# Chesterfield County, Virginia property tax rate and home buying costs

Source: https://nobullshitloans.com/virginia/chesterfield/
By Tyler Rood, Loan Officer, NMLS ID # 2064776, Edge Home Finance, LLC (NMLS ID # 891464). Updated 2026-11-09.

## The short answer

The 2026 Chesterfield County, Virginia property tax rate on real estate is $0.89 per $100 of assessed value, due in halves on June 5 and December 5 (Monday, December 7 in 2026). A $350,000 assessment means about $3,115 a year, or $260 a month in escrow. On a $350,000 purchase with a $332,500 loan, the buyer's recordation taxes and clerk's fees come to about $2,388, assuming the county adds the standard one-third local share.

I work out of Chesterfield, so this is the county I quote more than any other. If you are shopping Chesterfield, Virginia mortgage lenders, you will hear plenty about rates, and rates change every day. This page is the part that doesn't: what the county charges in tax and when, what the courthouse collects when your deed is recorded, and the loan limits that apply here, as of November 2026.


**Chesterfield at a glance, November 2026**

- Real estate tax rate, 2026: $0.89 per $100 (of assessed value; it was $0.91 in 2023, $0.90 in 2024 and $0.89 in 2025)
- Tax due dates: Jun 5, Dec 5 (in halves; the December 2026 half is due Monday, December 7)
- Tax on a $350,000 assessment: $3,115 a year (about $260 a month in escrow)
- Buyer's recording cost: $2,388 (recordation taxes and clerk's fees on a $350,000 purchase with a $332,500 loan, assuming the standard one-third local share)
- Conforming loan limit: $832,750 (one unit, 2026; above it, a conventional loan is a jumbo)
- FHA loan limit: $707,250 (one unit, 2026)
- VA loan limit: No limit (with full entitlement; with entitlement in use, the most VA will guaranty is $208,187.50 before subtracting what you have used)
- Virginia Housing price limit: $550,000 (for its grants and bond loans, under the limits in effect since August 1, 2026)


## Chesterfield County property tax rate for 2026, and the due dates

Chesterfield's real estate tax for calendar year 2026 is $0.89 per $100 of assessed value; the county's adopted FY27 budget kept the 89-cent rate. It was $0.91 in 2023 and $0.90 in 2024, then $0.89 for 2025.

The bill comes in two halves:

- **June 5:** the first half of the real estate tax. The county's personal property tax is due the same day.
- **December 5:** the second half. In 2026 the 5th falls on a Saturday, so the county observes Monday, December 7, 2026.

The math on a $350,000 assessment: $350,000 ÷ 100 × $0.89 = $3,115 a year, or $1,557.50 each half, about $260 a month in escrow. At $400,000 it is $3,560 a year (about $297 a month), and at $500,000 it is $4,450 (about $371).

The bill uses the county's assessed value, not your price. Before you pick a house, I plan taxes at 0.85% of the price, my rule of thumb, which usually runs a little high because assessments here sit below sale prices. Once there is an address, I pull the actual assessment and confirm the bill with the settlement agent.

Three Chesterfield notes:

- **New construction:** the first tax figure is built from the price and the county rate, and your escrow adjusts once the county bills the finished house. How escrow catches up is on my [Richmond-area property tax page](https://nobullshitloans.com/virginia/property-taxes/).
- **Relief for older and disabled owners:** the county adopted an expanded tier of its tax relief, effective January 1, 2027. Ask the county for the terms.
- **Veterans with a 100% service-connected, permanent and total disability rating** from VA are exempt from real estate tax on the home they live in, under Virginia law. Lenders differ on how they treat the tax when they qualify you, so I get the lender's position before your numbers go to underwriting.

**My take**
Escrow your taxes. A $1,557.50 bill every June and December is easier as about $260 a month, and if the tax goes unpaid, the county's claim on the house comes ahead of the bank's.


## Closing costs in Chesterfield: the recording math on a $350,000 purchase

Here is what Virginia and the Chesterfield circuit court clerk collect to record a typical purchase: a $350,000 home with 5% down, so a $332,500 loan.

**Worked example: Recording a $350,000 Chesterfield purchase with a $332,500 loan**
- State recordation tax on the deed: $875
- plus Chesterfield's local share on the deed: $292
- plus State recordation tax on the deed of trust: $831
- plus Local share on the deed of trust: $277
- plus Clerk, library, technology, processing, open-space and transfer fees: $113
- equals: Buyer's recording cost: $2,388
Note: The seller pays the grantor tax: $350, split between the state and the county.
_Hypothetical, rounded. Assumes the assessment is at or below the price, a conventional first mortgage, a deed of 10 pages or fewer and a deed of trust of 11 to 30 pages, and that the county adds the standard one-third local tax and the $3 open-space fee applies, which your settlement agent confirms on your file. Title insurance, lender fees and prepaids are not included._


How the lines work:

- **The taxes:** the state charges $0.25 per $100 on the deed and again on your deed of trust, counting each $100 or fraction of it, so round up. Virginia lets the county add one-third of the state tax, and the pad assumes Chesterfield does. That is the $2,275 of tax above, about one-third of 1% of the price plus one-third of 1% of the loan.
- **The flat fees:** $113 in all, $50 on the deed and $63 on the deed of trust. Each total bundles the clerk and Library of Virginia fee, the $20 processing fee on each, the $8 Technology Trust Fund fee on each (up from $5 on July 1, 2026), the $3 open-space fee on each (charged where the Virginia Outdoors Foundation holds easements in the locality, assumed here), and a $1 transfer fee on the deed.
- **If the county assessed the house above your price,** the deed tax is figured on the assessment. A $365,000 assessment on a $350,000 purchase adds $50.
- **If you refinance later,** a qualifying refinance drops to 18 cents per $100 plus a 6-cent local share. On the same $332,500 that is $861 all in, against $1,171 for the purchase deed of trust. How clerks treat new cash-out money is a question for your settlement agent.

The clerk's office points to the Supreme Court of Virginia's fee schedule and its [deed calculator](https://ccdeedcalc.courts.state.va.us/) if you want to run your own.

Recording is one slice of your cash to close. My planning number for a 5% down conventional purchase is 8% to 10% of the price all in, counting the down payment: $28,000 to $35,000 on $350,000, before any seller credit. Title insurance, lender fees and prepaids are explained on my [Virginia closing costs page](https://nobullshitloans.com/virginia/closing-costs/), and the [cash to close calculator](https://nobullshitloans.com/tools/cash-to-close/) runs your own numbers.

## Chesterfield County loan limits for 2026

Chesterfield is in the Richmond metro, which sits at the national baseline. For a one-unit home in 2026:

- **Conforming:** $832,750. Above that, a conventional loan is a jumbo.
- **FHA:** $707,250.
- **VA:** no loan limit with full entitlement. With entitlement in use, the math runs off $832,750, so the most VA will guaranty is $208,187.50 before subtracting what you have used.
- **Virginia Housing:** Chesterfield is in its Richmond grouping, so its grants and bond loans stop at a $550,000 price under the limits in effect since August 1, 2026. The income limits are on my [first-time buyer programs page](https://nobullshitloans.com/virginia/first-time-buyer-programs/).

The 2 to 4 unit limits are on my [Richmond-area page](https://nobullshitloans.com/virginia/richmond/). The 2027 limits had not been announced as of November 2, 2026.

## USDA in Chesterfield: an address check, not a county answer

USDA's zero-down loan starts with the property's address on [USDA's eligibility map](https://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/), not the county name, so I check the exact house before anyone plans on it. The income limit and fees are on my [USDA loan page](https://nobullshitloans.com/loans/usda/).

## Fort Lee from Chesterfield

Fort Lee (formerly Fort Gregg-Adams, 2023 to 2025) is in the Tri-Cities area near Petersburg, Colonial Heights and Hopewell, roughly 25 to 30 miles from Richmond. Chesterfield lies between the two, so the drive depends on which end of the county you buy in; map it from the actual address. The tax side moves too. Against Chesterfield's $0.89 for 2026, Colonial Heights charges $1.20 for 2026 and Petersburg $1.22 to $1.27 (city sources differ), which is $1,085 and $1,155 to $1,330 more a year on a $350,000 assessment, while Prince George (a posted $0.81) and Dinwiddie ($0.64 for 2026) charge less. VA strategy for the post is on my [Fort Lee page](https://nobullshitloans.com/veterans/fort-lee/).


**Chart: Yearly tax on a $350,000 assessment around Fort Lee.** The same assessment costs $1,085 more a year in Colonial Heights than in Chesterfield, and less in Dinwiddie.

|  | Yearly tax |
|---|---|
| Colonial Heights | $4,200 |
| Chesterfield | $3,115 |
| Dinwiddie | $2,240 |

_Each locality's 2026 rate times $3,500 (the assessment divided by $100). Localities without a confirmed 2026 rate (Petersburg and Prince George) are left out. Hypothetical, not a quote._


## How a Chesterfield closing works

1. Your ratified contract carries Virginia's Choice of Settlement Agent notice. You pick the settlement attorney or title company; Virginia does not require an attorney.
2. The settlement agent runs the title search, and the lender requires a lender's title policy. The owner's policy is your call, and you give your answer in writing before any funds go out.
3. I pull the real Chesterfield tax figure and the settlement agent's fee quote early, so your disclosures carry county numbers instead of national averages.
4. After clear to close, everybody balances: the settlement agent, the lender and the seller's side each check their fees until the numbers tie out.
5. The settlement agent prorates the year's real estate tax between you and the seller, based on the June 5 and December 5 installments.
6. You sign, the settlement agent collects the recordation taxes and fees, and the deed and deed of trust are recorded with the Chesterfield Circuit Court clerk. Virginia law requires the lender's money at or before closing, and the settlement agent pays out within two business days, generally after recording.


The county's own pages do not say in plain words whether a bill covers the months ahead or the months behind, so ask your settlement agent to walk you through the tax proration line.

**Watch out**
If an email changes your wiring instructions, treat it as fraud until you have called your settlement agent at a number you looked up yourself, not the one in the email. Wiring instructions never come from me.


## Three questions for any Chesterfield, Virginia mortgage lender

Whoever you use, me or someone else, ask these before you trust a quote:

1. Is the tax on this estimate the county's $0.89 on the actual assessment, or a rough average?
2. Does the estimate include Virginia's recordation taxes on both the deed and the deed of trust?
3. Which settlement agent did you price, and when will I see their actual fee quote?

If the answer to any of them is "we'll see at closing," expect a surprise.

That is the Chesterfield money side in one place. When we run your numbers, they start from these figures and get replaced with your house's real ones as soon as there is an address.

## Frequently asked questions

### My address says Midlothian. Which property tax rate applies?

The county on the parcel's tax record sets the rate, not the mailing address. If the parcel is in Chesterfield County, the 2026 rate is $0.89 per $100 of assessed value. Check the county's record for the exact parcel before you trust any estimate.

### Is Chesterfield County's personal property tax (the car tax) part of my mortgage payment?

No: the personal property tax on your vehicles is a separate bill, due June 5 in Chesterfield, the same day as the first half of the real estate tax. Your escrow covers the real estate tax, homeowner's insurance and any mortgage insurance.

### Who pays the recordation tax on a Chesterfield home purchase?

By custom the buyer pays the recordation taxes on the deed and on their own deed of trust, about $2,275 on a $350,000 purchase with a $332,500 loan if the county's standard one-third local share applies. By statute the seller pays the grantor tax, $350 on the same sale, unless the contract shifts it. The contract controls, so read that paragraph before you sign.

### Is there first-time home buyer help in Chesterfield County, Virginia?

Yes, through Virginia Housing. Chesterfield is in the agency's Richmond grouping, so its grants use the Richmond-area limits in effect since August 1, 2026: household income up to $96,000 for one or two people or $110,000 for three or more, and a price up to $550,000. I don't have a verified county-run program to point you to. If you find one, bring it to me early so we can see whether it fits the first mortgage.

## Sources

- [Chesterfield County, adopted FY27 budget announcement on the real estate tax rate, April 9, 2026](https://www.chesterfield.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=7172)
- [Chesterfield County Treasurer, tax due dates](https://www.chesterfield.gov/727)
- [Virginia Tax, local tax rates survey, tax year 2025](https://www.tax.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/inline-files/2025-local-tax-rates.pdf)
- [Virginia Tax, local tax rates survey, tax year 2024](https://www.tax.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/inline-files/2024-local-tax-rates.pdf)
- [Virginia Tax, local tax rates survey, tax year 2023](https://www.tax.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/inline-files/2023-local-tax-rates.pdf)
- [Chesterfield County, expanded elderly and disabled tax relief announcement, August 28, 2026](https://www.chesterfield.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=7517)

## Disclosures

Individual Originator: Tyler Rood, Loan Officer, NMLS ID # 2064776 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). Licensed in NC, PA, TX and VA.
Edge Home Finance, LLC | NMLS ID # 891464 | www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org. Licensed in all U.S. states & D.C., EXCEPT New York. Edge Home Finance, LLC is a mortgage broker, not a direct lender or creditor. Virginia Broker License MC-7006. North Carolina Mortgage Broker License B-201539. Pennsylvania Mortgage Broker License 81041. Texas: Mortgage Company License, Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending.
Numbers on this page are illustrations, not offers. Any rate shown on this site is an example. Rates may change or may not be available at the time of loan commitment or lock-in.
Edge Home Finance, LLC is a private mortgage broker and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of or at the direction of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), or any other government agency.
We do business in accordance with the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.