How do I find the property taxes for a specific address in Monroe County NY?

Two houses in south Monroe County can carry the same asking price and the same square footage, and still differ by two or three hundred dollars a month in taxes. That difference is not a rounding error. At today's mortgage rates it is worth tens of thousands of dollars of purchase price. This post shows you how to pull the actual tax numbers for one address instead of relying on a rate somebody quoted you, what STAR does and does not do, how escrow handles the two bills you will receive each year, and the arithmetic that turns a monthly tax figure into a price ceiling at 6.65 percent.

Why can't I just compare tax rates town by town?

Because in New York a rate on its own is meaningless without the assessment it is applied to, and because your bill is not one bill. A single Monroe County property can be taxed by the county, the town, a village if it sits inside one, a school district, and any special districts for things like fire, library, sewer, drainage or lighting.

Three things break simple town to town comparisons:

• Assessments are set locally. Each municipality assesses at its own uniform percentage of market value and updates on its own schedule. A low rate on a fully revalued assessment can cost more than a high rate on an old one.
• School district lines do not follow town lines. Parts of Henrietta, Pittsford, Brighton, Rush and Mendon sit in districts that cross municipal boundaries. Honeoye Falls sits in the Honeoye Falls-Lima Central School District. Two houses across the street from each other can sit in different districts and carry different school taxes.
• Villages add a layer. A house inside the Village of Honeoye Falls or the Village of Pittsford pays a village levy on top of town and county. A house a mile outside the village line does not.

School taxes are usually the largest single piece of a Monroe County bill. If you compare towns using only county and town rates, you are comparing the smaller half.

How do I pull the real numbers for one address?

Work from documents, not estimates. This takes about fifteen minutes per house.

1. Find the parcel number. The tax ID, sometimes shown as the SBL, is usually printed in the MLS listing detail. If it is not, the assessor can find the parcel by address.
2. Look the parcel up on the Monroe County property information portal. You are after the current assessed value, the property class, and the tax history.
3. Open the assessment roll for that municipality. Each town, village and the City of Rochester publishes a roll showing assessed value, the uniform percentage of value used, and any exemptions attached to the parcel.
4. Ask for the paper bills. Request the most recent town and county bill and the most recent school bill from the listing agent or the seller. Add them together. That total, for the last full twelve months, is the honest starting number.
5. Strip out exemptions that are not yours. If the seller has exemptions on the parcel, the bill you see is lower than the bill you will pay. Ask the assessor what the figure looks like with no exemptions applied.
6. Compare the assessment to the price. If the assessed value is far below what you are about to pay, ask when the municipality last revalued. Your sale becomes a comparable sale for future rolls.

For context on price, Realtor.com data published through FRED put the Monroe County median listing price at $319,900 in May 2026. That is a list price median, not a closed sale median, and county data of this kind runs a few months behind. Use it to frame the conversation, not to price a house.

What the STAR exemption actually changes

STAR is New York State's school tax relief program, and it applies only to the school portion of the bill on an owner occupied primary residence. Two things trip buyers up.

First, it does not transfer. The seller's STAR benefit does not follow the house. New owners register with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and, for registrations made in recent years, the benefit arrives as a credit check rather than as a reduction printed on the school bill. So your escrow has to fund the full school tax, and the relief comes back to you separately.

Second, there is a basic benefit and an Enhanced STAR benefit with income and eligibility rules set by the state. Check your own eligibility directly with the state rather than assuming what the prior owner had. Other exemptions, including those for veterans and agricultural land, follow their own rules and their own paperwork.

How much does $100 a month of taxes cost you in price?

Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the 30 year fixed rate at 6.65 percent for the week ending August 20, 2026, down from 6.67 percent the prior week. The 15 year fixed averaged 5.95 percent that same week. Rates have been moving in a narrow band, which makes taxes the variable you can still control by choosing where you buy.

At 6.65 percent over 30 years, every $1,000 borrowed costs roughly $6.42 a month in principal and interest. Turn that around: every $100 a month you hand to taxes is about $15,600 of loan you can no longer carry.

These figures are arithmetic from the 6.65 percent rate above, not local tax averages. To use them, do this with real bills:

• Start with the total monthly housing payment you are comfortable with, including taxes and insurance.
• Subtract your insurance estimate and the actual monthly tax figure for the specific house.
• Divide what is left by 0.00642. That is the loan the house supports at 6.65 percent on a 30 year term.

Worked through: on a $2,800 monthly budget with $125 of insurance, a house with a $5,500 annual tax bill leaves about $2,217 for principal and interest, or roughly $345,000 of loan. Move to a house with an $8,500 bill and you have about $1,967 left, or roughly $306,000. Same monthly payment. About $39,000 less house. On a 15 year loan at 5.95 percent the effect is smaller per dollar, roughly $11,900 of loan per $100 a month, because the payment is dominated by principal.

How escrow handles two bills a year

Most Monroe County owners with a mortgage pay taxes through an escrow account. The lender collects one twelfth of the estimated annual total with each payment, then pays the town and county bill and the school bill when each comes due. The two bills arrive at different times of year, which is why the escrow cushion exists.

What to watch:

• Closing prorations. Taxes are divided between seller and buyer at closing based on the billing period. Your attorney will show this on the settlement statement.
• The first escrow analysis. Lenders often set the initial escrow from the seller's bill. If that bill included exemptions you do not have, or the assessment rises after your sale, the analysis a year later raises your monthly payment. Ask your lender to underwrite the un-exempted figure up front.
• Shortage payments. If escrow runs short, you can usually pay the gap in a lump sum or spread it over twelve months. Ask which option the servicer offers before you need it.

What if the assessment looks too high?

Start with the assessor, not a lawsuit. Ask for the property record card and check the basics: square footage, bedroom and bathroom count, garage, finished basement, lot size, condition. Errors on the card are common and get corrected without a hearing.

If the data is right and the value still looks high, build a case from recent arm's length sales of similar homes in the same district, then compare your assessment to the municipality's stated uniform percentage of value. Every municipality publishes a tentative roll date and a grievance deadline for the Board of Assessment Review. Those dates differ, so confirm yours with your assessor's office rather than assuming. A recent purchase price below your assessment is strong evidence. A renovation you just finished works against you.

Common questions

Which town in Monroe County has the lowest property taxes?

There is no honest single answer, because the bill depends on the school district, whether the parcel sits in a village, and how recently the municipality revalued. A town with a lower published rate can produce a higher bill than a neighbor with a higher rate. Compare actual dollar bills for actual addresses, not rates.

Will my taxes go up because I paid more than the assessed value?

Possibly. Your sale becomes a data point the assessor can use, and municipalities that reassess regularly will bring the assessment toward market value over time. A single sale does not automatically trigger a change, but do not budget as if the seller's old bill is permanent, especially if the assessment sits well below your price.

Do I need to reapply for STAR when I buy?

Yes. The benefit belongs to the owner, not the house, so you register with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance after closing. Recent registrants generally receive a credit check rather than a reduction on the school bill, which means your escrow still funds the full amount.

Can I pay Monroe County property taxes myself instead of through escrow?

Sometimes. Some lenders waive escrow at certain down payment and loan program thresholds, and some charge for the privilege. If you self pay, you are responsible for both the town and county bill and the school bill on their own due dates, and late penalties are yours alone. Ask your loan officer what the waiver requires before you commit.

How much do taxes change what I can afford at 6.65 percent?

At the 6.65 percent 30 year average Freddie Mac reported for the week ending August 20, 2026, roughly every $100 a month of tax equals about $15,600 of loan. A $3,000 per year difference between two houses, about $250 a month, is close to $39,000 of purchase price at the same monthly payment.

Run the numbers on a specific house

If you are weighing two towns, or you think your assessment is wrong, bring me the addresses. I will pull the parcel data and the actual bills and show you what each house does to your price ceiling at current rates, in writing, before you write an offer. Book a time with me here.

Khem Kadariya

About this data

The figures in this post were compiled from publicly available sources including Redfin, Houzeo, Zillow, Movoto and FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis), along with other public market data. Real estate numbers change quickly, and these were accurate as of August 2026. For current figures on a specific home, street, or town, ask me directly rather than relying on a published average.