Assessment

• The Montgomery County Auditor's Office assesses each property in the county to determine its 100 percent appraised value. The auditor considers the land and any improvements (homes, for example) in making the assessment. Only 35 percent of the property's value is subject to property taxation.
  
  

Millage

• Montgomery County uses mills as its tax rate. A mill is equivalent to $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property value. For example, a home worth $100,000 has $35,000 in taxable value. At a millage (or tax rate) of 100 mills, the same property would owe $3,500 in property taxes (or $100 times 35). Dayton is broken up into several school districts. So, where the property is located in the city will dictate what the millage is. For example, the most recent millage for real property in Dayton Central School District was 103.79. It's important to check with Montgomery County as millage may change from year to year based on the county's revenue needs. In addition, millage is different based on the school district in which the property is located.
  
  

Deadlines

• Taxpayers can pay property taxes in Dayton in two installments each year. The first half of the property owner's tax bill is due on Feb. 19. The second half is due on July 16. The property owner can choose to pay the entire tax bill in one installment by February 19. Failure to pay by the mandatory deadlines can result in the imposition of penalties and interest.
  
  

Payment

• The property owner must pay the tax bill to Montgomery County. The Montgomery County government accepts several payment methods. Taxpayers can pay using an "e-check" through the government's website. The government imposes a $1.17 charge for this method, however. The government accepts Visa, Mastercard and American Express but imposes a 2.35 percent assessment. Property owners can pay by mailing a regular check and avoid additional fees.
  
  

Penalties

• The Montgomery County government imposes penalties and interest on late or delinquent property tax payments. First, if a property owner pays the first half installment between February 20 and 28, then the government will assess a penalty of 5 percent of the first half installment due. Any payment later than February 28 will accrue a 10 percent penalty. The same penalties apply to the second installment for payments made between July 17 and 26 and after with a 5 and ten percent penalty respectively. Taxes carried over to the next year will result in another 2.67 percent penalty. Failure to make property tax payments can lead the county to impose a tax lien and result in the property being sold to pay the taxes.