RICHLAND COUNTY — Rising prices for home sales over the past three years have pushed up property valuations across Richland County, according to newly published real estate values announced by Richland County Auditor Pat Dropsey.
The state-approved, tax year 2026 triennial update values, ordered by the Ohio Department of Taxation’s Tax Commissioner, are now available online and will be payable on property tax bills in calendar year 2027.
Dropsey said actual taxes on each property will be determined later in the year.
Because buyers have consistently paid higher prices for real estate between the county’s last major revaluation in 2023 and 2026, those transactions established higher statistical baselines for entire neighborhoods.
Under Ohio law, the Department of Taxation mandates a six-year valuation cycle across all 88 counties: an in-person. That requires a comprehensive reappraisal every six years and a statistical “triennial update” midway through.
According to the Ohio Department of Taxation schedule, 28 counties are undergoing their triennial statistical update in 2026, including Richland.
In addition, 13 counties are undergoing their full sexennial reappraisal (comprehensive market review/exterior inspection) in 2026, including Knox and Ashland counties.
Because the state’s last major valuation reset took place in 2023 in Richland County, the year 2026 marks the required three-year statistical update.
During this midway update, auditors do not inspect parcels individually.
Instead, state tax commissioners calculate broad percentage adjustments based on sales patterns within neighborhood and structural clusters.
As a result, parcels whose owners have neither remodeled nor listed their homes are still pulled upward if comparable properties on their street or within their market area are sold at higher amounts.
Local auditors, like Dropsey, are legally required to execute the updates.
“Our goal is to ensure that the information for every parcel in Richland County is fair and accurate and complies with Ohio law and the rules of the Ohio Department of Taxation,” Dropsey said.
State officials said a jump in property valuation does not trigger an equal, automatic hike in tax bills.
Under Ohio’s House Bill 920, tax rates on voter-approved levies automatically adjust downward as total property values rise, preventing local taxing authorities from collecting unvoted windfall revenue.
How to Check Your Valuation and File an Appeal
Property owners can look up their updated value through the following steps on the county auditor’s website:
- Visit www.richlandcountyoh.gov/departments/auditor.
- Select “Property Search” from the Auditor Menu on the left.
- Search for the parcel by owner name, street address, or parcel number.
- Open the property record, go to the Valuation section, and view the 2026 column under “Total Value (Appraised 100%)”.
Property owners who disagree with their new valuation can contest it by filing a Board of Revision Complaint Form (DTE 1). The filing window runs from Jan. 1 through March 31, 2027.
(Below is a PDF showing the “Complaint Against the Valuation of Real Property.)
The form is available under “Forms and Documents” by choosing “Board of Revision” and then “Complaint Against the Valuation of Real Property.”
Completed and notarized forms must be delivered in person or mailed to the Richland County Auditor’s Office, 50 Park Ave. East, Mansfield, Ohio, 44902.
One-time tax credit set for eligible homeowners
Dropsey also outlined new property tax relief established under Ohio House Bill 479, signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine in June 2026.
Funded through surplus state revenue, the measure delivers a one-time property tax credit designed to ease housing costs for qualifying seniors and individuals with disabilities:
- Automatic Distribution: Roughly 710,000 Ohio homeowners currently enrolled in the state’s Homestead Exemption program will receive the credit automatically without filing an extra application.
- Credit Amount: Lawmakers project the one-time relief will average between $450 and $475 per recipient.
- Delivery: The credit will show up as a second Homestead Exemption line item on tax year 2026 bills mailed in February 2027. It serves as a temporary reduction and does not alter permanent Homestead Exemption terms.
Residents with questions regarding updated values or the credit can contact the Richland County Auditor’s Office at 419-774-5501 or visit the office at 50 Park Ave. East in Mansfield.
(Below are two related recent press releases from Richland County Auditor Pat Dropsey.)
