Frequently Asked Questions

• Real Estate: All real property listed on the current Grand List.
• Personal Property: Equipment owned by industry, commercial furniture and fixtures, unregistered motor vehicles, campers and horses.
• Motor Vehicles: All motor vehicles registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles. These vehicles are coded by the tax town and the Assessor is provided a list of registered vehicles annually by the DMV

TaxExemptionsPrograms.pdf

You may be eligible for one or more of the following exemptions:

• Veterans having served during a time of conflict
• Spouse of deceased veteran
• Blind
• Totally Disabled
• M.V. of active duty service person stationed out of state
• Farm/Forest/Open Space

Homeowners: If you or your spouse are 65 years of age or older, or disabled and own your own home, you may be eligible for a tax credit through the elderly/disabled low income** homeowners program. The filing period is February 1 through May 15 to receive this benefit on your July bill. Renters: If over 65 or disabled, you may qualify for a rebate check from the State of CT. Filing period is between April 1 and October 1

In May of each year, the budget is voted on by the taxpayers at the Annual Town Meeting. If passed, the mill rate is set immediately following the meeting. The property tax rate is expressed in mills or thousandths of a dollar. This year’s tax rate (mill rate) 23.64(this was set May 2024) is equal to $23.64 per $1,000 of net assessed value.

If you think your property assessment is not accurate, you may request the Assessor to review it. You also have the right to appeal your assessment to the Board of Assessment Appeals (BAA). The BAA meets in March. You must file an application to the BAA by February 20th that you intend to appeal. (Note: if an extension for filing the Grand List is granted, the dates become April and March 20th, respectively.) Applications are available from the Assessor’s Office. The BAA also meets in September for motor vehicle appeals only. It is not necessary to file an application for the September meeting.

If you took the Plate from one vehicle and put in on another vehicle, you do not have to do anything. 

You pay the July motor vehicle tax bill to the town you were residing in on October 1. If you did not change your address with the DMV please do so as soon as possible. The DMV sends your motor vehicle listing to the town that is on the address of your registration, as of October 1. If the address is wrong, it will go to the wrong town and have to be transferred once appropriate proof is submitted. We do not pro-rate between towns.

If you no longer are in possession of a motor vehicle that you received a bill for, or if the vehicle is now registered out of state, you may be entitled to a prorated credit.  In order to prorate any tax bill, the Connecticut plates/registration MUST be cancelled, and you MUST provide one of the following documents to our office:

• Copy of the bill of sale
• Copy of the transfer of title
• Copy of the out of state registration
• Stolen vehicle state (insurance company)
• Totaled vehicle statement (insurance company)
• Junked vehicle statement
• Trade in vehicle paperwork

You can cancel plates online at the Connecticut DMV's website as well as reprint confirmation of cancellation:                              https://portal.ct.gov/dmv/vehicle-services/cancel-registration-plates