Ramsey County, MN Property Tax Calculator

Ramsey County Property Tax Rates

Ramsey County, whose county seat is also the state capital of Minnesota (St. Paul), levies property taxes twice per year. The typical homeowner here pays $3,505 in property taxes, with those payments helping to fund things like schools, roads and libraries.

Several factors can affect your property taxes. Your property’s market value could increase or decrease. The city, county, school district or other taxing district under whose jurisdiction your property falls could decide to change the amount of money it wants to raise from property taxes (the tax levy).

Legislative changes, approved by elected officials or through voter referendums, can also affect property taxes. In general, people who live in the home they own (or who are relatives of the owner) and call the home their primary residence will pay lower property taxes than owners of, say, rental properties will pay. 

That’s because of Minnesota’s homestead market value exclusion program for Minnesotans who own and occupy their home. The homestead program reduces the taxable market value of the property (only for properties valued at less than $414,000). A lower taxable market value means a lower property tax bill, assuming rates stay the same. 

The homestead program also helps residents qualify for the State of Minnesota Property Tax Refund, which you can’t get for properties that aren’t classified as homesteads.

A financial advisor can help you understand how homeownership fits into your overall financial goals. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

Ramsey County Property Tax Help

Property taxes are a big expense for many home-owning households, and it’s not uncommon for people to struggle to keep up with their property tax bills. You may be eligible for a complete property tax exemption from Ramsey County if your property “creates energy, enables commerce or conserves nature,” according to the county's website.

If you don’t qualify for a property tax exemption but you think your property taxes are unfairly high (meaning that you think the assessed value of your property is inflated), you can appeal your property’s estimated market value with the county. To do so, contact the Assessor’s Office. You may be asked to leave a message outlining your case. If the county decides to proceed, you won’t get a value adjustment until an appraiser has come to your property to perform a review of your home (interior and exterior).

This only works for current and future tax bills. To appeal a prior year’s estimate value you will have to make an appeal through Minnesota Tax Court on or before April 30 of the year the taxes are payable. Even if you’re contesting your property taxes you must pay them in full and on time until your case is settled. Failure to do so will result in the dismissal of your property tax petition.

How Your Ramsey County Property Tax Bill Works

You’ll get your first property tax communication from the County in March. It will include the value notice for your property (the assessed value that will be subject to taxes) and your tax statement. The tax statement tells you how much you’ll owe in property taxes for the first and second half of the year. It will also tell you how your taxes break down by tax authority, i.e. how much of your tax bill goes the school district, how much to the city government, etc.

The second property tax mailing goes out in November and includes the “proposed tax notice” for the following year. The tax notice tells you the proposed tax amounts for the following year and includes the dates for meetings where citizens can go to hear discussion on property taxes - or make their case for a rate change via public comment. Your property tax notice will also outline proposed levies and budget changes that could affect the property tax rates before they’re set and applied in the March tax statement of the following year.

In other words, the amount you see in your November tax estimate could differ from the amount you see on your tax statement the following March. New tax referendums, changes to homestead classifications, an increased or decreased tax levy or a special assessment on your property could all change your tax bill between November of one year and March of the following year.

If you’re paying by mail, it’s a good idea to include the original stub from your tax statement with your check or money order. Doing so will greatly reduce the processing time for your payment.

What if your property taxes are included in your payments to your mortgage company, or held in an escrow account and paid by the escrow company’s agent? In that case, the tax bill will be sent to your mortgage or escrow company and the tax statement you receive will include these words: “Our records show your taxes are paid by a mortgage company or escrow agent.”

If you see these words on your tax statement and you know that the mortgage company isn’t paying your property taxes anymore (because you paid off your mortgage, for example) or the escrow company no longer handles your property taxes, simply use the payment stub on your tax statement to make the payment yourself by check or money order.