the local grievance. If you later file SCAR in court, Orange County lists a $30 filing fee. (tax.ny.gov)

What happens after

The appeal authority is the local Board of Assessment Review. On Grievance Day, the BAR meets to hear assessment complaints. It can take testimony, review your evidence, require you or your representative to appear, and ask for additional proof; if you refuse to appear or answer material questions, you can lose the chance for a reduction. (tax.ny.gov)

The BAR is not a courtroom, but treat it like a short evidence hearing. Bring a one-page summary, your requested assessment, comparable sales, photos, appraisal pages if available, and any corrected property data. If the assessor offers a written stipulation and you accept it, understand that you generally cannot then ask the BAR or court for a further reduction on that assessment year. (tax.ny.gov)

After review, the BAR mails a Notice of Determination of Board of Assessment Review, Form RP-525, stating whether the tentative assessment was reduced and the reasons. The final assessment roll is normally filed July 1. If you are still dissatisfied and your property qualifies, you may file Small Claims Assessment Review (SCAR) in Orange County Supreme Court within 30 days after the final roll filing/notice; homeowners may use the SCAR petition, while attorneys and SCAR filing services must e-file. (tax.ny.gov)

Local tips

Check exemptions before you grieve value. The March 1 exemption date matters in the normal Orange County calendar. STAR is for school taxes only; new homeowners get the STAR credit rather than a new STAR exemption, while existing STAR exemption recipients may continue. For 2026, Basic STAR generally has a $500,000 income limit for the credit and Enhanced STAR is for eligible seniors 65+ with 2026-benefit income of $110,750 or less. (tax.ny.gov)

Orange County 2026-2027 STAR exemption amounts vary dramatically by municipality: for example, Basic STAR is listed as $14,100 in the Town of Goshen, $7,120 in the Town of Newburgh, $3,220 in Warwick, and $38,330 in the City of Newburgh. (tax.ny.gov) Veterans should also check the Alternative Veterans, Cold War, eligible funds, and other veteran exemptions; seniors should ask about the senior citizens exemption in addition to STAR. (tax.ny.gov)

Finally, build your evidence around Orange County’s actual assessment unit—not just “Orange County.” A sale in Cornwall may not prove value in New Windsor, and a raw assessment comparison between Goshen and Wallkill can be misleading if the levels of assessment differ.

Orange County Property Tax Rate

No single countywide homeowner tax rate was confirmed. Orange County’s official 2026 County/Town Tax Rates schedule publishes separate rates by town/city and tax line; examples of the 2026 county tax line as published include Greenville 5.222716, Monroe 18.619491, and Warwick 23.959372, with additional town, highway, special-district, village, and school rates depending on the parcel location.

Source: https://www.orangecountygov.com/DocumentCenter/View/35863/2026-COUNTY_TOWN-TAX-RATES

When Are Property Taxes Due in Orange County?

County/town real property taxes are levied as a lien on January 1; for towns, taxes may be paid January 1 through January 31 without interest or penalty, and payments after January 31 include interest computed at 1% per month from February 1. School taxes are collected by school districts between September 1 and October 31; unpaid school taxes outside the three cities are re-levied on the next county/town tax bill due January 1.

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://www.orangecountygov.com/Archive.aspx?ADID=1348

Property Tax Exemptions in Orange County

• STAR / Enhanced STAR school-tax relief — Owner-occupied primary residences; Basic STAR credit income limit is $500,000 and Basic STAR exemption income limit is $250,000. Enhanced STAR is for senior homeowners age 65 or older with qualifying income.. Applies only to school district taxes. Basic STAR is based on the first $30,000 of full value; Enhanced STAR for the 2026-2027 school year is based on the first $88,500 of full value, with a 2026-2027 income limit of $110,750 or less. Yes; new homeowners generally register with New York State for the STAR credit, while existing STAR exemption recipients may continue under exemption rules if eligible. (Source: https://www.tax.ny.gov/pit/property/star/types.htm)
• Senior citizens exemption — Orange County RPTL 467 — Persons age 65 or older who meet ownership, residency, and income requirements for the senior exemption.. Orange County Local Law No. 1 of 2018 sets a sliding county exemption schedule: 50% for income below $29,000, then declining to 5% for income from $36,500 to less than $37,399.99. Yes; file exemption application with the assessor. Apply by March 1 taxable status/exemption filing date.. (Source: https://www.orangecountygov.com/DocumentCenter/View/10318/2018-Local-Laws-PDF)
• Persons with disabilities and limited incomes — Orange County RPTL 459-c — Property owners with qualifying disabilities and limited income, subject to RPTL 459-c requirements.. Orange County Local Law No. 2 of 2018 sets a sliding disability exemption schedule: 50% for income below $29,000, then declining to 5% for income from $36,500 to less than $37,399.99. Yes; file exemption application with the assessor. Apply by March 1 taxable status/exemption filing date.. (Source: https://www.orangecountygov.com/DocumentCenter/View/10318/2018-Local-Laws-PDF)
• Alternative veterans exemption — Orange County RPTL 458-a — Qualifying residential real property owned by eligible wartime veterans, combat-zone veterans, veterans with service-related disabilities, or certain family members, subject to RPTL 458-a and local rules.. Orange County Local Law No. 8 of 2025 increases maximum exemptions to $75,000 for War Veterans, $50,000 for Combat Zone Veterans, and $250,000 for Veterans with a Service Related Disability. Yes; file the veterans exemption application with the municipal assessor; re-file if a move or qualifying status change requires it. Apply by March 1 taxable status/exemption filing date.. (Source: https://www.orangecountygov.com/DocumentCenter/View/34547/2025-Local-Laws-PDF)
• Cold War veterans exemption — Orange County RPTL 458-b — Qualifying residential real property of Cold War veterans, as authorized by Orange County Local Law No. 3 of 2008, with the 10-year limitation removed by Local Law No. 3 of 2018 for as long as the owner remains qualified.. 15% of assessed value, capped at $12,000 or $12,000 multiplied by the latest state equalization rate/class ratio, whichever is less; additional service-connected disability exemption equals assessed value multiplied by 50% of the disability rating, capped at $40,000 or the equalization-rate/class-ratio product, whichever is less. Yes; file the Cold War veterans exemption application with the assessor. Apply by March 1 taxable status/exemption filing date.. (Source: https://www.orangecountygov.com/DocumentCenter/View/5885/2008-Local-Laws-PDF)
• Volunteer firefighters and voluntary ambulance workers exemption — Orange County — Enrolled volunteer firefighters or voluntary ambulance workers who own and occupy their Orange County primary residence and meet service and certification requirements; 2025 local law extends eligibility to qualifying volunteers serving an adjacent municipality.. 10% of assessed value for County purposes, exclusive of special assessments; life benefit may apply after more than 20 years of active service while the primary residence remains in Orange County. Yes; file the prescribed application with the assessor on or before taxable status date; the service entity must file annual certification by January 31. Apply by March 1 taxable status/exemption filing date for the owner application; entity certification due January 31.. (Source: https://www.orangecountygov.com/DocumentCenter/View/28576/2023-Local-Laws-PDF)

How to Look Up Your Property Record in Orange County

You can look up your property's official record at https://www.orangecountyny.gov/612/Parcel-Information. Orange County’s official parcel information page links to online parcel search for owner, parcel, assessed values, tax maps, photos, comparable searches, and reports; searches can be by owner name, address, tax map number, or municipality.