Ann Arbor is Michigan's classic college town, built around the University of Michigan. The school's students, hospitals, and research labs give the city its energy and its economy — and pack Michigan Stadium, "the Big House," on home football Saturdays. Downtown stays walkable and tree-shaded, full of bookshops, restaurants, and live music, with campus and city blending block by block.
At a glance
State millage data currently shows about 52.7 mills for a primary home. One school district appears in the rate data, but parcel tax districts and PRE status still decide the final bill.
Practical directory
Common home and paperwork paths
Start with the Michigan guide that matches the job. For a parcel, bill, permit, or recorded document in Ann Arbor, confirm the final answer with the local or county office shown farther down this page.
- Delinquent property tax Get help before the redemption date Find the foreclosing unit, exact payoff, assistance programs, counseling, and legal-help paths.
- Utility shutoff or past-due bill Work the utility-help sequence Call the provider, apply for emergency relief, use 2-1-1, and ask about household protections.
- Essential home repair Find repair or weatherization help Match the repair, household, service area, and rural status to programs that may actually fit.
- Home and estate Handle a home after someone dies Keep the property stable, find the deed and authority to act, and choose the right estate or title path.
- Manufactured home Transfer or repair the home title Start with the Secretary of State path for a sale, missing title, lien, or legal affixture to land.
- Permits and repairs Check a permit or contractor Find who enforces the work in Ann Arbor, what to put in writing, and where to check a license.
Who handles what
Send the question to the right office
Start local for a parcel, tax bill, permit, or housing rule. Move to the county or a district when the record or service covers more than one community.
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Assessment, PRE, current tax bill, or Board of Review
Ann Arbor assessor or treasurer
Start with the Ann Arbor office shown on the assessment notice or tax bill. The assessor handles value and exemptions; the treasurer handles the current summer or winter bill.
Michigan property-tax basics -
Rental registration, building permit, or code problem
Ann Arbor building, rental, or code office
The enforcing agency can be the municipality, county, or state, and electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work may go to different places.
Find the official permit jurisdiction ↗ Michigan homeowner guide -
Marriage license, local record, deed, or delinquent tax
Washtenaw County offices
The clerk, register of deeds, and county treasurer handle different parts of this work. The county page separates them for you.
Open the official Washtenaw County site ↗ Getting married in Michigan -
Private well, septic system, local health, or trial court
County, district, or court finder
A health district or court can serve more than one community. The county page links to the official statewide finders.
Find the local health department ↗ Michigan well and septic guide
The practical stuff
Buying, owning, or selling in Ann Arbor
The seller's tax bill may not be your tax bill.
2025 property-tax snapshot
- Primary home (PRE)
- 52.6657 mills - 52.6657 mills
- Other property / non-homestead
- 68.6263 mills - 68.6263 mills
- School districts available
- 1 in Ann Arbor
One mill means $1 per $1,000 of Taxable Value. Rate rows come from the official 2025 Michigan Treasury report. Last reviewed July 12, 2026.
What these local words mean
- Primary home (PRE)
- A home you own and live in as your main home. PRE stands for Principal Residence Exemption and can lower the school operating tax.
- Non-homestead
- Property that is not treated as the owner's main home, such as a rental, vacation home, or second home.
- Assessor
- The local office that estimates and records property values and exemptions.
- Treasurer
- The local office that collects property tax payments and can confirm bill timing.
Michigan homebuyer tax calculator
See the tax bill after you buy.
Where is the house?
Pick the county, city or township, and school district. We use the official 2025 tax rates published by Michigan Treasury.
Not sure of the school district? Check the property listing. It is usually under "Schools."
Need to double-check the exact parcel? Use the official state estimator at treas-secure.state.mi.us/ptestimator or call the local treasurer. Rates can change across city, township, village, and school district lines, so the exact parcel matters.
Why a buyer's property-tax bill can change after a sale
In Michigan, property tax isn't figured on what you paid — it's figured on the home's Taxable Value, with the local millage rates applied to that number. While one owner keeps the home, Proposal A caps how fast that Taxable Value can climb. When the home sells, the cap usually comes off — this is called uncapping — and the Taxable Value resets toward the State Equalized Value, or SEV, which tends to run about half of a home's market value.
That reset is the part that catches buyers: a longtime owner may have been paying on an old, capped number, so the year after you buy, yours can jump to the new one — and your first full-year bill can land well above what the seller was paying. In Ann Arbor, one school district appears in the rate data. Parcel-specific tax districts can still matter. For a primary home with PRE, Michigan's main-home exemption, the rate shown here is about 52.7 mills. Without PRE, the non-homestead rate is about 68.6 mills. The calculator above turns those local rates into your actual number.
If this will be your main home, make sure that PRE is filed with the local assessor — it can lift up to 18 school-operating mills off the bill. Rentals, vacation homes, and second homes stay on the higher non-homestead rate.
The tax reset is the big one, but it isn't the whole checklist. It's also worth checking whether the address sits in a floodplain, and whether you'll owe a city income tax where you live or work. The buying-a-home guide walks through the rest.
School districts in this area
Ann Arbor Public Schools
Primary home (PRE) 52.6657 mills · non-homestead 68.6263 mills
Local rules and costs to check
Note-sized practical catches tied to Ann Arbor: taxes, property rules, permits, local costs, or other things worth checking before you decide.
Local check
Buying in Ann Arbor's Old West Side? Check the local historic-district rules
Ann Arbor's Old West Side is a local historic district, so exterior work goes through the city's Historic District Commission process.
Local check
Does Ann Arbor have a city income tax? No — but the question keeps coming back
Ann Arbor has no city income tax, but voters and city leaders have revisited the idea several times over the years.
Local check
How the University of Michigan shapes Ann Arbor — including your tax bill
The University of Michigan drives Ann Arbor's economy, housing demand, culture, and a long-running property-tax-base debate.
Local check
Renting in Ann Arbor? It has some of Michigan's strongest tenant protections
Ann Arbor inspects rentals and has city rules around renewals, application fees, and tenant screening.
Stories & local context
Get to know Ann Arbor
That university presence shapes daily life here, including the housing market and the tax base: U-M is the city's largest employer and a major tax-exempt landowner. Ann Arbor has no city income tax, but it does have some of Michigan's strongest tenant protections and strict limits on short-term rentals, so renters, landlords, and would-be Airbnb hosts should read the rules first.
Two place-specific things to check before you buy: parts of the west side and neighboring Scio Township sit over the Gelman 1,4-dioxane groundwater plume, and exterior work in the Old West Side local historic district goes through the city's Historic District Commission process. Check the exact address first; the notes below cover both.
Featured local story
Fielding Yost and the Little Brown Jug
Fielding Yost's point-a-minute Wolverines and a 30-cent water jug gave college football its oldest trophy.
Read the story →-
Michigan Stadium is North America's largest stadium
The Big House seats 107,601. Michigan Athletics says it has drawn more than 100,000 fans for 329 straight home football games.
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The Day the World Held Its Breath in Ann Arbor — and Polio Was Beaten
On April 12, 1955, the world learned from a packed auditorium in Ann Arbor that the Salk polio vaccine worked.
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The Game: Michigan vs. Ohio State
College football's fiercest rivalry, forged in the Ten Year War between Bo Schembechler and his old mentor Woody Hayes.
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Yes, There's a Town in Michigan Actually Named Hell
Yes, there's a real town in Michigan named Hell — settled in 1838, officially named in 1841, and happy to let you get 'married in Hell' or crowned mayor for a day.
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The half-mile-long building with a petting farm: Domino's Farms
Ann Arbor Township is home to Domino's Farms — a half-mile-long Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired 'groundscraper' with a working petting farm out front.
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The university's gardens are in the township: Matthaei
The University of Michigan's Matthaei Botanical Gardens — conservatory, bonsai collection, and miles of free trails — sits in Ann Arbor Township.
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Punk Rock Has Michigan Roots — Meet the MC5 and the Stooges
Before anyone called it punk, the MC5 of Detroit and the Stooges of Ann Arbor were already playing it — and the world's punk bands took it from there.
Nearby places
The closest Michigan Porch pages to Ann Arbor. Open one to read it, or put it side by side with Ann Arbor — tax rates, school districts, and city income tax.
Compare Ann Arbor with a neighbor →Next steps
What to check next for Ann Arbor
Use the county office map for records and services, or follow the home path that matches what you are doing now.
- County Open Washtenaw County See the county page for other cities, townships, villages, local notes, and the county-wide tax snapshot. Open county page →
- Homeowner Keep the house on track Use one calm directory for tax notices, insurance, contractors, permits, records, and repairs. Open homeowner guide →
- Seller Plan the Michigan closing Walk through disclosure, title, transfer tax, PRE rescission, and the records worth keeping. Open seller guide →
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