What is the property tax rate in West Virginia?
The property tax rate in West Virginia averages 0.51% of market value for owner-occupied homes (Tax Foundation 2026, using the 2024 American Community Survey). Of the 47 states we cover, only seven have a lower effective rate, and West Virginia sits well below neighbors such as Pennsylvania at 1.26% and Ohio at 1.36%.
That figure describes homeowners, who are in Class II. An apartment building is taxed in a higher class, so its bill as a share of value is usually well above 0.51%. The rest of this page works through the gap.
The four property classes and where apartments fit
The West Virginia Constitution, Article X, section 1, divides property into four classes, and the class sets the rate. According to the Tax Division, Class I covers certain agricultural personal property (nothing is currently taxed in it), Class II covers owner-occupied homes and owner-farmed land, Class III covers other property outside a city or town, and Class IV covers other property inside one.
An apartment building is rented, not owner-occupied, so it is Class III if it sits outside municipal limits and Class IV if it is inside them. The Tax Division’s 2025 levy report states that Class II rates are twice Class I and Class III and IV rates are four times Class I, which makes the apartment rate double the homeowner rate on the same street.
Class IV also carries the municipal levy, which Class III does not, so a building inside Charleston or Morgantown pays more than an identical one just outside the city line.
How West Virginia sets assessed value
West Virginia assesses property every year as of July 1 at 60% of its true and actual value, under W. Va. Code section 11-3-1. The July 1 date is in the year before the tax year, so the July 1, 2025 value sets the 2026 bill. A building worth $2,000,000 on the assessment date has an assessed value of $1,200,000.
The county assessor values residential and commercial real estate, including apartment buildings. Industrial and natural resource property is valued by the Tax Commissioner.
When an assessor raises a building’s assessed value by more than 10% and more than $1,000 over the prior year, the assessor must mail a notice by January 15 of the tax year. Missing the notice does not cancel the increase, so read your assessment each year.
Maximum levy rates by class
Rates are set in cents per $100 of assessed value by four bodies: the State, the county commission, the county board of education and, for Class IV, the city. The Tax Division publishes these maximum regular levy rates.
- Excess levies sit on top. With voter approval, a county or city can raise its regular rate by up to 50% for up to five years, and a school board by up to 100%.
- Bond levies approved by voters for local debt are also added.
- County and municipal excess and bond levies need at least 60% of the vote; school levies need a simple majority.
| Levying body | Class II (owner-occupied) | Class III (outside a city) | Class IV (inside a city) |
|---|---|---|---|
| State | 0.50 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| County commission | 28.60 | 57.20 | 57.20 |
| Board of education | 45.90 | 91.80 | 91.80 |
| Municipality | 25.00 | None | 50.00 |
| Maximum regular total | 100.00 | 150.00 | 200.00 |
West Virginia property tax rates by county
County averages in West Virginia range from about $0.98 to $2.36 per $100 of assessed value. The figures below divide each county’s total taxes levied by its total assessed value for tax year 2025, using the Tax Division’s Classified Assessed Valuations and Taxes Levied report. The statewide figure is $2,316,012,434 in taxes on $126,519,005,979 of assessed value, or $1.83 per $100.
These averages mix every class, including Class II homes taxed at half the apartment rate, so an apartment building in each county will usually pay more than the figure shown. Use them to compare counties, and get your parcel’s own Class III or IV rate from the county assessor or sheriff.
| County | Average levy per $100 of assessed value (all classes) | Group |
|---|---|---|
| Brooke | $2.36 | Highest |
| Cabell | $2.35 | Highest |
| Wyoming | $2.27 | Highest |
| Kanawha | $2.23 | Highest |
| Hancock | $2.23 | Highest |
| Upshur | $1.08 | Lowest |
| Summers | $1.06 | Lowest |
| Tucker | $1.01 | Lowest |
| Pocahontas | $1.00 | Lowest |
| Pendleton | $0.98 | Lowest |
Turning a levy rate into a rate on market value
Multiply the levy rate by 0.6 to get the tax as a share of market value. Because assessed value is 60% of true and actual value, a Class IV levy of $2.00 per $100 equals 1.2% of market value, and a Class III levy of $1.50 equals 0.9%. The statewide all-class average of $1.83 per $100 works out to about 1.1% of market value.
That conversion explains why an apartment owner’s bill can run at roughly twice the 0.51% headline rate. The Tax Foundation figure is built from owner-occupied homes, which pay Class II rates at half the apartment level. A rental building inside a city pays the Class IV rate on the same 60% of value, plus whatever excess levies local voters have approved.
How property tax affects your sale price
Buyers price apartment buildings on net operating income, so a higher tax bill lowers what they can pay at the market cap rate. In West Virginia, the two things a buyer checks first are the class and the next assessment. A Class IV building in a city with an active school excess levy carries a bigger bill than a Class III building in the county, and a building assessed well below its likely sale price will see that gap close.
Does a sale trigger reassessment in West Virginia?
No law makes a sale a reassessment trigger, but it rarely needs one. Because West Virginia revalues property every year at 60% of true and actual value, a recent arm’s-length sale price is strong evidence of value at the next July 1 assessment date, and buyers should expect the assessor to notice it.
West Virginia also has no cap that holds assessed value below market for long-time owners. A building whose assessment has lagged its market value can see a sharp step up after a sale, which the buyer, not the seller, pays.
How to appeal a property assessment in West Virginia
The window is short and comes once a year. Each county commission sits as a board of equalization and review starting no later than February 1 of the tax year, under W. Va. Code section 11-3-24. The board can adjourn any time after February 15 and must adjourn by the last day of February.
You must ask for relief while the board is sitting. If you do not apply then, you give up the right to have that year’s assessment corrected. If you disagree with the board’s order, you can appeal to the West Virginia Office of Tax Appeals.
- By January 15: assessor mails notices of increases over 10% and $1,000.
- February 1: the county board of equalization and review begins meeting.
- February 15 to February 28: the board may adjourn once its work is done, and must adjourn by month’s end.
- After the board’s order: appeal to the Office of Tax Appeals.
Worked example: property tax on a $2M West Virginia apartment building
These figures illustrate the method at the maximum regular levy rates. Excess and bond levies can push your actual rate higher, and a levy set below its maximum would pull it lower.
Take a 30-unit building inside a city with a true and actual value of $2,000,000. Its assessed value is 60% of that, $1,200,000. At the Class IV maximum regular rate of $2.00 per $100, the yearly tax is $24,000, or 1.2% of market value. The same building outside city limits, in Class III at $1.50, would pay $18,000. Owner-occupied at the Class II maximum of $1.00, it would pay $12,000.
Now the sale. Say the assessor had valued the building at $1,500,000 before the sale, for a Class IV bill of $18,000. If the next assessment reflects the $2,000,000 price, the bill rises to $24,000. That $6,000 comes straight off the buyer’s NOI, and at an illustrative 7% cap rate it is worth about $85,714 off the price a buyer can pay.
| Scenario | Assessed value | Yearly tax |
|---|---|---|
| Class IV, inside a city ($2.00) | $1,200,000 | $24,000 |
| Class III, outside a city ($1.50) | $1,200,000 | $18,000 |
| Class II, owner-occupied ($1.00) | $1,200,000 | $12,000 |
| Class IV before sale, $1.5M value | $900,000 | $18,000 |
| Class IV after sale, $2M value | $1,200,000 | $24,000 |
Property tax exemptions for West Virginia apartments
We did not find a general property tax exemption for market-rate apartment buildings in West Virginia. The lower Class II rate applies only to owner-occupied homes and owner-farmed land. Ask the county assessor whether any abatement, payment-in-lieu agreement or affordable housing program applies to your parcel, and whether it carries over to a buyer.
Paying the bill and what a buyer checks
A buyer will want to see your tax bill alongside the assessor’s record. Before you list, gather these.
- The current assessed value and the class (III or IV) on the assessor’s record.
- The full levy rate for your tax district, including any excess or bond levies and when they expire.
- Any notice of increase from the past two years and the result of any appeal.
- Proof that the current year’s bill is paid.
Selling an apartment building in West Virginia
Skyline buys apartment buildings with five or more units in West Virginia, in Class III and Class IV districts alike. We buy directly, close on your timeline, and can work inside 1031 deadlines. We underwrite from your actual tax bill and plan for the next assessment, so there are no surprises at closing.
For the tax on the sale itself, see our page on West Virginia capital gains tax on real estate. For the tenant rules a buyer will inherit, see West Virginia landlord-tenant law for apartment owners.
