City of Virginia Beach Property Tax: 2026 Rates & Appeals

For the July 1, 2026 / FY 2027 assessment cycle, Virginia Beach’s final Board of Equalization filing deadline was June 30, 2026; applications and evidence had to be received or postmarked by that date. As of August 21, 2026, that deadline has passed, so the next normal homeowner deadline is expected to be the Assessor’s Request for Reappraisal by April 30, 2027, followed by the Board of Equalization deadline on June 30, 2027 under the city’s annual rule. File first with the City Real Estate Assessor, 2424 Courthouse Drive, during the March–April window; BOE appeals are paper-only to Board of Equalization of Real Estate Assessments, Attn: Donna Feess, 2424 Courthouse Drive, Building 18, Room 247, Virginia Beach, VA 23456-9054. (assessor.virginiabeach.gov)

How assessments work in City of Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach is an independent city, and real estate assessments are handled by the City of Virginia Beach Real Estate Assessor. The city mails annual reassessment notices by March 1, and FY 2027 assessment notices were scheduled to be mailed February 27, 2026. Assessments are effective July 1 of the fiscal year and are based on information available through December 31 of the prior year. (assessor.virginiabeach.gov)

The Assessor says reassessment is meant to keep each property’s assessed value consistent with what it would sell for on the open market. For residential neighborhoods, Virginia Beach uses mass appraisal: staff analyze recent neighborhood transfers, remove non-arm’s-length sales such as family transfers, foreclosures and distress sales, visit sold properties where needed, then extract rates for living area and add values for amenities and sites. (assessor.virginiabeach.gov)

For context, the FY 2027 report said total taxable assessed value reached $92.3 billion, up 6%, and median appreciation for all properties was 5.23%. About 70% of Virginia Beach homes were assessed under $500,000. These are market-wide facts, not proof that your house is correctly assessed. (virginiabeach.gov)

The current general real estate tax rate is $0.97 per $100 of assessed value. Some neighborhoods have Special Service District rates, including Sandbridge, Central Business District South, Old Donation Creek, Bayville Creek, Shadowlawn, Chesopeian Colony, Harbour Point, Gills Cove, Hurds Cove and Schilling Point, so check your bill if you are in one of those districts. (assessor.virginiabeach.gov)

Whether you should appeal

Appeal if you can show one of three things: your home is assessed above fair market value, your assessment is not uniform compared with similar nearby properties, or the record has a mistake of fact. Virginia Beach specifically warns that the amount your assessment increased from last year is not by itself a legal basis for appeal. (assessor.virginiabeach.gov)

Start with the city’s Property Search Tool and your assessment notice. Check square footage, finished areas, land size, condition, additions, garages, pools, decks and other features. Then compare your home with genuinely similar Virginia Beach properties—same neighborhood or market area, similar age, size, condition and site influence. Waterfront, corner lots, flood exposure, school-zoned neighborhoods and beach proximity can make “nearby” homes not truly comparable.

A realistic savings example: if your FY 2027 assessment is $545,000 but comparable sales support $510,000, the reduction is $35,000. At the general rate of $0.97 per $100, the annual tax difference is $35,000 ÷ 100 × $0.97 = $339.50 before any SSD effect. If the home is in an SSD, apply that district’s listed rate instead of—or in addition to—the general-rate impact shown on your bill.

I did not find an official Virginia Beach publication giving homeowner appeal success rates or median BOE reductions. The city does publish aggregate market trends, tax relief totals and neighborhood assessment-change reports, but not a simple “percent of appeals reduced” statistic on the official pages reviewed. (assessor.virginiabeach.gov)

Step-by-step how to file

1. Call or contact the Assessor first. The city recommends starting with the Assessor because many issues can be fixed by review. Contact: 757-385-4601, Assessor@vbgov.com, Real Estate Assessor’s Office, 2424 Courthouse Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23456-9054. (assessor.virginiabeach.gov)

2. File the informal Assessor review: “Request for Reappraisal.” This is Virginia Beach’s internal appeal. The 2026 deadline was April 30, 2026; the annual rule is March through April 30 of each tax year. The city says reappraisal applications are available during the open appeal period. No city filing fee is listed on the official appeal pages. (assessor.virginiabeach.gov)

3. If needed, file with the Board of Equalization. The proper authority is the City of Virginia Beach Board of Equalization of Real Estate Assessments. Use the Board of Equalization Appeal Application Form, titled in the PDF as the Application for Appeal of 2026/2027 Real Property Assessment. For the FY 2026/2027 form, all applications and attachments had to be received or postmarked by June 30, 2026. (assessor.virginiabeach.gov)

4. File on paper—no fax or electronic filing. Virginia Beach says faxed or electronic applications and documentation will not be accepted. You must submit a separate application for each GPIN and include the original plus seven copies—eight total sets—of the application and supporting documentation. Mail or hand-deliver to: City of Virginia Beach, Board of Equalization of Real Estate Assessments, Attn: Donna Feess, Administrator, 2424 Courthouse Drive, Building 18, Room 247, Virginia Beach, VA 23456-9054. (assessor.virginiabeach.gov)

5. Include authorization if someone files for you. If the applicant is not the owner of record, include a Letter of Authorization. Virginia Beach’s LOA instructions require an original wet-ink signed and notarized document; emailed, faxed or electronic copies are not accepted. (s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com)

What happens after

After you file a BOE application, Virginia Beach sends a confirmation letter or email with the hearing date, time and location. For residential appeals, the appellant receives an Evidence Packet prepared by the Real Estate Assessor’s Office and a public disclosure of taxpayer rights by certified mail. You do not have to appear; the board will hear accepted appeals even if the owner or representative is absent. (assessor.virginiabeach.gov)

The BOE meets on Thursdays from August 6 through October as needed. Hearings are in Building 1, Conference Room #2118. Multiple hearings are scheduled on a day, specific times are not assigned, and most hearings last 20 to 30 minutes. The appellant and Assessor address the Board, not each other; it is not a debate. Written materials must have been filed by the June 30 deadline. Each side gets 10 minutes, the appellant gets 5 minutes for rebuttal, then BOE members discuss, ask questions and record a decision. (assessor.virginiabeach.gov)

The assessment is presumed correct, and the taxpayer must provide substantial evidence. The BOE can affirm, decrease or increase an assessment. If it changes the value, it forwards an order to the City Assessor. BOE decisions are final administratively, but a taxpayer may appeal further to the City of Virginia Beach Circuit Court. (assessor.virginiabeach.gov)

Keep paying your tax bills while the appeal is pending. Virginia Beach says appeals do not stop penalties and interest; first installment real estate tax bills are due December 5 and second installment bills are due June 5. (assessor.virginiabeach.gov)

Local tips

Do not lead with “my assessment went up.” Virginia Beach’s own forms page says the change from last year is not a legal basis. Better evidence is a list of comparable sales or comparable assessments showing your property is over market or out of line.

Use the July 1 valuation frame. The FY 2027 appeal concerns the July 1, 2026 value, built from data available through December 31, 2025. Sales after that may be useful context, but the strongest evidence ties back to that valuation period.

Check relief before you spend money on an appeal. Virginia Beach offers real estate tax relief for senior or disabled residents who own and live in the home, meet asset limits, and either are 65 by June 30, 2026 or permanently and totally disabled by then. For the 2026 requirements, assets generally could not exceed $350,000 excluding the home and up to 10 acres, and percentage exemptions ranged from 20% to 100% depending on income. (s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com)

Veterans and surviving spouses should check exemptions separately. A veteran rated 100% service-connected, permanent and total may qualify for exemption on the primary residence, and certain surviving spouses may qualify if they meet occupancy and remarriage rules. Surviving spouses of service members or certain line-of-duty individuals may qualify for relief on the primary residence and up to 10 acres. (cor.virginiabeach.gov)

Watch the paper-copy rule. The most avoidable Virginia Beach BOE mistake is treating the appeal like an email filing. For BOE, plan enough time to print eight sets, sign, add evidence and get the package postmarked or delivered by June 30.

City of Virginia Beach Property Tax Rate

GENERAL TAX RATE is $0.97 per $100.00 of assessed value. Special Service District (SSD) rates, where applicable, are also stated per $100.00 of assessed value.

Source: https://assessor.virginiabeach.gov/tax-rates

When Are Property Taxes Due in City of Virginia Beach?

Real estate taxes are billed in two installments due December 5 and June 5; if a due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or City-recognized holiday, the deadline is the next business day. Billed by the City Treasurer in two installments; taxes are paid in arrears. Partial payments, including advance payments, are accepted and encouraged if the owner cannot pay the bill in full by the due date.

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://treasurer.virginiabeach.gov/taxes-licenses-collections/real-estate

Property Tax Exemptions in City of Virginia Beach

• Senior & Disabled Real Estate Tax Relief / Exemption and Tax Freeze — Virginia Beach residents who own and reside in the home or a convalescent home and are either age 65 or older on or before June 30, 2026, or permanently and totally disabled on or before June 30, 2026; total assets must not exceed $350,000, excluding the home and up to 10 acres on the same parcel.. Tax percentage exemption varies by income: 100% for $0.00–$66,714; 80% for $66,714.01–$71,892; 60% for $71,892.01–$77,065; 40% for $77,065.01–$82,243; 20% for $82,243.01–$87,419. Tax freeze is available with annual household gross income not exceeding $114,062 and assets not exceeding $350,000. Yes; first-time applicants are required to make an appointment, and freeze relief is granted on an annual basis if the taxpayer reapplies and qualifies each tax year. Apply by For the tax year beginning 2026-07-01, appointments/applications are scheduled between 2026-02-01 and 2026-06-30.. (Source: https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/virginia-beach-departments-docs/cor/TaxRelief/COR-Tax-Relief-Program-Requirements.pdf)
• Disabled Veterans or Their Surviving Spouses Real Estate Exemption — Veterans rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as having a 100% service-connected, permanent and total disability and who occupy the property as their principal residence; a surviving spouse may qualify if the veteran died on or after January 1, 2011 and the spouse has not remarried.. Exemption from real property taxation for the qualifying disabled veteran’s real property, including joint real property of husband and wife, used as the principal residence. Yes; information and forms are handled by the Commissioner of the Revenue Veteran Services / Real Estate Qualification Division. (Source: https://cor.virginiabeach.gov/tax-relief/veteran-services-line-of-duty-act/disabled-veterans-or-their-surviving-spouses)
• Surviving Spouses of Fallen Service Members and First Responders Real Estate Tax Relief — Surviving spouses who have not remarried and own and occupy the property as their principal/primary residence; includes spouses of U.S. Armed Forces members who died in the line of duty and surviving spouses of certain Virginia line-of-duty individuals such as first responders, with required official documentation.. Relief from real estate taxes on the primary residence and up to 10 acres of land it occupies; the City’s 2026 program requirements state the exemption applies to dwelling assessed value not exceeding the FY26 average assessed value for single-family homes in Virginia Beach, $513,400. Yes; applicant must provide required line-of-duty documentation and apply through Commissioner of the Revenue Veteran Services. (Source: https://cor.virginiabeach.gov/tax-relief/veteran-services-line-of-duty-act/real-estate-tax-relief-for-surviving-spouses)
• Energy-Efficient Buildings Tax Reduction — Residential and commercial buildings certified as energy-efficient by a qualified licensed engineer or contractor who is not related to the applicant, as required by Virginia Code §58.1-3221.2.. Reduces the real estate tax by $0.15 per $100 for buildings certified as energy-efficient; the reduction applies to the building/improvements, not the underlying land. Yes; application is submitted to the Planning Department’s Office of Permits and Inspections, and if approved the owner brings a copy to the Real Estate Assessor for processing. (Source: https://assessor.virginiabeach.gov/relief-incentives/energy-efficient-buildings)
• Historic Landmarks Exemption — Virginia properties listed on the state and national historic registers; the Virginia Department of Historic Resources administers the Virginia Landmarks Register program.. Properties included on the state register qualify for a lower tax rate; the reduced rate applies to the building only and not to the land. Yes, listing on the Virginia Landmarks Register/state register is required. (Source: https://assessor.virginiabeach.gov/relief-incentives/historic-landmarks-exemption)
• Historically Significant Rehabilitated Structures Partial Real Estate Tax Exemption — Existing qualified structures listed on the Virginia Beach Historical Register, or eligible for listing with an application pending when rehabilitation begins, and at least 50 years old when the application is made.. Partial exemption applies to the increase in assessed value from rehabilitation; for rehabilitated residential structures, the exemption equals the greater of the initial increase in assessed value from rehabilitation or 50% of qualifying rehabilitation cost, and runs with the land for 15 years. Yes; application must be filed before rehabilitation work begins and at the same time as the building permit application. Apply by Before commencement of rehabilitation work for which exemption is sought.. (Source: https://assessor.virginiabeach.gov/relief-incentives/historically-significant-rehabilitated-structures)

How to Look Up Your Property Record in City of Virginia Beach

You can look up your property's official record at https://propertysearch.virginiabeach.gov/. The City’s official Property Search Tool lets users look up assessment details by address; official forms also identify it as the place to find a property’s GPIN and prior fiscal year real assessment information.