Which Hamilton County city has the lowest property tax rate?

Numbers as of November 6, 2026 (2025 pay 2026 rates certified January 2026; 2027 rates not certified yet; November 3, 2026 referendum results are unofficial). Updated monthly when new MIBOR numbers come out.

What are the 2026 property tax rates in Carmel, Fishers, Westfield and Noblesville?

On 2026 bills, Carmel's Clay Township district is lowest at $2.0167 per $100 of assessed value, followed by Fishers at $2.17 to $2.20, Westfield at $2.34 and Noblesville at $2.45 to $2.55. Each city has more than one rate, because your rate comes from the taxing district your parcel sits in: the county, township, library, school corporation and city layers added together.

City, taxing district and school corporation on the bill	Total rate	Referendum part
Carmel (Clay Township): Carmel Clay	$2.0167	$0.2400
Fishers (Fall Creek Township): Hamilton Southeastern	$2.1684	$0.2885
Fishers (Delaware Township): Hamilton Southeastern	$2.1994	$0.2885
Westfield: Westfield Washington	$2.3448	$0.2490
Carmel (Washington Township): Westfield Washington	$2.4068	$0.2490
Noblesville (Fall Creek Township): Hamilton Southeastern	$2.4503	$0.2885
Noblesville (Wayne Township): Hamilton Southeastern	$2.4737	$0.2885
Noblesville ("Noblesville SE" district): Hamilton Southeastern	$2.4813	$0.2885
Noblesville City: Noblesville	$2.5549	$0.4500

Taxes payable in 2026 (2025 pay 2026), per $100 of assessed value. Hamilton County Auditor's certified rate chart and school referendum sheet, dated January 16, 2026. This compares tax lines only, not the school corporations themselves.

The smaller towns are Cicero at $2.0276, Atlanta $2.2155, Arcadia $2.3933 and Sheridan $2.7455. Some of the county's lowest rates are outside any city, because those parcels have no city layer: White River Township at $1.5611, Wayne at $1.6906 and Fall Creek at $1.7245. They still carry township lines, such as fire, so a low rate there doesn't mean those services are free.

Why is the gap in tax bills smaller than the gap in tax rates?

Because Indiana caps a homestead's tax at 1% of its gross assessed value, so once a home reaches the cap, a higher rate costs nothing extra until you get to the referendum tax, which is added on top of the cap. Think of a speed limit on a jammed highway: once everyone's stuck in the same traffic, the posted number stops mattering. Carmel's Clay Township rate is low enough that a home there stays under the cap until about $775,000 by my math, which is part of why it keeps the lowest bill at all three prices below.

The cap can also reorder the middle of the list. Westfield's rate is 15 to 18 cents higher than Fishers', yet it comes out lower on a $450,000 or $750,000 home, because both are at the cap and Westfield's referendum part is smaller. At $300,000 it flips, because that home in Fishers hasn't reached the cap yet.

City and taxing district	$300,000	$450,000	$750,000
Carmel (Clay Township)	$2,780	$4,560	$8,190
Fishers (Fall Creek Township)	$2,990	$4,900	$8,420
Fishers (Delaware Township)	$3,040	$4,900	$8,420
Westfield, or Carmel (Washington Township)	$3,080	$4,800	$8,250
Noblesville, in Hamilton Southeastern	$3,140	$4,900	$8,420
Noblesville City	$3,380	$5,290	$9,100

My math, rounded to $10: a 2026 tax bill on a homestead with that assessed value. Subtract the $48,000 standard deduction, then 40% of what's left; multiply by the rate; hold the non-referendum tax to 1% of assessed value; add the referendum tax; subtract the supplemental homestead credit (the lesser of $300 or 10%, not counting referendum tax). This method reproduces a real 2026 Hamilton County tax statement to the dollar. It leaves out ditch assessments and credits such as Over 65. Assessed value isn't always the price you pay.

Run it for your own price and the order can move, so I wouldn't pick a town on the tax rate alone. On a $450,000 home, the gap between Carmel and Noblesville City is about $720 a year. That's real money, but in my experience a difference in the home's price usually matters more. The order can also move from year to year: Indiana's deductions change for 2027, which lowers the taxable value at this price, so fewer homes will reach the cap at the same rates.

Did the November 3 referendums change these numbers?

Yes, for bills after 2026: voters approved new operating referendums in all four school corporations on November 3, so the table above is a 2026 snapshot, and the 2027 rates aren't certified yet. The results are unofficial as of this writing, and I'll update this page when the 2027 rates come out. These are ceilings and the districts' stated plans, not a prediction of what you'll pay.

School corporation	Operating rate: 2026, then approved ceiling	What the district has said about 2027
Carmel Clay	24 cents (19 plus 5 safety), then up to 42.74	Won't collect the maximum in year one (June 2026); no first-year rate stated
Hamilton Southeastern	19.95 cents, then up to 36	Anticipates recommending 22 cents; board sets it yearly
Noblesville	37 cents, then up to 57	Board committed to 38.5 cents, then no more than 4 cents a year more
Westfield Washington	17 cents, then up to 39.41	Projects an initial 33.81 cents; board sets it yearly

Per $100 of assessed value. Referendum debt lines are separate: 8.9 cents for Hamilton Southeastern, 8 cents for Noblesville and 7.9 cents for Westfield Washington on 2026 bills. Ceilings are from the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance's ballot determinations.

Here's a way to size it: Indiana's deductions change for 2027 too (a $40,000 standard deduction, then 46%), so on a $450,000 homestead, every 10 cents of referendum rate works out to about $221 a year by my math. My town guides for Carmel, Fishers, Westfield and Noblesville have the vote totals.

Does the rate matter more on a rental or second home?

Yes, because a rental or second home gets no homestead deductions or homestead credit, and its cap is 2% instead of 1%, so the bills sit further apart. On a $450,000 rental on 2026 bills, with the 6% deduction Indiana gives that property, my math comes to about $8,530 in Carmel (Clay Township), $9,170 to $9,300 in Fishers, $9,920 in Westfield and $10,810 in Noblesville City. That Carmel to Noblesville City gap is about $2,280 a year, roughly three times the gap on the same home as a homestead. That deduction grows to 12% for 2027, so rerun it for the year you'll be paying. The rest of the rules are on my Indiana property taxes page.

How do I find the real tax number for a specific house?

Look up the parcel, not the city name, because the taxing district on the parcel sets the rate, and a mailing address can't tell you that. A Carmel address in Washington Township carries a rate about 39 cents higher than one in Clay Township. Here's what I do for a client:

1. Find the parcel's taxing district and current assessed value on the county's property tax site. Don't use the list price or last year's bill as your starting point.
2. Run the steps in the table note above for the year you'll be paying, with the newest certified rate and the referendum part of it.
3. On a new build, don't trust the current bill. It may reflect only the lot, and the jump comes later. My page on property taxes on new construction shows how to estimate the finished number.
4. Put the result in the payment. The mortgage calculator shows what the tax does to your monthly number.

One thing you can skip: the county income tax isn't a town-by-town difference. Hamilton County's rate is 1.1% countywide (Indiana Department of Revenue, effective October 1, 2026). I'm not a tax advisor, so confirm your own figures with the Hamilton County Auditor. But send me an address, and I'll run the math before you write an offer.

Sources

• Hamilton County Auditor, 2025 pay 2026 certified tax rate chart (dated Jan 16, 2026): rates by taxing district and each layer of the rate
• Hamilton County Auditor, School Referendum & Debt Service Exempt From Circuit Breakers, 2025 pay 2026 (Jan 16, 2026)
• Indiana DLGF, 2026 Certified Tax Rates by District (same rates statewide list, read Nov 6, 2026)
• Indiana DLGF memo, Legislation Affecting Deductions, Exemptions, and Credits (June 12, 2025): homestead deduction schedule, 40% and 46% supplemental deduction, supplemental homestead credit, 6% and 12% deduction for other residential property
• Indiana DLGF, Tax Bill 101: property tax caps of 1% for homesteads, 2% for other residential, 3% for other property (read Nov 6, 2026)
• Indiana DLGF determination, Carmel Clay Schools operating referendum: not to exceed $0.4274, repealing and replacing existing referendums (July 2026)
• Indiana DLGF determination, Hamilton Southeastern Schools operating referendum: not to exceed $0.36 (June 2026)
• Indiana DLGF determination, Noblesville Schools operating referendum: not to exceed $0.57
• Indiana DLGF determination, Westfield Washington Schools operating referendum: not to exceed $0.3941
• Westfield Washington Schools, referendum page: replaces the current operating referendum; projects an initial rate of $0.3381 (read Nov 6, 2026)
• The Reporter, submitted by Noblesville Schools: board committed to 38.5 cents for 2027 and no more than 4-cent annual increases (Aug 20, 2026)
• Indiana Department of Revenue, Departmental Notice #1, county tax rates effective Oct 1, 2026: Hamilton 1.1%
• The Reporter, submitted by HSE Schools: anticipated first-year rate $0.22 for 2027; board sets the rate each year (Aug 14, 2026)
• Current, Carmel Clay Schools zeros in on new referendum rate, amount: won't collect the maximum in the first year (June 11, 2026)
• IndyStar via Yahoo News, Voters approved referendums in these Central Indiana school districts (Nov 4, 2026): Carmel Clay, Hamilton Southeastern, Noblesville, Westfield Washington

I'm a Realtor, not a lender, lawyer or tax advisor. Numbers are the latest available on the dates shown and change; your loan officer, attorney or the county has the final word on your situation.