Chittenden Property Tax: Rates, Exemptions & Appeals (2026)

If you own a home in Chittenden County, your property-tax assessment appeal is filed with your city or town assessor/listers first, not with the county. For 2026, the key local deadlines already posted included Burlington: May 15, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. and Colchester: July 2, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.; after a lister/assessor decision, the next appeal is due within 14 days of the mailed decision to the town clerk or Burlington City Clerk.

How assessments work in Chittenden County

Chittenden County does not run a county assessor’s office for residential assessments. Vermont property tax administration is local: Burlington, South Burlington, Colchester, Essex, Williston, Shelburne, and the other Chittenden municipalities maintain their own grand lists through assessors or boards of listers. Values are tied to the Vermont assessment date, April 1, and the legal standard is fair market value: what the property would bring in the market, considering condition, use, location, and other value factors.

That local structure matters because the appeal calendar is local. Vermont law requires a taxpayer who wants lister review to file written objections on or before the grievance meeting. If you lose at that stage, Vermont law gives you 14 days after notice of the listers’ final decision to appeal in writing to the Board of Civil Authority by lodging the appeal with the town clerk. Burlington is the important local exception: after the Burlington Board of Assessors, the next local body is the Board of Tax Appeals.

Assessment cycles are uneven across the county. Burlington says all properties were adjusted to estimated fair market value as of April 1, 2021, but its 2025 annual report reported a current CLA of 81.76% and a FY27 calculation of 76.25%, a sign that assessments are generally below recent sale prices. Colchester is in a full 2026 town-wide reappraisal: the town says its last town-wide reappraisal was completed in June 2011, its CLA fell to 61.48%, and Vision Government Solutions was completing the reappraisal with an April 1, 2026 appraisal date.

Whether you should appeal

Appeal if you can show either market value or equity is wrong. Strong evidence includes recent comparable sales in your town, your own recent arm’s-length purchase if it is close to April 1, photos of condition problems, a contractor estimate for major defects, or proof that the assessor’s record card has the wrong living area, bathroom count, finished basement, grade, outbuildings, acreage, or view/waterfront influence.

Do not appeal only because your tax bill went up. In a reappraisal year, a higher assessment does not automatically mean the same percentage increase in taxes, because rates can move when the grand list changes. Conversely, in Burlington, South Burlington, and other Chittenden towns with rising budgets and education rates, a correct assessment can still produce a painful bill.

Use the tax rate to decide whether the effort is worth it. Burlington’s FY27 calculator lists rates per $100 of appraised value: municipal $0.9097, homestead education $1.5489, and local agreement $0.0004. For a 100% homestead Burlington home, that totals $2.4590 per $100. If your home is assessed at $500,000 and credible sales support $475,000, the potential assessment reduction is $25,000. The estimated annual tax difference is:

$25,000 ÷ 100 × $2.4590 = $614.75

That is before any Vermont property tax credit. If you receive an income-based credit, a lower housesite tax can affect the credit calculation, so the cash benefit may not equal the full bill reduction.

Published success data is limited. Burlington’s 2025 annual report did publish volume: 20 property value grievances were forwarded to the Board of Assessors, 19 were heard, 1 no-show occurred, and 1 grievance went on to the Board of Tax Appeals and then to State Property Valuation and Review. I did not find an official Chittenden-wide success rate or median reduction, and you should not rely on unofficial averages.

Step-by-step how to file

1. Pull your property record card first. Most Chittenden towns use online assessing data or Vision Government Solutions. Colchester specifically points owners to Vision for parcel data, neighboring properties, and local sales. Check factual data before arguing value.

2. File the first grievance with the assessor/listers. There is generally no filing fee for the municipal grievance stage. Burlington’s official wording is a “letter of valuation grievance or grievance application” submitted to the Assessor’s Office. Burlington prefers its OpenGov grievance form when open, but also accepts a signed letter stating the reason for appeal, owner’s opinion of value, owner of record, mailing address, email, phone, Parcel ID, and property location. Mail or deliver Burlington letters to: Attention: Office of the Assessor, Board of Assessors, 149 Church Street, Ground Floor, Burlington, VT 05401. Burlington’s assessor contact page lists mailassessor@burlingtonvt.gov and 802-865-7114.

Colchester’s 2026 first-level deadline was July 2, 2026 for notices mailed June 18. Colchester accepted grievances by email at ColchesterAssess@colchestervt.gov, in person at the Town Clerk’s Office, through the Board of Listers Appeal portal, or by mail/drop-off to Town of Colchester, c/o Town Assessor, 781 Blakely Road, Colchester, VT 05446. South Burlington’s 2026 notice required written appeals by June 22, 2026 at 4:00 p.m., with requests sent to enorway@southburlingtonvt.gov or filed with the Assessor’s Office at 180 Market Street, South Burlington, VT 05403.

3. Bring evidence, not just an opinion. Burlington explicitly says the taxpayer has the burden of production and persuasion. Colchester likewise warns that you must persuade the BCA and that an assessment can increase as well as decrease.

4. If denied, file the next appeal within 14 days. In most Chittenden towns, file a written appeal—often called a Notice to Board of Civil Authority—with the town clerk. In South Burlington, send it to South Burlington Board of Civil Authority, c/o Holly Rees, City Clerk, 180 Market St, South Burlington, VT 05403. In Colchester, the BCA page says to complete the fillable application and email it to 2026Appeals@colchestervt.gov or drop it at the Town Clerk’s Office. In Burlington, appeal to the Board of Tax Appeals at the City Clerk’s office within 14 days of the Board of Assessors value-decision letter.

5. Further appeal, if needed. After the BCA or Burlington Board of Tax Appeals, Vermont law allows appeal to the Director of Property Valuation and Review or to the Superior Court within 30 days of the decision mailing/entry date. The state PVR appeal entry fee is $70 per parcel, with possible waiver, reduction, or refund in hardship or joined-parcel situations.

What happens after

At the first stage, the assessor/listers review your written grievance and may schedule a short hearing. Burlington says Board of Assessor hearings are 15-minute meetings, usually during business hours, and that the appraiser/assessor does not decide the value at the meeting. South Burlington’s 2026 notice allowed appointment, email, telephone, and in-person participation; it also said in-person attendance was not required if the written appeal was timely.

A non-oral option exists under Vermont law: written objections filed by the deadline must be determined even if the taxpayer does not appear. That makes a complete written packet important.

At the BCA stage, expect a more formal local hearing. The BCA is made up of the town clerk, justices of the peace, and selectboard members. Vermont law requires an inspection committee of at least three board members to inspect the appealed property and report back within 30 days after the hearing before the final decision. If you refuse interior or exterior inspection after notice, the appeal is deemed withdrawn. Colchester also states BCA hearings are recorded and publicly available for 30 days under Vermont open-meeting law. Burlington’s Board of Tax Appeals uses three-member hearing panels, and Burlington’s charter requires appeals to be heard and determined no later than December 31 of that year.

Local tips

File your Vermont Homestead Declaration, Form HS-122, every year if the home is your Vermont domicile. For 2026, the timely due date was April 15, 2026, and the final date accepted is October 15, 2026. The same form is used for the Vermont Homestead Declaration and Property Tax Credit Claim; Schedule HI-144 is used for household income when claiming the credit. Missing the homestead filing can cause penalties and classification at the wrong education rate.

Check the veterans exemption if applicable. Vermont law exempts at least $10,000 of appraisal value for qualifying disabled veterans, spouses, widows/widowers, or children, and the application generally must be filed through the Office of Veterans Affairs before May 1. Also check Current Use if you own qualifying farm or forest land; that is not a normal suburban-lot benefit, but it matters for larger Chittenden parcels.

Finally, pay the bill even while appealing. Vermont provides a credit mechanism if an appeal later reduces the appraisal after taxes were paid, but an appeal does not make the tax lien disappear or stop due dates.

Property Tax Exemptions in Chittenden County

• Vermont Homestead Declaration — Vermont residents who own and occupy a Vermont homestead as their domicile as of April 1, 2026; if leased on April 1, the property may still qualify if leased for not more than 182 days in the 2026 calendar year.. Classifies the property for the homestead education property tax rate rather than the nonhomestead rate; no fixed dollar exemption amount. Yes, file Form HS-122 annually. Apply by 2026-04-15; final date accepted 2026-10-15, with possible municipal penalty after the April deadline.. (Source: https://tax.vermont.gov/property/homestead-declaration)
• Vermont Property Tax Credit Claim — For the 2026 claim: the property must be declared as the claimant's homestead; the claimant must have been domiciled in Vermont for all of calendar year 2025, own the property as a principal residence on April 1, 2026, not be claimed as a dependent for tax year 2025, and meet household income criteria of $115,400 or less.. Maximum 2026 Property Tax Credit is $8,000; the credit appears as a state payment on the 2026/2027 property tax bill. Yes, file Form HS-122 Section B with Schedule HI-144; the homestead declaration is also required. Apply by 2026-04-15; generally not accepted after 2026-10-15.. (Source: https://tax.vermont.gov/sites/tax/files/documents/HS-122-Instr-2025.pdf)
• Disabled Veterans Property Tax Exemption — A disabled veteran, or eligible spouse, widow, widower, or child of a disabled veteran, who owns and occupies a Vermont home as an established residence; veterans qualify through one of the listed criteria: VA disability compensation for a service-connected disability rated 50% or higher, VA non-service-connected disability pension, or permanent medical military retirement. Unremarried surviving spouses may also qualify if the veteran qualified at death.. State law mandates a minimum $10,000 assessed-value exemption on municipal and education grand lists; cities and towns may vote to increase the municipal grand-list exemption up to $40,000. Yes, requested each year through the Vermont Office of Veterans Affairs with current documentation. Apply by May 1 each year.. (Source: https://veterans.vermont.gov/sites/ova/files/documents/Fact%20Sheet%20-%20Property%20Tax%20Exemption%20for%20Veterans.pdf)
• Vermont Current Use / Use Value Appraisal Program — Eligible agricultural land, forest land, conservation land, and farm buildings that meet Vermont Current Use Program requirements.. Allows the assessed value for enrolled land or buildings to be reduced based on use value for the enrolled portion of the property; no countywide fixed dollar amount. Yes, Form CU-301 and required attachments/fee; transfer applications are also required to keep transferred enrolled property in the program. Apply by New enrollment/additions: September 1 for the tax year beginning the following April 1; forest or conservation land management plan and maps to the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation by October 1; transfer applications within 30 days after the transfer is recorded in town land records.. (Source: https://tax.vermont.gov/tax/sites/tax/files/documents/CU-301%20Instr.pdf)

How to Look Up Your Property Record in Chittenden County

You can look up your property's official record at https://maps.vcgi.vermont.gov/parcelviewer/. The Vermont Parcel Viewer searches statewide parcel data by address, SPAN, parcel ID, or municipality and displays parcel boundaries with joined Grand List data; it also includes related layers such as property transfers, land surveys, town data status, and Current Use information where available.