Oakland County, Michigan · 2025 published rates

What happens to property taxes when you buy a home in Rochester Hills, MI

The tax figure on the listing is the seller's bill, computed under a cap that ends the day you close. The January after the sale, the Rochester Hills assessor resets the taxable value to about half of what you paid, and your bill is built from that new number at the rates below.

2School districts inside Rochester Hills, each with its own rate
30.8553Lowest homestead rate, mills (Rochester Community)
35.9928Highest homestead rate, mills (Avondale School District)
$4,628Annual homestead tax on a $300,000 purchase, Rochester Community — arithmetic illustration
Proposal A

The seller's bill is not your bill.

Michigan's Proposal A freezes how fast a home's taxable value can grow while one owner holds it, often far below what the home is now worth. A sale uncaps it. The assessor resets the taxable value to the state equalized value, which is about half the market value, and every bill after that is computed from the reset figure. Buyers who budget from the listing's tax line usually meet the real number in year two.

Two things set the size of the reset bill in Rochester Hills: the price you pay, and whether you live in the home. Living there qualifies you for the Principal Residence Exemption, and the exact rate depends on the school district the house sits in.

The published rates

Rochester Hills's 2025 rates, district by district

One mill is one dollar of tax per $1,000 of taxable value. These are the totals the state publishes, not an estimate.

School districtHomestead (PRE), millsNon-homestead, mills
Rochester Community30.855348.8553
Avondale School District35.992853.9928

Source: Michigan Department of Treasury, Total Property Tax Rates in Michigan, 2025 — the official statewide table, as published.

The listing or the assessor's record says which school district a particular house sits in. Two homes a street apart in Rochester Hills can carry different rates for that reason alone.

The arithmetic

What the reset does to the bill.

A $300,000 purchase in Rochester Hills — Rochester Community district, worked line by line.

LineFigure
Purchase price$300,000
Taxable value after the uncap (state equalized value, about half the price)$150,000
Homestead rate, Rochester Community30.8553 mills
Annual tax once the reset lands$4,628

$300,000 × 50% = $150,000 taxable value. $150,000 × 30.8553 ÷ 1,000 = $4,628 a year. Rounded to the nearest dollar.

If you will not live in the home, the same purchase computes at the non-homestead rate of 48.8553 mills (Rochester Community): $7,328 a year, a difference of $2,700 against the homestead figure above.

The reset uses exactly half the price here, where the assessor's figure will be approximately half. Your actual bill depends on the assessor's next determination of state equalized value and on any millage voters approve between now and then.

Three price points

The same arithmetic at three round numbers.

These are arithmetic illustrations of the published rates. They are not statistics about Rochester Hills home prices.

Purchase priceTaxable value after the uncapAnnual tax, homesteadAnnual tax, non-homestead
$200,000$100,000$3,086 to $3,599$4,886 to $5,399
$300,000$150,000$4,628 to $5,399$7,328 to $8,099
$400,000$200,000$6,171 to $7,199$9,771 to $10,799

Ranges span the lowest and highest-rate school districts in the table above (Rochester Community to Avondale School District). Rounded to the nearest dollar.

Deadlines

The paperwork that sets your rate.

Two filings decide which column above your bill is computed from, and one of them carries a penalty.

Principal Residence Exemption — Form 2368

If you will live in the home, this filing is what puts you on the homestead column instead of the non-homestead one. File it with the Rochester Hills assessor.

Summer levyJune 1
Winter levyNovember 1

Property Transfer Affidavit — Form 2766

Due to the assessor after the transfer. It is the filing that tells the assessor the sale happened, and missing it is the one deadline here that costs money.

Due45 days from transfer
Penalty, residence$5 per day, $200 max
Questions

What buyers in Rochester Hills ask.

What is the 2025 property tax rate in Rochester Hills, Michigan?

It depends on the school district. The 2025 rates published by the Michigan Department of Treasury for Rochester Hills run from 30.8553 mills (Rochester Community) to 35.9928 mills (Avondale School District) with a Principal Residence Exemption. The listing or the assessor's record says which district a house is in; the full table is on this page.

Why will my property taxes in Rochester Hills be higher than the seller's?

Michigan's Proposal A caps how fast a home's taxable value can rise while one person owns it. A sale removes the cap: the January after you close, the taxable value resets to the state equalized value — about half the market value — and your bill is computed from that reset number, not from the seller's capped one. The figure on the listing is the seller's bill under the old cap.

How much would property taxes be on a $300,000 home in Rochester Hills?

As an arithmetic illustration, not a statistic about local prices: taxable value resets to about half the price — the illustration uses exactly $150,000 — and at the published homestead rates the annual bill computes to between $4,628 (Rochester Community) and $5,399 (Avondale School District), depending on school district.

What is the Principal Residence Exemption worth in Rochester Hills?

In Rochester Hills, the gap between the published non-homestead and homestead rates is 18.0000 mills. On a $300,000 purchase — $150,000 of taxable value after the reset — that computes to $2,700 a year. You claim it by filing Form 2368 with the assessor: June 1 for the summer levy, November 1 for the winter levy.

What do I have to file after buying a home in Rochester Hills?

Two forms. The Property Transfer Affidavit (Form 2766) goes to the assessor within 45 days of the transfer; the penalty for missing it runs $5 a day up to $200 for a residence. The Principal Residence Exemption (Form 2368) is due June 1 for the summer levy and November 1 for the winter levy if you will live in the home.

Your address, not a round number

Run the reset on the house you are actually looking at.

The property tax check runs this arithmetic on your purchase price, your exemption status, and your school district. The direction and rough size of the change appear straight away; the full breakdown is sent once you enter an email.

The tax reset is one number out of roughly forty in the full financial inspection: every published value estimate, true monthly cost, ten years of equity math, the big-ticket replacements coming, the city's records on the house, and a verdict of Proceed, Conditional, or Walk Away. Delivered within 3 hours of payment, with 30 days to get your money back. We take no lender money.