Auburn Hills is a busy Oakland County city on the north side of Metro Detroit, known as a hub for corporate headquarters, manufacturing, and a major shopping district that draws visitors from across the region. Oakland University's main campus crosses the city line between Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, adding students and university activity to the city's mix of offices and factories.
At a glance
State millage data currently shows about 32.5 to 39 mills for a primary home. 4 school districts cover the community, so the parcel and PRE status 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 Auburn Hills, 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 Auburn Hills, 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
Auburn Hills assessor or treasurer
Start with the Auburn Hills 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
Auburn Hills 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
Oakland 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 Oakland 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 Auburn Hills
The seller's tax bill may not be your tax bill.
2025 property-tax snapshot
- Primary home (PRE)
- 32.4857 mills - 39.043 mills
- Other property / non-homestead
- 50.4857 mills - 57.043 mills
- School districts available
- 4 in Auburn Hills
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 Auburn Hills, your rate can vary by parcel. The school district tied to the property matters, and 4 school districts cover Auburn Hills. For a primary home with PRE, Michigan's main-home exemption, rates currently run about 32.5 to 39 mills. Without PRE, non-homestead rates run about 50.5 to 57 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
Avondale School Dist
Primary home (PRE) 37.7877 mills · non-homestead 55.7877 mills
Lake Orion Community
Primary home (PRE) 39.043 mills · non-homestead 57.043 mills
Pontiac City School DI
Primary home (PRE) 32.4857 mills · non-homestead 50.4857 mills
Rochester Community
Primary home (PRE) 32.6502 mills · non-homestead 50.6502 mills
Local rules and costs to check
Note-sized practical catches tied to Auburn Hills: taxes, property rules, permits, local costs, or other things worth checking before you decide.
Local check
Can you park on the street overnight? Often not
Many metro Detroit suburbs restrict overnight street parking, and snow emergencies can bring stricter temporary bans.
Local check
Why is car insurance so expensive around here?
Michigan auto insurance is still expensive, and metro Detroit addresses can move rates by hundreds of dollars a month.
Local check
Can you run an Airbnb here? Your city or township decides
Michigan leaves short-term rental rules to each city or township, so Airbnb and Vrbo rules can change from one community to the next.
Local check
In Michigan, you get two property-tax bills a year — not one
Most Michigan property owners get separate summer and winter tax bills, with local rules deciding what lands on each bill.
Stories & local context
Get to know Auburn Hills
A few local rules are worth a look before you settle in. Whether you can run a short-term rental depends on the city's own ordinance, overnight street parking is often restricted, and car insurance across Metro Detroit tends to run high and can vary by address. The notes below cover each, along with Michigan's two-bills-a-year property tax setup.
Featured local story
The Clinton River starts as a web, not a line
Main, Middle, North, Stony, Paint, and Red Run branches connect Oakland and Macomb communities before the Clinton reaches Lake St. Clair.
Read the story →-
Oakland University grew from a 1,400-acre estate gift
Matilda and Alfred Wilson gave Michigan State their estate and $2 million in 1957; Oakland University opened to undergraduates two years later.
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The Auburn Hills tower with a window shaped like a car logo
Chrysler's Auburn Hills headquarters is one of the biggest office buildings in the country, crowned by a 249-foot tower with a giant window in the shape of the Pentastar logo.
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The Palace of Auburn Hills: three banners, then a vacant field
The Palace of Auburn Hills opened in 1988, gave the Detroit Pistons three NBA titles, was imploded in 2020 — and General Motors now plans an electric-vehicle parts plant on the bare ground.
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The Auburn Hills mall built as one long loop you can't get lost in
Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Auburn Hills, open since 1998, is Michigan's largest indoor outlet center — built in a long loop with shops, restaurants, and attractions.
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The Bad Boys Pistons
Detroit won with grit, not glamour — the bruising Bad Boys took back-to-back NBA titles in 1989 and 1990 as a true team.
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Why Oakland? Oak openings, 1,400 lakes, and Michigan's prosperity engine
Oakland County took its name from the park-like oak openings the first surveyors found — and its 1,400 lakes and glacial hills still set the landscape apart.
Nearby places
The closest Michigan Porch pages to Auburn Hills. Open one to read it, or put it side by side with Auburn Hills — tax rates, school districts, and city income tax.
Compare Auburn Hills with a neighbor →Next steps
What to check next for Auburn Hills
Use the county office map for records and services, or follow the home path that matches what you are doing now.
- County Open Oakland 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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