Frequently Asked Questions

You can view your property information on our Property Search Site at Lancaster County Property Tax Inquiry .

We have instructions for how to use the site posted on our website. The direct link to the instructions is How-to-use-the-Property-Search-Website .

You can call our office at 717-299-8381 and speak to someone about the issue or you can send an email to paquestions@lancastercountypa.gov . You can also fill out a Property Correction Form at Property-Correction-Form- and email it to the above address. Depending on the complexity of the issue, we may be able to fix the information for you immediately, or a field check may be required.

Notices will be mailed with your new assessment value in the summer of 2026. Your appeal deadline will be 40 days from the mailing date of that notice and will be printed on the notice. All appeals must be postmarked by the appeal deadline date or delivered to our office by 5:00 pm on that date.

The reassessment value will go into effect for the 2027 tax year.

The millage rates for the 2027 County/Muni taxes will be determined towards the end of December, 2026. The millage rates for the 2027-2028 school year will be determined in June of 2027.

Not necessarily. The taxing bodies will have to adjust their millage rates down in proportion to the increase in taxable assessment in each individual district when they set their new budgets, beginning with the 2027 County/Muni taxes and the 2027-2028 School taxes. The millage rate set at that time will determine the amount of taxes that you will pay.

For residential properties, we will use valid, arms length sales of properties from 2022-2024 by neighborhood or area (for rural properties) to determine estimates of value for the surrounding properties. Data such as acreage, square footage, amenities (porches, garages, bathrooms etc.) have a value attributed to them and then those values are adjusted by comparing them to similar sales in your area by ratios for each neighborhood to generate a probable market value.

For Commercial/Industrial properties, a combination of Marshall & Swift cost values, sales, rents and incomes will be used to determine value.

We cannot go out to pick up improvements without a building permit issued for the property by your local municipality. Each municipality has different standards as to what requires a building permit. If you feel your neighbor has added something without a permit, please contact your local municipality. We will not go out and pick up improvements based on a call from a neighbor. They need to go through the appropriate channels.

The primary homesite is the average/most common acreage for each neighborhood. That way every parcel is valued at the same base acreage for their land. The residual land is any acreage that is over the primary homesite amount and then that extra land is valued at a lower rate. This keeps the land values more stable so higher acreage parcels do not have overly inflated values.

Actually, renters do pay property taxes, just indirectly. The rental industry in not a non-profit industry, so landlords must cover all of their expenses, including property taxes, in the rent they charge their tenant and allow for a margin of profit in the end. Although renters are not directly paying property taxes to the taxing body, they are paying the taxes to their landlord through their monthly rent.

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