Brighton property taxes & housing data
Brighton is taxed at 36.6593 mills across 1 school district. That is 13.80 mills above the Livingston County median and 4.05 mills above the Southeast Michigan median — the 18th lowest of 19 municipalities in the county, and 141 of 236 region-wide.
Rates by school district
| School district | Homestead | Non-homestead | $250,000 | $350,000 | $500,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton Area Schools | 36.6593 | 54.6593 | $4,582 | $6,415 | $9,165 |
Homestead (PRE) applies to your primary residence. Non-homestead applies to rentals and second homes. Dollar columns are the annual bill at the uncapped taxable value — half the purchase price — at the homestead rate.
How Brighton compares in Livingston County
| Municipality | Lowest millage | Annual tax on $350,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Howell Township | 23.6604 | $4,141 |
| Green Oak Township | 25.3046 | $4,428 |
| Unadilla Township | 26.8143 | $4,693 |
| Hartland Township | 28.4412 | $4,977 |
| Brighton | 36.6593 | $6,415 |
| Howell | 37.8695 | $6,627 |
← Hartland Township (lower) · Howell (higher) →
For sale in Brighton right now
34 active listings in Brighton — the 6 newest below. Remember: every one of them uncaps the year after closing, so the bill you should budget is the uncapped one above, not the seller's.
$950,000
1885 Euler RD · Brighton
4 bd · 5 ba · 5,774 sqft
Listing courtesy of RE/MAX Platinum
$224,900
311 Spring Brooke Drive · Brighton
2 bd · 1 ba · 923 sqft
Listing courtesy of RE/MAX Classic
$595,000
6255 Butternut CIR # 9 · Brighton
3 bd · 3 ba · 3,087 sqft
Listing courtesy of Beycome Brokerage Realty LLC
$359,900
944 Woodridge Hills DR · Brighton
2 bd · 3 ba · 2,295 sqft
Listing courtesy of Maple Realty Services
$419,900
131 S 2nd ST · Brighton
2 bd · 3 ba · 1,768 sqft
Listing courtesy of Real Estate One-Brighton
$190,000
416 Forest DR · Brighton
2 bd · 3 ba · 1,867 sqft
Listing courtesy of Keller Williams Advantage
IDX provided courtesy of Realcomp II Ltd. via Match Realty LLC and Greater Metropolitan Association of REALTORS, MiRealSource, Realcomp II Ltd, ©2026 Realcomp II Ltd. Shareholders. The accuracy of all information, regardless of source, is not guaranteed or warranted. All information should be independently verified. Listings refreshed 2026-11-02T23:11+00:00; refreshed at least twice daily.
Waterfront in Brighton: Woodland Lake · Huron River — recorded sale prices and all-sports status for each.
Compare Brighton with another community
Brighton has 7 side-by-side comparisons, 4 of them with a community that shares a school district — same schools, different bill. Dollar columns are the annual homestead bill on a $350,000 home at the uncapped taxable value, and the last column is the difference against Brighton.
| Comparison | Their lowest millage | Annual tax on $350,000 | vs Brighton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton vs Genoa Township · same schools | 16.8507 | $2,949 | −$3,467 |
| Brighton vs Brighton Township · same schools | 19.8570 | $3,475 | −$2,940 |
| Brighton vs Hamburg Township · same schools | 22.6167 | $3,958 | −$2,457 |
| Brighton vs Green Oak Township · same schools | 25.3046 | $4,428 | −$1,987 |
| Brighton vs Unadilla Township | 26.8143 | $4,693 | −$1,723 |
| Brighton vs Hartland Township | 28.4412 | $4,977 | −$1,438 |
| Brighton vs Howell | 37.8695 | $6,627 | +$212 |
Look up, pay and appeal your Brighton taxes
Brighton bills twice a year. The summer bill is issued July 1 and the winter bill December 1; most communities make them due September 14 and February 14, and anything still unpaid on March 1 moves to the county treasurer as delinquent, with interest added monthly. Both bills are collected by the Brighton treasurer, so the balance on a specific parcel is on the city or township site first (most of Southeast Michigan uses BS&A Online for this) and on the county site once it is late.
- Livingston County property search — parcel and tax search for Livingston County addresses.
- Livingston County Treasurer — where a bill goes once it is delinquent: balances, payment plans and the hardship deferral.
- Estimate a bill before you look one up — the figure on the current owner's statement is capped; this gives you the uncapped one.
Appealing the assessment
Assessment notices go out in late February. If the assessed value is more than half of what the house would actually sell for, the appeal runs in two steps and the first one cannot be skipped: the March Board of Review in Brighton (dates and the petition form are on the assessor's notice), then, if the board does not move, a petition to the Michigan Tax Tribunal by July 31 for residential property. The July and December boards do not re-value: they correct qualified errors (clerical mistakes, mutual mistakes of fact, a wrong principal residence exemption) and hear poverty exemptions. A successful appeal lowers the assessed value, not the millage — the 36.6593 mills above apply to whatever value stands after it.
A home bought this year is a special case: the taxable value uncaps to the assessed value next year regardless of the appeal, so the number to check on the first notice after closing is the assessed value against the price you paid.
What it's like to own in Brighton
Beyond the tax rate, three things shape what owning in Brighton actually costs: the age of the homes, what the water utility reports at the tap, and what local air testing has turned up. Each figure below carries the date of the survey it came from.
Housing stock
1982
average year built · 1,635 sqft average across 1,319 single-family homes
SEMCOG Buildings_2024
Lead in drinking water
1 ppb
90th percentile for Brighton, City Of · below Michigan's 12 ppb action level. Standard sampling — not comparable to systems that sample at the fifth liter.
EGLE / MDHHS water-system monitoring, periods ending 2025-12-31
Radon
4.36 pCi/L
average across 1,558 home tests · 42% above the EPA 4 pCi/L action level — elevated. ZIP 48116.
MDHHS indoor radon test results by ZIP
Lead is measured at the water system, not the house — it cannot tell you whether a specific property has a lead service line. Radon is a ZIP-level test distribution, not a prediction for any one home; the EPA recommends testing every home regardless. Screening information only.
Common questions
What is the property tax rate in Brighton, Michigan?
Brighton is taxed at 36.6593 mills for a homestead (principal residence) under the official 2025 Michigan Department of Treasury millage report. On a $350,000 home at the uncapped taxable value that is about $6,415 a year.
Does the tax rate change by address within Brighton?
No. All of Brighton sits in Brighton Area Schools, so the millage is 36.6593 at every address in the municipality. Your bill still changes after you buy, because it is recalculated on the uncapped taxable value rather than the seller's capped one.
How much are property taxes on a $350,000 home in Brighton?
About $6,415 a year at the homestead rate. Michigan taxes the taxable value, not the sale price, and after a sale that value uncaps to roughly half what you paid — so $350,000 is taxed on about $175,000.
Why is the tax bill on a Brighton listing lower than what I would pay?
Because the figure on the listing is the seller's. Michigan caps annual taxable-value growth while an owner keeps the property, and that cap is removed the year after it sells. The longer the seller owned it, the further their bill sits below yours.
How does Brighton compare with the rest of Livingston County?
It is the 18 lowest of 19 municipalities in Livingston County and 141 of 236 across the eight-county region — 13.80 mills above the county median.
How do I look up or pay my Brighton property tax bill?
Summer and winter bills are collected by the Brighton treasurer, so the balance on a parcel is on the municipality's own site (usually BS&A Online). Once a bill is delinquent — March 1 — it moves to the Livingston County Treasurer, whose parcel search covers every address in the county.
How do I appeal my Brighton property tax assessment?
Petition the Brighton March Board of Review first — the dates are on the assessment notice mailed in late February — and, if that fails, the Michigan Tax Tribunal by July 31 for residential property. The board step is mandatory; the Tribunal will not hear a residential appeal that skipped it. An appeal changes the assessed value, not the millage (36.6593 mills).
Is down payment assistance available for homes in Brighton?
Likely, but verify per program: 98% of the 217 Brighton sales evaluated by Down Payment Resource over the last 12 months were flagged as potentially matching at least one assistance program. The flag is an indicator, not a promise — compare the programs and check your numbers.
What your Brighton taxes become after you buy
Michigan taxable value uncaps the year after a sale and resets to roughly half the purchase price. The calculator below is already set to Brighton — enter a price and the seller's current taxable value.
Uncapping calculator
When a Michigan home changes hands, its taxable value uncaps the following year and resets to roughly half the sale price. Buyers routinely get blindsided by a bill that's thousands higher than the listing showed. Here's your actual number.
What will your tax bill be after closing?
Your taxable value uncaps the year after closing and resets to roughly half the purchase price — so a $350,000 home is taxed on about $175,000, whatever the seller was paying. Enter the price and the current taxable value below.