Personal Property Taxes

What Is Taxed

• Personal property taxes are assessed on vehicles (cars, trucks, motorcycles, and motor homes) and also boats, trailers, mobile homes, and business personal property.
• Vehicle taxes are pro-rated based on the number of months that a vehicle maintains situs (location) in our county. Boats and business personal property are not prorated.
• Assessments are based on the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) loan value as of January 1 of each tax year, if available. If NADA value is not available, a cost depreciation is used. Call the Commissioner of the Revenue at 540-928-2050 for assessment information.
• Tax Rates

Changes to Records

• All personal property assessments and records maintenance is the responsibility of the office of the Commissioner of the Revenue who may be contacted by calling 540-928-2050.
• When you have sold or purchased a vehicle, please contact the Commissioner of the Revenue within 30 days and keep that office informed of any change in ownership and/or address so that future bills will be correct. 
• Notifying the DMV alone will not ensure that your personal property account will be accurate.
• Keep the Commissioner of the Revenue informed of any change in address so that future bills will be mailed to the correct address. You may email the Commissioner of the Revenue or call at 540-928-2050.
• As there may be differences to the general rules regarding taxation within Botetourt County, any questions regarding the time period and the assessed value of your bill are better addressed to the office of the Commissioner of the Revenue. 

Failure to keep the commissioner of the revenue informed of changes in ownership may result in your personal property records being incorrect.

When Tax is Due

Annual personal property taxes are due November 1st.

How to Pay

• Citizen Self Service

Additional Fees & Penalties

• A 10% penalty for late payment is added to an account balance after the due date; interest at 10% APR begins accruing the first day of the month following the due date.
• Make sure that you receive bills for all property that you own. Check off the bills as you receive them and contact the Botetourt County Treasurer's office at 540-928-2030, option 2, if you are missing a bill for any vehicle. Under Virginia law, it is the responsibility of the property owner to obtain all tax bills and to make timely payments.
• Mail property tax payments early to make sure that the envelope is postmarked on or before the due date. The Treasurer reviews the postmark date to determine if payment was timely mailed.

Personal Property Tax Relief Act

The Personal Property Tax Relief Act of 1998, as revised in 2004 and 2005, provides tax relief for passenger cars, motorcycles, and pickup or panel trucks having a registered gross weight of fewer than 7,501 pounds.

Motor homes, boats, trailers, and farm-use vehicles do not qualify for tax relief.

Vehicles qualified for tax relief are noted on your tax bill and show a reduction on the first $20,000 of value for the portion of the tax the Commonwealth will reimburse the County for the tax year. If your qualifying vehicle's assessed value is $1,000 or less, the Commonwealth's share is 100%.

To Qualify

• The vehicle must be owned by an individual or leased by an individual under a contract requiring the individual to pay the personal property tax and be used less than 50% for business purposes.
• A vehicle would be considered to be used for business purposes if:
  • More than 50% of the mileage for the year is used as a business expense for Federal Income Tax purposes or reimbursed by an employer.
  • More than 50% of the depreciation associated with the vehicle is deducted as a business expense for Federal Income Tax.
  • The cost of the vehicle is expensed pursuant to Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Service Code. 
  • The vehicle is leased by an individual and the leasing company pays the tax without reimbursement from the individual.

How Relief is Calculated

In 2004 and 2005, due to the cost of personal property tax relief, the General Assembly changed the funding formula used to provide car tax relief. For tax years 2001 through 2005, the state's share for qualifying vehicles was 70%. In 1998, when the program began, the state's share of personal property taxes was 12.5%.

Localities now receive a fixed, lump-sum block payment that will not change regardless of the increased value or volume of vehicles added since the formula was developed, based on 2004 factors. As the result, the state will pay less of a share each year as the number and value of vehicles continue to grow. The new funding formula, effective for the tax year 2006, requires a calculation each year to determine the share of personal property taxes to be paid by the property owner, based on the declining percentage of share funded by the state.

You are required to certify annually to the Commissioner of the Revenue that your vehicle remains qualified to receive car tax relief. Therefore, it is important that you review the information sent to you by your locality to be sure that your vehicles are properly qualified. If your vehicle is improperly qualified or you are uncertain whether your vehicle would be eligible for car tax relief because it is used part of the time for business purposes, contact the Commissioner of the Revenue. When you display your County decal and pay your taxes on qualified vehicles, you are certifying to the County that your vehicle has been qualified correctly.