Pennsylvania · Lancaster County · Local exemptions · Updated Oct 2026

Lancaster County, PA property tax exemptions (2026)

The property tax breaks that are set or run locally in Lancaster County, on top of Pennsylvania’s statewide rules: what each is worth here, who qualifies, where to apply and the deadline.

What is different in Lancaster County

The state-funded homestead/farmstead school tax relief in Lancaster County depends on your school district: PDE estimates it at $119 to $847 a year per approved home for 2025-26 across 16 districts. You apply once with the Lancaster County Property Assessment Office (Board of Assessment Appeals) by March 1; other exemptions follow the statewide rules.

Apply at
Lancaster County Property Assessment Office (Board of Assessment Appeals)
Phone
717-299-8381
Local breaks
Homestead/Farmstead Exclusion (state gaming-funded school tax relief, Act 1 of 2006)
Tax year
2025-26

Where to apply in Lancaster County

Lancaster County Property Assessment Office (Board of Assessment Appeals)

Phone
717-299-8381
Address
150 N. Queen St., Suite 310, Lancaster, PA 17603
Official exemptions page

Other offices

Local exemptions in Lancaster County

Homestead

Homestead/Farmstead Exclusion (state gaming-funded school tax relief, Act 1 of 2006)

Varies by school district. PDE estimates 2025-26 school tax relief per approved homestead from $119 (Eastern Lancaster County SD) to $847 (Lancaster SD) across the 16 districts PDE lists under Lancaster County (median $205). The actual amount is calculated by each district and shown on your school tax bill; see the table of districts.

Set by
school district (state program, local amount)
Tax year
2025-26
Who qualifies
You own the home and it is your permanent primary residence. Farmstead: farm buildings used for agriculture on a farm of 10 or more contiguous acres. No age or income test.
How to apply
Fill out the county application (on the county website or from your school district) and mail it to the Lancaster County Board of Assessment Appeals, 150 N. Queen St., Suite 310, Lancaster, PA 17603, by March 1. Faxed applications are not accepted.
Deadline
March 1 for the school tax year that starts July 1
Renewal
One-time: once approved you do not reapply unless ownership changes or you move. Tell the assessment office within 45 days if the home stops being your primary residence.

Source: official page

Amounts by taxing unit in Lancaster County

Each school district, city or other taxing unit can set its own amount. Find the ones on your tax bill.

Sort:
Taxing unitTypeHomestead break per homeApproved homesteads 2025-26 (number of homes)State allocation 2026-27 (whole-district total, not per home)Source
Cocalico SDschool district$328 a year (PDE estimate, 2025-26)5,855$1,915,164 for the whole district (not per home)official
Columbia Borough SDschool district$611 a year (PDE estimate, 2025-26)1,815$1,107,293 for the whole district (not per home)official
Conestoga Valley SDschool district$180 a year (PDE estimate, 2025-26)6,828$1,238,932 for the whole district (not per home)official
Donegal SDschool district$239 a year (PDE estimate, 2025-26)4,885$1,165,396 for the whole district (not per home)official
Eastern Lancaster County SDschool district$119 a year (PDE estimate, 2025-26)6,540$773,466 for the whole district (not per home)official
Elizabethtown Area SDschool district$153 a year (PDE estimate, 2025-26)6,839$1,040,446 for the whole district (not per home)official
Ephrata Area SDschool district$234 a year (PDE estimate, 2025-26)7,618$1,783,279 for the whole district (not per home)official
Hempfield SDschool district$226 a year (PDE estimate, 2025-26)12,618$2,847,553 for the whole district (not per home)official
Lampeter-Strasburg SDschool district$198 a year (PDE estimate, 2025-26)5,624$1,111,129 for the whole district (not per home)official
Lancaster SDschool district$847 a year (PDE estimate, 2025-26)10,283$8,723,338 for the whole district (not per home)official
Manheim Central SDschool district$205 a year (PDE estimate, 2025-26)7,043$1,452,509 for the whole district (not per home)official
Manheim Township SDschool district$199 a year (PDE estimate, 2025-26)9,834$1,961,037 for the whole district (not per home)official
Penn Manor SDschool district$223 a year (PDE estimate, 2025-26)10,142$2,260,588 for the whole district (not per home)official
Pequea Valley SDschool district$171 a year (PDE estimate, 2025-26)3,845$655,356 for the whole district (not per home)official
Solanco SDschool district$140 a year (PDE estimate, 2025-26)6,898$964,163 for the whole district (not per home)official
Warwick SDschool district$205 a year (PDE estimate, 2025-26)7,964$1,628,720 for the whole district (not per home)official

State exemptions that also apply here

These breaks come from Pennsylvania law. Their full rules, forms and deadlines are on the Pennsylvania page.

All Pennsylvania property tax exemptions

By group in Pennsylvania: Seniors · Veterans · Disability · Surviving spouses

Savings estimate for Lancaster County

Roughly what an exemption could save you a year: the value it takes off, times your tax rate.

Filled in when the exemption is a fixed dollar amount. You can change it.

Lancaster County median effective rate: 1.20% (taxes paid as a share of home value). Use your own rate if you know it.

Enter a value and a tax rateChoose an exemption or type the value it takes off.

Median effective rate in Lancaster County: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020–2024 5-year estimates, county figures as published by Tax Foundation. It is a county-wide middle value; rates differ by town and school district.

An estimate, not a bill. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Eligibility finder for Lancaster County

Answer a few questions to see which property tax breaks may fit you. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Leave empty if you'd rather not say.

Everyone in the home, before taxes. Optional: used only to compare with income limits.

Do you own and live in the home?Answer the first question to see results.

A first check, not a decision: only your county, city or town assessor decides. We read ages, ratings and income limits only where the official rule states them plainly; otherwise we show the rule for you to check.

Document checklist for Lancaster County

Pick the breaks you plan to apply for. You get a checklist of forms, documents, steps and deadlines to print or keep on your phone.

The checklist asks for no personal details and nothing is sent to our server: the files are made on your device.

Exemptions to include

Questions about property tax exemptions in Lancaster County

What property tax exemptions are there in Lancaster County?

The state-funded homestead/farmstead school tax relief in Lancaster County depends on your school district: PDE estimates it at $119 to $847 a year per approved home for 2025-26 across 16 districts. You apply once with the Lancaster County Property Assessment Office (Board of Assessment Appeals) by March 1; other exemptions follow the statewide rules. Local breaks here: Homestead/Farmstead Exclusion (state gaming-funded school tax relief, Act 1 of 2006).

Where do I apply for a property tax exemption in Lancaster County?

Lancaster County Property Assessment Office (Board of Assessment Appeals) Phone: 717-299-8381 Address: 150 N. Queen St., Suite 310, Lancaster, PA 17603. Also: Pennsylvania Department of Education, Property Tax Relief, which state program: sets each school district's yearly property tax reduction allocation.

When is the deadline to apply in Lancaster County?

Homestead/Farmstead Exclusion (state gaming-funded school tax relief, Act 1 of 2006): March 1 for the school tax year that starts July 1.

Do I have to reapply every year in Lancaster County?

Homestead/Farmstead Exclusion (state gaming-funded school tax relief, Act 1 of 2006): One-time: once approved you do not reapply unless ownership changes or you move. Tell the assessment office within 45 days if the home stops being your primary residence.

Do Pennsylvania’s statewide exemptions apply in Lancaster County too?

Yes. The statewide breaks on our Pennsylvania page apply here as well, for example Homestead and Farmstead Exclusion (Taxpayer Relief Act), Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program and Disabled Veterans' Real Estate Tax Exemption. This page adds what Lancaster County sets or runs itself.

Good to know in Lancaster County

  • Lancaster County has completed a countywide reassessment for 2027; the next annual assessment appeal opportunity is in 2028.
  • If your school district is not in the table, PDE lists it under a neighboring county (a district that crosses county lines appears under one county only); the application still goes to the assessment office of the county where your home is.
  • PDE's per-homestead figures are estimates; each district calculates the actual reduction and must show it on the school tax bill as a "Notice of Property Tax Relief".

Think your assessed value is too high? See how to appeal in Lancaster County.

Sources

Last checked: Oct 2026.