The number is sitting in a county database, attached to thousands of parcels spread across every neighborhood in Franklin County. It does not announce itself. It does not knock on your door.
But millions of dollars in unpaid property taxes has a way of finding everyone eventually.
You may pay your bills on time. Your escrow account may be perfectly current. None of that insulates you from what happens when a critical mass of your neighbors cannot or do not pay theirs.
What Is Happening With Property Taxes in Franklin County Right Now
Franklin County completed a full property reappraisal in 2023 and values across the county rose an average of 40 percent.
That is not a typo. Forty percent.
For thousands of homeowners, the bills that followed were not adjustments. They were financial shocks. The average Franklin County homeowner saw their annual tax bill increase by roughly 12 percent after the reappraisal and voter-approved levies combined even with Ohio’s built-in rollback protections softening the blow.
Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano acknowledged the situation plainly. When Ohio lawmakers passed property tax reform in late 2025, Stinziano told the Columbus Dispatch the savings amounted to “maybe two pizzas a month” nowhere near enough relief for households already stretched thin.
The result: millions of dollars in delinquent property taxes now sitting uncollected, spread across thousands of parcels countywide.
Why Your Neighbor’s Unpaid Taxes Are Your Problem Too
The property tax system in Franklin County is not a closed loop between an individual homeowner and the government. It is a shared funding mechanism and when one part of it fails, the damage reaches everyone.
Every dollar collected in Franklin County property taxes flows directly to local school districts, public libraries, emergency services, townships, municipalities, and county agencies. These institutions do not have a backup plan when collections fall short.
When taxes go unpaid, that money does not disappear from an accounting ledger. It disappears from your child’s school budget. From the library that quietly reduced its weekend hours. From the road crew that never came back this winter.
This is why Franklin County holds an annual Tax Lien Sale an auction where all available delinquent tax liens are sold as a single block worth several million dollars to recover money owed specifically to schools, agencies, and local governments. It is the county’s primary tool for closing the gap. But it is not a permanent fix. It is a pressure valve.
Who Is At Greatest Risk
Not every homeowner carries equal risk in this environment.
Long-term homeowners in rising neighborhoods
face the steepest exposure. If you bought your home a decade ago and have not tracked local market activity closely, your assessed value may have climbed far beyond what comparable homes are actually selling for today. That gap between assessed value and real market value is money you are paying taxes on that you should not be.
Seniors and fixed-income residents
face a different version of the same problem. Their property values rose alongside everyone else’s. Their incomes did not. Franklin County has seen its Homestead Exemption enrollment fall by nearly 14 percent since 2013 meaning thousands of eligible seniors are not receiving protection they legally qualify for, often simply because they never applied.
Renters are not immune either.
Landlords who fall behind on property taxes do not absorb that loss themselves. Research consistently shows that deferred tax obligations translate downstream into rent increases, deferred maintenance, and eventually housing instability even for tenants who never missed a single rent payment.
How the Tax Math Actually Works And Why So Many People Were Blindsided
Ohio does not tax the full market value of your home. Under state law, your property is taxed at 35 percent of its county-estimated market value. That figure your assessed value is then multiplied by your local millage rate to produce your annual bill.
Here is a real example.
Before the 2023 reappraisal, a home in a Columbus suburb assessed at $90,000 at a millage rate of 60 mills carried an annual tax bill of approximately $5,400.
After the reappraisal, that same property might be assessed at $122,000. Same millage rate. New annual bill: approximately $7,320.
That is nearly $2,000 more per year roughly $160 more every month with no new local spending, no new levy, and no vote. Just the market moving.
Franklin County’s effective property tax rate currently sits at 1.64 percent. The average home value in the county is approximately $259,000. Run those numbers and the financial pressure on middle-income households becomes immediately clear.
What To Do If You Are Already Behind on Payments
Do not wait. This is the single most important thing to understand about property tax delinquency in Franklin County.
Call the Franklin County Treasurer’s Delinquent Tax Division at 614-525-3438 as soon as possible. The Treasurer’s Office offers installment payment plans for qualifying homeowners who cannot pay their full balance at once. Enrolling in a valid payment plan protects your property from being included in the annual Tax Lien Sale while the plan is active.
If your property has already been included in a Tax Lien Sale, ask immediately about your redemption rights. Ohio law permits limited redemption after a sale but the window is strict and it closes. Do not assume you have time.
Once a lien is purchased by a third-party investor, that investor begins charging interest immediately and can eventually initiate foreclosure proceedings. Your options at that stage are far more limited and far more expensive.
How To Lower Your Franklin County Property Tax Bill Legally
Thousands of Franklin County homeowners are overpaying every year simply because they have never claimed the exemptions they already qualify for. Check each of these right now.
The Homestead Exemption
If you are 65 or older, permanently disabled, or a surviving spouse of someone who previously qualified, you are likely eligible for the Homestead Exemption. This removes up to $25,000 of your home’s appraised value from taxation entirely saving most qualifying homeowners between $400 and $800 every single year. Disabled veterans qualify for an enhanced version worth up to $50,000.
To apply, file Form DTE105A at the Franklin County Auditor’s Office by December 31 of the tax year. Once approved, you do not need to reapply. Download the form directly at auditor.franklincountyohio.gov.
The Owner-Occupancy Credit
If you live in your own home, you qualify for a 2.5 percent credit on qualifying property tax levies. This should apply automatically to your bill but check to confirm it is there.
The Non-Business Credit
Ohio Revised Code Section 319.302 requires the county auditor to apply a 10 percent Non-Business Credit to all qualifying property tax levies. This also should be automatic. Look at your tax bill and verify it is being applied correctly.
How To Appeal Your Property Assessment and Win
Roughly 25 percent of Ohio homes may be over-assessed. If you believe your home’s appraised value does not reflect reality, you have the legal right to challenge it and winning can put thousands of dollars back in your pocket.
The appeal window opens January 1 and closes March 31 every year. There are no exceptions after the deadline.
File your appeal through the Franklin County Auditor’s website under the Board of Revision section. You can also file within 30 days of receiving a valuation change notice. Bring real evidence recent sales of comparable homes in your neighborhood, an independent appraisal, or documented condition problems with your property.
Filing is free. An independent appraisal, if you choose to get one, typically costs $200 to $400. Many homeowners recover far more than that when they win.
If the Board of Revision denies your appeal, you can escalate to the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals for further review.
One important note on timing: Franklin County reassesses properties on a four-year cycle — faster than most Ohio counties. Assessment notices go out in June each year. You have a window from July through September to meet informally with the Auditor’s Office before values are finalized in December. Use that window.
Key Dates Every Franklin County Homeowner Must Know
January 1 — Appeal window opens.
The Board of Revision begins accepting formal assessment complaints for the current tax year.
March 31 — Appeal window closes. This deadline is absolute. No exceptions.
First half taxes due — January/February.
Confirm the exact date each year at treasurer.franklincountyohio.gov.
Second half taxes due — June/July.
Confirm the exact date each year at treasurer.franklincountyohio.gov.
10 percent penalty —
Applied immediately to any unpaid balance after the close of each collection period.
9 percent annual interest —
Charged on prior year unpaid balances beginning September 1.
3 percent additional interest —
Charged December 1 on current and prior year unpaid balances.
Missing a single deadline does not add a one-time fee. It starts a compounding clock. The longer delinquency continues, the fewer options remain and the closer a property moves toward tax certificate sale and eventual foreclosure.
2025 Property Tax Law Changes: What Actually Changed for Franklin County
Ohio lawmakers passed a package of property tax reform bills in late 2025, including House Bill 186. The centerpiece of that legislation increases tax credits for owner-occupied homes, phased in over four years.
A Franklin County homeowner with a $350,000 home currently receiving a $581 annual credit will see that rise to approximately $715 by year four. That amounts to roughly $134 more per year in savings — or, as Auditor Stinziano put it, about two pizzas a month.
HB 186 also eliminates the nonbusiness credit for most rental properties. This is significant: landlords who previously received that credit will no longer get it, which may eventually translate into higher rents for tenants across the county.
For rural parts of Franklin County served by school districts operating at the 20-mill floor including Jonathan Alder, Madison-Plains, Licking Heights, and Teays Valley a separate provision of HB 186 provides modest additional relief. The rest of Franklin County is largely unaffected by that provision.
The Bottom Line
Franklin County property values rose 40 percent after the 2023 reappraisal. Tax bills followed. And for thousands of homeowners particularly seniors, long-term owners, and those paying without an escrow account the resulting pressure has been real.
If you are current, verify your assessed value, confirm your exemptions are applied, and mark your calendar for the January appeal window.
If you are behind, call 614-525-3438 today. Not next week. Today. The options available to you right now will not all be available next month.
The county has systems in place to help but none of them activate on their own.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a property tax delinquent in Ohio?
Under Ohio law, your property tax becomes delinquent the moment any required payment remains unpaid after the close of the collection period. A 10 percent penalty is applied immediately. Interest charges begin in September. The clock does not pause.
Can Franklin County actually sell a lien on my home?
Yes. Parcels with unpaid taxes are eligible for inclusion in the annual Tax Lien Sale. All available liens are sold as a single block to an institutional investor. Once sold, that investor holds a priority lien on your property and can pursue foreclosure if you fail to repay with interest.
What if I enroll in a payment plan?
Taxpayers on a valid, active payment plan are protected from the Tax Lien Sale while that plan remains in good standing. Call 614-525-3438 to discuss your options before the next sale cycle.
I rent my home. Am I affected?
Not directly through your tax bill but landlords who fall behind on property taxes regularly pass that pressure downstream through rent increases or deferred maintenance. Renters in buildings with delinquent tax history often experience housing instability without ever knowing why.
Where do I get help right now?
Call the Franklin County Treasurer’s Office at 614-525-3438, Monday through Friday during business hours. Visit treasurer.franklincountyohio.gov for the official tax portal. For assessment and valuation questions, contact the Franklin County Auditor’s Office at auditor.franklincountyohio.gov.