Petersburg, Virginia Tax Rates

Petersburg Tax Rates - At a Glance

Petersburg Current Tax Rates Summary

Tax Type	Rate	Notes
Real Estate Tax	$1.270 per $100	Tax year 2025 per Virginia DOT survey; one of the highest city RE rates in Virginia; verify current adopted rate with the City of Petersburg
Vehicle Personal Property Tax	$4.900 per $100	General tangible personal property rate TY2025 per DOT survey; personal use vehicle rate may differ; PPTRA relief on first $20,000; verify current rate
Machinery and Tools	$3.800 per $100	TY2025 per DOT survey (business tangible personal property)
Sales Tax	5.3%	4.3% state + 1.0% local; qualifying groceries 1.0%; Central Virginia's 6.0% does not apply in the Tri-Cities

Real Estate Tax

Rate and Assessment

Petersburg's real estate tax rate was $1.270 per $100 of assessed value for tax year 2025, as reported in the Virginia Department of Taxation Local Tax Rates Survey. This is one of the highest city real estate rates in Virginia. Petersburg is an independent city in the Tri-Cities area of the greater Richmond region, about 23 miles south of Richmond on the Appomattox River, with a long history as a tobacco and industrial center. The rate is set annually by Petersburg City Council. Under Code of Virginia § 58.1-3201, real estate is assessed at 100% of fair market value.

Verification note: The real estate rate is from the Virginia DOT Local Tax Rates Survey (tax year 2025). Rates are set annually and can change. Verify the current adopted rate at petersburgva.gov or by contacting the Petersburg Commissioner of the Revenue before making financial decisions.

Service Districts

Petersburg has one city service-district levy in the Virginia DOT Table 5 for tax year 2025: a Service Charge Parcels district that adds $0.270 per $100 of real estate value. This applies only to designated service-charge parcels, not citywide. The base $1.270/$100 rate applies to all other real estate in the city.

Independent City Status

Petersburg is an independent city - a county-equivalent jurisdiction in Virginia. It is not part of any county. If you live in Petersburg, your local property and vehicle taxes are set by the Petersburg city government, not by any county. Petersburg sits at the heart of the Tri-Cities, alongside the neighboring city of Colonial Heights across the Appomattox River and bordering Chesterfield County. Each is a separate taxing authority that sets its own rates.

Exemptions and Relief Programs

Petersburg offers real estate tax relief for qualifying senior citizens and residents with disabilities. Disabled veterans who are 100% service-connected disabled may qualify for a full real estate tax exemption on their primary residence under Code of Virginia § 58.1-3219.5. Contact the Petersburg Commissioner of the Revenue for current eligibility thresholds and procedures.

Source: Virginia DOT Local Tax Rates Survey TY2025 (pdfplumber extraction, direct from source).

Vehicle Personal Property Tax

Rate and Assessment Method

Petersburg's general tangible personal property tax rate was $4.900 per $100 of assessed value for tax year 2025, as reported in the Virginia DOT Local Tax Rates Survey. Under Code of Virginia § 58.1-3503, localities assess vehicles using a recognized pricing guide as of January 1 of the tax year.

Important note on rate classification: The Virginia DOT Local Tax Rates Survey reports the general tangible personal property rate. The DOT survey explicitly states that "certain items of property, including vehicles, may be considered separate classifications and may be taxed at a different tax rate." The current personal use vehicle rate in Petersburg may differ from the $4.900 general rate. Contact the Petersburg Commissioner of the Revenue to confirm the rate that applies to your vehicle.

PPTRA Relief

Virginia's Personal Property Tax Relief Act (PPTRA), Code of Virginia § 58.1-3524, provides partial state-funded relief on the first $20,000 of assessed value for qualifying personal use vehicles. Virginia distributes a fixed annual block grant of $950 million among all localities. Petersburg calculates its annual PPTRA relief percentage based on its share of that grant and the total qualifying vehicle assessed value in the city. This percentage changes each year. For a deeper explanation of how PPTRA works, see our Virginia PPTRA explained guide.

PPTRA percentage pending official confirmation. Contact the Petersburg Commissioner of the Revenue or visit petersburgva.gov to confirm the current-year vehicle personal property tax rate and PPTRA relief percentage.

Rate source: Virginia DOT Local Tax Rates Survey TY2025 (pdfplumber extraction, direct from source).

Sales Tax

Rate and Composition

The combined sales tax rate in the City of Petersburg is 5.3%: the 4.3% Virginia state rate plus the 1.0% standard local rate. Petersburg does not levy an additional local sales tax. Per the current Virginia Tax sales tax rate table, Petersburg is in the 5.3% statewide-base group. This is a common point of confusion: neighboring Chesterfield County and the greater Richmond area belong to the Central Virginia 6.0% sales tax region, but Petersburg and the Tri-Cities are not part of that region, so the 6.0% rate does not apply inside Petersburg. Petersburg and Chesterfield County are separate tax jurisdictions.

Petersburg Sales Tax Rate Breakdown

Component	Rate
Virginia state rate	4.3%
Standard local rate	1.0%
Combined rate	5.3%

Qualifying food and personal hygiene items are subject to Virginia's reduced 1.0% statewide rate. The applicable sales tax rate depends on where the sale occurs, not your city of residence.

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