Delaware County has the highest median property taxes in the Buckeye State.
DELAWARE, Ohio — Property taxes in Ohio are some of the highest in the country.
A new report from Realtor.com ranks Ohio eighth in the nation for tax burden. Ohio is ranked higher than both New York and California.
Larry Hopper, 77, and his lifelong friend David Monska get together two or three times a week to catch up on life and shoot the breeze. Over a cup of coffee in downtown Delaware they said property taxes come up once in a while.
“I wonder sometimes if we as voters are not educated enough about how our taxes work, what we do with them,” Hopper said.
Hopper’s 97-year-old, World War Two veteran father lives in Delaware County. Larry says his dad is getting by financially but property taxes on top of medical bills make his budget a little tighter.
“His house is basically paid off, but he just, you know, it can struggle with the other expenses in life, and then you add the tax burden on to that makes it, you know, it’s not easy,” Hopper said.
In March, the Tax Foundation compiled information on median property taxes by county for the whole United States. In Ohio, Delaware County had the highest median property taxes at $6,896 per year in 2023.
Compare that to median property taxes in other central Ohio counties:
- Franklin: $4,110
- Union: $3,847
- Fairfield: $3,123
As property tax bills continue to rise, a grassroots group is pushing a constitutional amendment to abolish them.
The Committee to Abolish Ohio Property Taxes says older homeowners are being taxed out of their homes and younger people cannot afford to buy a first home. They hope to gather enough valid voter signatures to get the amendment on the May 2026 primary election ballot.
The Ohio Legislature recently passed major property tax reforms.
Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed several of them, arguing the funding cuts would hurt schools and students. The governor also put together a working group to make recommendations for property tax reforms.
Despite these efforts, the committee says they will move forward with the proposed amendment. They believe the people should have a voice.
“We’re going to tell the legislators we’re not stopping,” said Committee to Abolish Ohio Property Taxes member Brian Massie. “If the people are willing to collect the signatures, we’re willing to stand on the front line for the citizens of the state of Ohio.”
“Selfishly, I love it. I really do,” Larry Hopper said of the proposed amendment.
However, he said he really believes the government needs to do more and so do the people.
“I think there’s some better responsibilities that the people that we have in government need to take and we as citizens need to take, too by keeping up to date on these things, knowing where the tax dollars are going,” Hopper said.
The Committee to Abolish Ohio Property Taxes will have to submit roughly 414,000 valid voter signatures from at least 44 counties to the Ohio Secretary of State by Jan. 1, 2026 to get the amendment on the May ballot.
Massie says he is confident they will be able to do it, but if they miss the deadline, they will try for the November general election.
