Property Taxes In Every CT Town: Who Pays The Most, Who Pays The Least?

CONNECTICUT — On the average, Connecticut residents pay the third-highest property taxes in the nation, according to Forbes, but those rates vary significantly from town to town, as the recent tally by the state's Office of Policy and Management shows.

The Torrington Lakeridge Tax District once again can boast of having the state's highest mill rate, this year at 90.35. Salisbury has maintained its mill rate of 11, which is among the lowest for a municipality in the state. Not far behind are Greenwich (11.39), Roxbury (12.6) and Warren (13.15).

In Connecticut, a property is assessed at 70 percent of its market value – this is referred to as the assessment ratio. For instance, if a house has a market value of $300,000, its assessment is $210,000. Each town has a mill rate, which is the amount of tax per $1,000 dollars of assessment. A home assessed at $200,000 in a town with a mill rate of 30 would have an annual property tax bill of $6,000.

Exceptions include properties in Hartford, which has different assessment rules for commercial and residential property.

Mill rates are not the only forces at play when determining property tax bills. In general, towns that have higher property values tend to have lower mill rates. The median listing price for a home in Greenwich in August was $3.8 million, according to realtor.com, yet it has the state's second-lowest municipal mill rate.

Municipalities also tax motor vehicles, but the state caps the rate at 32.46 mills; municipalities with rates above that are reimbursed by the state.

Some towns have a municipal tax and an additional tax, such as a fire district tax. This generally adds a couple extra mill rate points to a property owner’s tax liability, but there are some exceptions. Notably, West Haven has three fire district taxes, with mill rates ranging from 10.29 to 11.7.