Monroe is one of the oldest towns in Michigan. French traders and farmers settled along the River Raisin here in the 1780s and called it Frenchtown, the third European settlement in what's now the state after Detroit and Sault Ste. Marie; it was renamed for President James Monroe after he visited in 1817. That long history is still on the ground today. The city is home to River Raisin National Battlefield Park, the only national battlefield park in the country marking a War of 1812 battle, where the bloody 1813 fight gave the war its rallying cry, "Remember the Raisin." Monroe is also known as the "Floral City" for its old nursery trade, and it remains the global headquarters of La-Z-Boy, the recliner company two local cousins founded here in 1927.
At a glance
State millage data currently shows about 42.6 to 43.7 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 Monroe, 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 Monroe, 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
Monroe assessor or treasurer
Start with the Monroe 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
Monroe 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
Monroe 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 Monroe 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 Monroe
The seller's tax bill may not be your tax bill.
2025 property-tax snapshot
- Primary home (PRE)
- 42.6303 mills - 43.6803 mills
- Other property / non-homestead
- 60.6303 mills - 61.6803 mills
- School districts available
- 2 in Monroe
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 Monroe, your rate can vary by parcel. The school district tied to the property matters, and 2 school districts cover Monroe. For a primary home with PRE, Michigan's main-home exemption, rates currently run about 42.6 to 43.7 mills. Without PRE, non-homestead rates run about 60.6 to 61.7 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
Jefferson Schools-m
Primary home (PRE) 42.6303 mills · non-homestead 60.6303 mills
Monroe Public School
Primary home (PRE) 43.6803 mills · non-homestead 61.6803 mills
Local rules and costs to check
Note-sized practical catches tied to Monroe: taxes, property rules, permits, local costs, or other things worth checking before you decide.
Local check
Monroe's tap water comes from Lake Erie — and what that means in summer
Monroe draws drinking water from western Lake Erie, where summer algae blooms are watched closely and treated by the city water department.
Local check
There's a nuclear plant on Lake Erie nearby — what that means if you're buying near Monroe
Monroe sits within the Fermi 2 nuclear plant emergency planning zone, with routine siren tests, county planning, and a separate Fermi 1 history worth understanding.
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 Monroe
Monroe also claims George Custer, who grew up and married here; a large 1910 equestrian statue of him stands at a busy downtown corner and is the subject of an ongoing local debate over whether it should stay, move, or carry added context about his role in the wars against Native American nations. On the practical side, there's a working nuclear plant, Fermi 2, on the Lake Erie shore just northeast of the city, which puts Monroe inside a 10-mile emergency planning zone with monthly siren tests and free potassium-iodide pills available from the county. The city's tap water comes from Lake Erie, which can matter in summer.
Two more things worth knowing as a buyer: Michigan bills property taxes twice a year, in summer and winter, rather than in one annual statement. The notes below cover the Fermi zone, the Lake Erie water supply, and the rest of Monroe's history in full.
Featured local story
The only blood spilled in the Toledo War belonged to a Monroe deputy
Michigan and Ohio nearly fought over the Toledo Strip in 1835; the war's single casualty was a Monroe County deputy sheriff, stabbed with a penknife while trying to make an arrest.
Read the story →-
George Custer's hometown — and the ongoing debate over his statue
Monroe has long claimed George Custer, but the downtown Custer statue remains part of an unresolved local debate.
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Monroe: an old French town, the "Floral City," and the home of La-Z-Boy
Monroe's identity reaches from its Frenchtown roots and Floral City nursery history to La-Z-Boy's global headquarters.
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Monroe and the River Raisin: "Remember the Raisin"
Monroe's River Raisin National Battlefield Park is the only national battlefield marking a War of 1812 site, and it follows the story through its aftermath.
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Sterling State Park: Michigan's only state park on Lake Erie
Frenchtown Township is home to Sterling State Park — a mile of Lake Erie beach, lagoons full of birds, and a trail link to the national battlefield park.
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Why the river is named Raisin (and the township Raisinville)
French settlers named Monroe County's river the Rivière aux Raisins for the wild grapes draping its banks — and Raisinville Township carries the name on.
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Downriver's secret: an international wildlife refuge at the front door
North America's only international wildlife refuge grew from U.S.-Canadian cooperation and protects more than 30 separate habitat parcels along the lower Detroit River and western Lake Erie.
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Out of Monroe's harbors, the world's best walleye water
Western Lake Erie's walleye fishery is so productive that anglers call it the Walleye Capital of the World — and Monroe County's harbors are Michigan's front door to it.
Nearby places
The closest Michigan Porch pages to Monroe. Open one to read it, or put it side by side with Monroe — tax rates, school districts, and city income tax.
Compare Monroe with a neighbor →Next steps
What to check next for Monroe
Use the county office map for records and services, or follow the home path that matches what you are doing now.
- County Open Monroe 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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