How Kentucky property tax works
Kentucky assesses homes at 100% of fair cash value, set by your county's Property Valuation Administrator (PVA). Rates are quoted in cents per $100 of value and add up across four layers: the state rate, the county (including library, health and extension districts), the school district and the city, plus special districts like fire.
The state rate is small and keeps falling. By law it must be cut whenever assessments rise enough to push state real estate revenue up more than 4%. It was 10.6 cents per $100 for 2025, down from 10.9, and has been reported at 10.3 cents for 2026.
2025 combined rates by city
Totals add the state rate (10.6), county-wide levies, the school district and the city rate, in cents per $100. Where two school districts serve the same city, both are shown. The last column is the tax on a $300,000 home.
| City (school district) | County-wide | School | City / special | Total ¢ per $100 | Tax on $300,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfort (Frankfort Independent) | 35.0 | 102.9 | 19.5 | 168.0 | $5,040 |
| Ashland (Ashland Independent) | 46.79 | 78.7 | 19.18 + 10.56 floodwall | 165.8 | $4,975 |
| Covington | 26.8 | 95.1 | 28.7 | 161.2 | $4,836 |
| Paducah (Paducah Independent) | 25.2 | 88.2 | 27.1 + 1.4 | 152.5 | $4,575 |
| Owensboro (Owensboro Independent) | 22.67 | 84.0 | 25.6 | 142.9 | $4,286 |
| Frankfort (Franklin County Schools) | 35.0 | 74.2 | 19.5 | 139.3 | $4,179 |
| Bowling Green (BG Independent) | 21.45 | 84.8 | 20.3 | 137.2 | $4,115 |
| Owensboro (Daviess County Schools) | 22.67 | 69.8 | 25.6 | 128.7 | $3,860 |
| Lexington (full urban services) | 18.68 | 79.8 | 17.3 services | 126.4 | $3,791 |
| Louisville (Urban Services District) | 11.8 | 71.7 | 31.9 USD | 126.0 | $3,780 |
| Nicholasville | 26.9 | 67.8 | 18.6 | 123.9 | $3,717 |
| Elizabethtown (E'town Independent) | 15.0 | 85.7 | 10.7 | 122.0 | $3,660 |
| Paducah (McCracken County Schools) | 25.2 | 51.8 | 27.1 + 1.4 | 116.1 | $3,483 |
| Florence | 16.15 | 65.5 | 23.1 | 115.4 | $3,461 |
| Richmond | 21.9 | 61.8 | 11.1 | 105.4 | $3,162 |
| Jeffersontown | 11.8 | 71.7 | 10.82 | 104.9 | $3,148 |
| Bowling Green (Warren County Schools) | 21.45 | 52.2 | 20.3 | 104.6 | $3,137 |
| Elizabethtown (Hardin County Schools) | 15.0 | 65.2 | 10.7 | 101.5 | $3,045 |
| Georgetown | 15.57 | 62.9 | 6.2 | 95.3 | $2,858 |
| Hopkinsville | 22.6 | 39.0 | 20.2 | 92.4 | $2,772 |
The school district is the biggest variable. Inside Bowling Green, homes in the city's independent district pay about 33 cents per $100 more than those in Warren County Schools, about $980 a year on a $300,000 house. The same pattern shows up in Owensboro, Elizabethtown, Frankfort and Paducah.
Louisville and Lexington are merged city-county governments. In Louisville, the Urban Services District rate (31.9) covers the former city's services; outside it, suburban cities like Jeffersontown levy their own. In Lexington, refuse, street cleaning and street lights add up to 17.3 cents where you get all three services, and less where you don't.
Some cities and counties charge flat fees on top, such as a $60 garbage fee in Frankfort and a $50 county fire fee in Warren County.
The homestead exemption
If you're 65 or older or totally disabled, Kentucky exempts $49,100 of your home's assessed value for 2025 and 2026 (up from $46,350). In Louisville that's worth about $619 a year. Apply with your county PVA; only one homestead or disability exemption is allowed per household. See senior exemptions by state.
Paying: the 2% discount and the penalties
- 2% discount if you pay within the discount window (normally October 1 to November 1; later if your county mails bills late, as Jefferson County often does).
- Face amount through December 31.
- 5% penalty in January, 21% penalty from February 1 to April 15.
- After April 15 the bill becomes a certificate of delinquency, which can be sold to investors, with 1% monthly interest plus collection fees. See tax lien certificates.
How to appeal your assessment
Every May the tax roll is open for inspection for two weeks, from the first Monday in May. During that time, ask for a conference with the PVA. If you're not satisfied, file an appeal with the county clerk no later than one workday after the inspection period ends. The local Board of Assessment Appeals hears it a few weeks later, and you can appeal its decision to the Kentucky Board of Tax Appeals. Bring sales of comparable homes. See our appeal guide.
Where these numbers come from
All local rates are from the Kentucky Department of Revenue's Kentucky Property Tax Rates 2025 rate book; city totals are our sums of the state, county-wide, school, city and special district rates that apply. The state rate and homestead exemption are from Department of Revenue announcements; the 2026 state rate is from news coverage of the Department's announcement. Payment and appeal rules are from the Department of Revenue. For ZIP-level data, start from our Kentucky page.