Franklin, Virginia Tax Rates

Franklin Tax Rates - At a Glance

City of Franklin 2025 Tax Rates Summary (Virginia DOT Local Tax Rates Survey TY2025; payment details per the city Commissioner of the Revenue)

Tax Type	City Rate (per $100)	Notes
Real Estate	$1.03	Virginia DOT TY2025. Assessed at 100% fair market value.
Downtown Taxing District (RE overlay)	+$1.27	Additional downtown service-district levy on top of the city rate (combined $2.30), per DOT Table 5. Applies to downtown-district parcels only.
Tangible Personal Property (general)	$4.50	General TPP rate (Virginia DOT TY2025). Vehicles prorated; due December 5. Personal-use vehicles may be a separate class - confirm with the Commissioner.
Machinery and Tools	$2.00	Per Virginia DOT TY2025.
Merchants' Capital	$0.00	Franklin does not levy a merchants' capital tax.
Sales Tax	6.0% (4.3% state + 1.0% local + 0.7% Hampton Roads regional)

The real estate rate ($1.03), general tangible personal property rate ($4.50), and Machinery and Tools ($2.00) are from the Virginia DOT Local Tax Rates Survey tax year 2025 (Cities table); the Downtown Taxing District overlay (+$1.27) is from Table 5 (City District Levies). The proration of motor vehicles and the once-a-year December 5 personal-property billing are from the City of Franklin Commissioner of the Revenue (franklinva.gov), which returned an access error to our automated tools in June 2026 and was corroborated through indexed content. The exact late-payment penalty and interest terms, the current-year PPTRA percentage, any separate personal-use vehicle classification rate, the vehicle assessment guide, and the real estate due dates are pending direct confirmation with the Commissioner of the Revenue (Selenia R. Boone, 207 West 2nd Avenue, Franklin VA 23851; 757-562-8547). Sales tax verified at the Virginia Department of Taxation.

Vehicle Personal Property (Car) Tax

Rate and Classification

The City of Franklin's general tangible personal property rate is $4.50 per $100 of assessed value, per the Virginia DOT Local Tax Rates Survey tax year 2025. The Commissioner of the Revenue assesses motor vehicles, trailers, and business personal property as of January 1 each year. Virginia State Code § 58.1-3503 allows the governing body to set a separate rate for personal-use vehicles; the DOT survey publishes the general nominal rate, and the exact personal-use vehicle rate for Franklin is pending confirmation with the Commissioner of the Revenue.

Proration and Due Date

The City of Franklin prorates motor vehicles - you pay tax only for the period of the year you own the vehicle, and tax is relieved on a monthly prorated basis when a vehicle is sold or moved out of the city. Personal property tax is billed once a year and is due December 5, per the city Commissioner of the Revenue.

Assessment Method

Motor vehicles are assessed at fair market value as of January 1 each year, typically using a recognized pricing guide such as the J.D. Power (formerly NADA) Official Valuation Guide. The specific valuation guide used by the City of Franklin is pending confirmation with the Commissioner of the Revenue.

PPTRA Relief

Qualifying personal-use vehicles receive Virginia's Personal Property Tax Relief (PPTRA) on the first $20,000 of value, under Code of Virginia § 58.1-3524. The relief percentage varies each year and is set by City Council; the current-year percentage for Franklin is pending confirmation with the Commissioner of the Revenue.

Source: Virginia DOT Local Tax Rates Survey TY2025 (general TPP $4.500) and the City of Franklin Commissioner of the Revenue (franklinva.gov). For a deeper explanation of PPTRA, see our Virginia PPTRA explained guide. The personal-use vehicle classification rate, assessment guide, and current PPTRA percentage are pending direct confirmation.

Real Estate Tax

Rate and Assessment

The City of Franklin's real estate tax rate is $1.03 per $100 of assessed value, per the Virginia DOT Local Tax Rates Survey tax year 2025. All real estate in Virginia is assessed at 100% of fair market value under Code of Virginia § 58.1-3201; real property is assessed as of January 1 each year. The rate is set annually by Franklin City Council, and the city's reassessment cycle and real estate due dates are pending confirmation.

Downtown Taxing District

Parcels within the Franklin Downtown Taxing District - a downtown business service district - pay an additional +$1.27 per $100 real estate levy on top of the $1.03 city rate (combined $2.30), per the Virginia DOT Local Tax Rates Survey Table 5 (City District Levies). District levies are in addition to the city rate. Parcels outside the downtown district pay only the $1.03 city real estate rate. Confirm whether a specific parcel is inside the district with the Commissioner of the Revenue.

Due Dates, Penalty, and Interest

The City of Franklin bills personal property tax once a year, due December 5, per the city Commissioner of the Revenue. The real estate tax due dates and the exact late-payment penalty and interest terms are pending direct confirmation; under Code of Virginia § 58.1-3916, Virginia localities commonly apply a 10% penalty and 10% annual interest on unpaid balances.

Exemptions and Relief Programs

Real estate tax relief is available in Virginia for qualifying residents who are at least 65 years old or permanently and totally disabled, with income and asset limits set by the locality. Disabled veterans who are 100% service-connected disabled may qualify for a full real estate exemption on their primary residence under Code of Virginia § 58.1-3219.5. Contact the City of Franklin Commissioner of the Revenue for current eligibility thresholds, land use applications, and procedures.

Source: Virginia DOT Local Tax Rates Survey tax year 2025 (Cities table; Table 5 downtown district) and the City of Franklin Commissioner of the Revenue (franklinva.gov), corroborated June 2026. The reassessment cycle, real estate due dates, penalty/interest terms, and PPTRA percentage are pending direct confirmation.

Machinery, Tools, and Business Property

The City of Franklin levies Machinery and Tools at $2.00 per $100, per the Virginia DOT Local Tax Rates Survey tax year 2025. Franklin does not levy a merchants' capital tax - its merchants' capital rate is $0.00 - and instead taxes business tangible personal property under Code of Virginia § 58.1-3508.1.

Source: Virginia DOT Local Tax Rates Survey TY2025 (Cities table) - City of Franklin RE $1.030, TPP $4.500, M&T $2.000, Merchants' Capital $0.000.

Sales Tax

Rate and Composition

The combined sales tax rate in the City of Franklin is 6.0%. Franklin is part of Virginia's Hampton Roads regional sales tax district, per the Virginia Department of Taxation - so on top of the 4.3% state rate and the 1.0% standard local rate, a 0.7% Hampton Roads regional transportation levy applies. The Hampton Roads 6.0% region also includes Chesapeake, Hampton, Isle of Wight, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, surrounding Southampton County, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach.

City of Franklin Sales Tax Rate Breakdown

Component	Rate
Virginia state rate	4.3%
Standard local rate	1.0%
Hampton Roads regional transportation	0.7%
Combined rate	6.0%

Qualifying food and grocery items are subject to Virginia's reduced 1.0% rate.

Source: Virginia Department of Taxation - Retail Sales and Use Tax (tax.virginia.gov)

Independent City Status and the Southampton Relationship

Franklin is an independent city - a county-equivalent jurisdiction in Virginia - geographically enclosed by Southampton County. Although Franklin sits inside the county's footprint, the two are separate tax jurisdictions: a City of Franklin resident pays Franklin's rates (real estate $1.03, general personal property $4.50), and a Southampton County resident pays the county's rates (real estate $0.71, general personal property $5.00). Franklin is in Western Tidewater Virginia on the Blackwater River, historically anchored by a large paper mill, and is part of the Hampton Roads region for sales tax purposes. Do not confuse the City of Franklin with Franklin County, a separate county near Roanoke in southwestern Virginia with its own, different tax rates.

How Franklin Compares to Southampton County

Per the Virginia DOT TY2025 Local Tax Rates Survey, the City of Franklin's real estate rate is $1.03 per $100 versus $0.71 per $100 in surrounding Southampton County, so the city's real estate rate is higher. The city's general personal property rate ($4.50) is slightly lower than the county's ($5.00), and both jurisdictions are in the Hampton Roads 6.0% sales tax region. The two are separate tax jurisdictions - a City of Franklin resident pays Franklin rates, and a Southampton County resident pays county rates, even though the city sits inside the county's footprint.