The state's second-largest city sits on the Grand River in West Michigan, and it has worn a lot of names over the years. Grand Rapids became known as "Furniture City" while it was a center of the furniture industry from the 1870s through the 1930s; Steelcase began here in 1912 and still lists its headquarters in the city. The newer "Beer City USA" name came from online fan polls in 2012 and 2013, and the greater Grand Rapids area now has nearly 40 breweries. The city is also home to the Medical Mile, a hillside row of hospitals, research labs, and medical schools along Michigan Street. Every fall the ArtPrize competition turns downtown into a free, city-sized art show. Gerald R. Ford, the only U.S. president from Michigan, is buried with Betty Ford at his presidential museum on the riverfront.
At a glance
State millage data currently shows about 33.1 to 36.3 mills for a primary home. 7 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 Grand Rapids, 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 Grand Rapids, 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
Grand Rapids assessor or treasurer
Start with the Grand Rapids 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
Grand Rapids 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
Kent 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 Kent 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 Grand Rapids
The seller's tax bill may not be your tax bill.
2025 property-tax snapshot
- Primary home (PRE)
- 33.1249 mills - 36.3132 mills
- Other property / non-homestead
- 51.1249 mills - 54.3132 mills
- School districts available
- 7 in Grand Rapids
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 Grand Rapids, your rate can vary by parcel. The school district tied to the property matters, and 7 school districts cover Grand Rapids. For a primary home with PRE, Michigan's main-home exemption, rates currently run about 33.1 to 36.3 mills. Without PRE, non-homestead rates run about 51.1 to 54.3 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
Caledonia Community
Primary home (PRE) 36.2749 mills · non-homestead 54.2749 mills
Forest Hills Public SC
Primary home (PRE) 36.3132 mills · non-homestead 54.3132 mills
Godwin Heights Public
Primary home (PRE) 34.3949 mills · non-homestead 52.3949 mills
Grand Rapids City Schools
Primary home (PRE) 33.1249 mills · non-homestead 51.1249 mills
Grandville Public Schools
Primary home (PRE) 35.6751 mills · non-homestead 53.6751 mills
Kenowa Hills Public S
Primary home (PRE) 33.9449 mills · non-homestead 51.9449 mills
Kentwood Public Schools
Primary home (PRE) 34.8114 mills · non-homestead 52.8114 mills
Local rules and costs to check
Note-sized practical catches tied to Grand Rapids: taxes, property rules, permits, local costs, or other things worth checking before you decide.
Local check
You can keep backyard chickens in Grand Rapids — with a permit and no roosters
Grand Rapids legalized backyard hens in 2016 after a two-year pilot; the city allows up to four to six birds on a permit, with hard rules on coops — and no roosters.
Local check
Buying a historic Grand Rapids home? Check the exterior-work rules first
A Grand Rapids property in a local historic district generally needs city review before exterior work, but the city does not regulate paint colors.
Local check
Renting out a home? Your city may make you register it and pass an inspection
Many Michigan cities require rental homes to be registered and inspected before a tenant can legally move in.
Local check
Overnight parking in west Michigan: two cities, two rules
Grand Rapids' seasonal rule applies only on signed streets; Kalamazoo generally bars paved-street parking from 2 to 6 a.m. unless an exception applies.
Stories & local context
Get to know Grand Rapids
If you're buying here, the biggest line to know is the city income tax. Grand Rapids is one of about two dozen Michigan cities that charge one, and one of the highest: residents pay 1.5% on income, and non-residents who work in the city pay 0.75%. Only Detroit and Highland Park charge more. It comes on top of state and federal income tax, gets filed on the city's own return, and is due April 30, a couple of weeks after your federal deadline. If you live in Grand Rapids but work in another city with its own income tax (like Walker), you can usually claim a credit so you aren't taxed twice.
A few other local rules are worth a look before you sign. Short-term rental rules are set by the city, and renting out a home may mean registering it and passing a safety inspection first. Owners of older homes should know that in a city historic district, exterior changes usually need the city's approval before you can pull permits. The notes below cover those, along with west Michigan car insurance and winter overnight parking.
Featured local story
The Grand Rapids boy who flew to Apollo 1 — and the planetarium that carries his name
Roger B. Chaffee, born in Grand Rapids in 1935, was one of three astronauts killed in the Apollo 1 fire; his hometown museum renamed its planetarium for him.
Read the story →-
Blandford Nature Center: 264 wooded acres a museum lecturer talked into existence
A 264-acre nature center on the west side of Grand Rapids that grew from a 17-acre family gift, the doing of one persistent museum naturalist, Mary Jane Dockeray.
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The downtown ice rink with the year-2000 sky frozen under it
Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids is a Maya Lin design called Ecliptic; fiber-optic lights set into the ice map the stars over the city at midnight on January 1, 2000.
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John Ball Park: the 40 acres the city almost shrugged off
When John Ball died in 1884 he left 40 wooded acres to Grand Rapids for a park; some leaders thought the plot was worthless, but it grew into John Ball Park and the John Ball Zoo.
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La Grande Vitesse: the red Calder that became the city's logo
The 42-ton red steel Calder on a downtown Grand Rapids plaza was the first public artwork paid for by the National Endowment for the Arts — and the city liked it so much it built its logo around it.
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The Grand River fish ladder doubles as a sculpture
An artist-designed concrete fish ladder below the Sixth Street Dam in Grand Rapids lets salmon and steelhead climb the Grand River, and a raised platform puts you a few feet from the fall run.
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Frederik Meijer Gardens: sculpture, butterflies, and a 24-foot horse
A 158-acre garden and sculpture park in Grand Rapids, home to a giant bronze horse based on a Leonardo da Vinci design left unfinished for 500 years.
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ArtPrize: when downtown Grand Rapids becomes one giant art show
ArtPrize turns downtown Grand Rapids into a free, city-sized art show each fall.
More local threads
Nearby places
The closest Michigan Porch pages to Grand Rapids. Open one to read it, or put it side by side with Grand Rapids — tax rates, school districts, and city income tax.
Compare Grand Rapids with a neighbor →Next steps
What to check next for Grand Rapids
Use the county office map for records and services, or follow the home path that matches what you are doing now.
- County Open Kent 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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