Franklin County Property Value Update 2026: What Changed and What Comes Next

Franklin County property value update timeline (2026)

What the 2026 update is (and isn’t)

Ohio law requires county auditors to update property values every three years so they reflect the current market. Franklin County does a full reappraisal every six years and an update in between. 2023 was the full reappraisal; 2026 is the update.

You’ll often hear it called the Franklin County 2026 reappraisal, but officially it’s an update, the lighter review that falls between full reappraisals. Franklin County tentative values were released June 9, 2026, and final values are due in December 2026.

How much values changed in 2026

The Auditor released preliminary countywide figures with the tentative values on June 9, 2026:

• ~10%average residential increase
• ~4%average commercial increase
• ~13%average industrial increase
• 5–15%typical residential range by school district

Auditor Michael Stinziano described the 2026 changes as more stable than 2023, when the full reappraisal raised median residential values by 41%: “Property values are increasing at a more stable rate, but we know any change in value can raise questions.”

How to look up your tentative 2026 value

1. Open Know Your Home Value. The Auditor’s 2026 site is at audr-kyhv.franklincountyohio.gov (also linked as auditor.franklincountyohio.gov/KYHV).
2. Find your property. Look up your parcel to see its tentative 2026 value next to the current value.
3. Compare with your school district’s average. The site lists average preliminary value changes by school district and neighborhood delineation maps.
4. Estimate the tax effect. The site includes a property tax estimator. Our estimator guide explains what it can and can’t tell you.
5. Check your building details in the regular property search, since the update relied on the data on file.

The review sessions are over. What can you do now?

If you missed the summer Property Value Reviews, you still have options.

Final values can differ from tentative values after the reviews and state review, so it’s reasonable to wait for December before filing, as long as you don’t miss March 31.

What the update means for your 2027 tax bill

New values apply to tax year 2026, which is billed and paid in 2027. Several things interact:

• Reduction factors. Most voted levies can’t collect more because values rose, so their effective rates fall. The Auditor has stressed that a change in value does not mean an equal percentage change in taxes.
• Your value vs. your district. If your increase is below your school district’s average, your share of the levies may shrink; above average, it may grow.
• Inside millage now capped. Under House Bill 335, in reappraisal and update years, county budget commissions must limit revenue growth from unvoted inside millage to inflation (the GDP deflator over the preceding three years). 2026 is the first update year under this rule.
• Bigger owner occupancy credit. Under House Bill 186, the owner occupancy credit rises to 5.70% for tax year 2026, while the 10% nonbusiness credit on residential property drops to 7.5%. For an owner-occupied home the combined credit rises from 12.5% to 13.2%; for a rental it falls from 10% to 7.5%. See the owner occupancy credit guide.
• New levies. Levies approved by voters, including at the November 3, 2026 election, can add to bills.

Our property tax guide walks through the full calculation.

Four scenarios: what your 2026 value change means

These scenarios explain direction, not dollar amounts; your actual tax also depends on levies and credits. The estimator guide shows how to run the numbers.

Informal review vs. formal Board of Revision complaint

Checklist before final values arrive in December

1. Save your tentative value from Know Your Home Value, so you can compare it with the final value.
2. Review your record for errors in size, rooms, basement, garage and condition, and report them now.
3. Collect comparable sales from 2023–2025, with an emphasis on those close to January 1, 2026.
4. Gather documents: purchase paperwork if you bought recently, any appraisal, photos and repair estimates.
5. Make sure your credits are in place. Apply for the owner occupancy credit and, if eligible, Homestead by December 31, 2026. See the tax relief guide.
6. Put March 31, 2027 on your calendar as the last day to file a complaint.

How the state review works now

After the local review period, the Auditor submits values to the Ohio Department of Taxation, which checks them for uniformity before they become final. House Bill 124, effective March 2026, changed that review: the Department must use the sample of property sales provided by the county auditor, all open-market, arm’s-length transactions from the previous three years, rather than its own sample. The bill also sped up review deadlines and opened routes to appeal state review decisions to the Board of Tax Appeals and the Ohio Supreme Court.

What to watch for in December

• Final values: compare with your tentative value. A change can reflect review corrections or state adjustments.
• New rates: tax rates for tax year 2026 reach the Auditor in mid-December, including new reduction factors that respond to the value changes.
• Credit deadlines: Homestead and owner occupancy applications for tax year 2026 are due December 31.
• Your decision: with final values and new rates in hand, decide whether a Board of Revision complaint is worth filing before March 31, 2027.

Preparing to challenge your 2026 value

Whether you use an informal review or a formal Board of Revision complaint, evidence decides the outcome. Useful documentation includes:

• Comparable sales of similar homes nearby from 2023–2025, the period the update relied on;
• a professional appraisal by a certified Ohio appraiser (the BOR asks for the full report);
• your own purchase documents if you bought recently: closing statement, purchase contract and deed;
• photos of condition problems;
• repair estimates or records for major defects;
• corrections to wrong characteristics on your record.

The Board of Revision guide walks through filing, hearings, mediation and appeals.

What the 2026 update means for landlords, businesses and renters

2026 compared with the 2023 reappraisal

2026 update terms

If you bought your home during 2026

Values for tax year 2026 are set as of January 1, 2026. If you bought after that date:

• the 2026 value applies to your home even though you didn’t own it on January 1;
• your purchase price can still be useful evidence if the sale was arm’s-length and close in time to January 1; ask about it before filing a Board of Revision complaint;
• credits that depend on owning and living in the home on January 1, such as the owner occupancy credit and the Homestead Exemption, start with tax year 2027 for you.

If your change differs from your school district’s average

Averages hide a lot of variation. A result well above the average isn’t automatically wrong, and one below it isn’t automatically right. Work through it:

1. Check the record’s facts first; data errors are the most common cause of outliers.
2. Look at your neighborhood, not just the district. The Know Your Home Value site’s neighborhood delineation maps show how the county grouped areas.
3. Compare with sales of truly similar homes near January 1, 2026.
4. Decide whether to file with the Board of Revision by March 31, 2027.

Your next steps, by date

Why Ohio updates values every three years

Property taxes are divided among owners based on value. If values went stale, owners in fast-rising neighborhoods would pay less than their share and owners in slower areas more. Regular updates keep the split fair. The Ohio Department of Taxation reviews each county’s values for uniformity, and since House Bill 124 took effect in March 2026, it must use the county auditor’s own sample of arm’s-length sales from the prior three years in that review.

For the appraisal method itself, see how Franklin County property values are set.

The 2026 update at a glance

• 440,000+parcels revalued
• ~10%average preliminary residential increase
• Dec 2026final values expected
• Mar 31, 2027Board of Revision deadline

What if my value went down, or barely changed?

A value that falls or stays flat while your school district averages a larger increase usually means your share of voted levies goes down. But your tax can still rise if new levies pass, if a credit changes, or if a special assessment is added. As Auditor Michael Stinziano put it to WOSU: “Your value can go up, taxes down. Your value could go down, your taxes up.” The relationship depends on your whole district, not your parcel alone.

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