Holland is genuinely Dutch, and has been since its founding in 1847 by immigrants who settled along Lake Macatawa, an arm of Lake Michigan, and named the town for the homeland they'd left. That heritage is still everywhere — in the street names, in Hope College, and especially each spring at Tulip Time, the festival that fills the town with millions of blooming tulips, wooden-shoe dancers, and parades. The other landmark is Windmill Island Gardens, built around De Zwaan, a real Dutch windmill brought over from the Netherlands in 1964 that still grinds flour.
At a glance
State millage data currently shows about 41.9 to 43.2 mills for a primary home. 2 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 Holland, 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 Holland, 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
Holland assessor or treasurer
Start with the Holland 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
Holland 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
Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 Holland
The seller's tax bill may not be your tax bill.
2025 property-tax snapshot
- Primary home (PRE)
- 41.9411 mills - 43.2003 mills
- Other property / non-homestead
- 59.9411 mills - 61.2003 mills
- School districts available
- 2 in Holland
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 Holland, your rate can vary by parcel. The school district tied to the property matters, and 2 school districts cover Holland. For a primary home with PRE, Michigan's main-home exemption, rates currently run about 41.9 to 43.2 mills. Without PRE, non-homestead rates run about 59.9 to 61.2 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
Holland City School DI
Primary home (PRE) 41.9411 mills · non-homestead 59.9411 mills
Zeeland Public School
Primary home (PRE) 43.2003 mills · non-homestead 61.2003 mills
Local rules and costs to check
Note-sized practical catches tied to Holland: taxes, property rules, permits, local costs, or other things worth checking before you decide.
Local check
Holland's local utility heats parts of downtown
Holland's community-owned utility uses waste heat from power generation to warm a downtown snowmelt system, but utility and snowmelt coverage both depend on the address.
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 Holland
One thing to know if you're buying here: Holland Board of Public Works is the community-owned utility for local electric, water, wastewater, and fiber systems, but service boundaries can differ outside the city. HBPW also sends waste heat from power generation through a downtown snowmelt system, helping clear the streets and sidewalks that sit over its buried tubing.
Like the rest of Michigan, Holland sends two property tax bills a year — a summer bill and a winter bill — instead of one. The notes below cover the utility, the Dutch heritage, and the tax timing.
Featured local story
Hudsonville Ice Cream started as a farmers' co-op for milk
Hudsonville Ice Cream grew out of an 1895 dairy cooperative, began scooping in 1926, and now runs its big plant in Holland after stops in Burnips.
Read the story →-
Why Holland is so Dutch — tulips, a windmill, and an 1847 beginning
Holland's Dutch identity traces to its 1847 founding, Tulip Time, and De Zwaan, the working Dutch windmill on Windmill Island.
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'Big Red': Holland's Beloved (and Not-Always-Red) Icon
Holland's beloved Dutch-gabled icon, guarding a hand-dug channel into Lake Michigan — and famous for a coat of red it didn't wear until 1956.
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A working Dutch windmill crossed the Atlantic to Michigan
Holland calls De Zwaan America's only authentic working Dutch windmill. It was built in 1884 with some older parts and moved to Michigan in 1964.
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Five Million Tulips Bloom in One Michigan Town Every May
Holland, Michigan throws the longest-running tulip festival in the U.S. — five million-plus tulips every May, a tradition begun in 1929.
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Why Is Michigan Water So... Different? (No Sharks, No Salt, and "Lake-Effect" Everything)
The Great Lakes are freshwater — no salt, no sharks — and the same lakes that bury Michigan's west side in 'lake-effect' snow also create its cherry-and-apple fruit belt.
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The Melon Heads of Saugatuck
The Melon Heads legend warns of deformed children loose in the woods near Saugatuck's Felt Mansion — but the asylum at its center never existed.
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Why everyone's moving to Ottawa County
Ottawa County — Lake Michigan beaches, the Grand River, Tulip Time, and top-rated communities — has been Michigan's fastest-growing county for years running.
Nearby places
The closest Michigan Porch pages to Holland. Open one to read it, or put it side by side with Holland — tax rates, school districts, and city income tax.
Compare Holland with a neighbor →Next steps
What to check next for Holland
Use the county office map for records and services, or follow the home path that matches what you are doing now.
- County Open Ottawa 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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