Southfield property taxes & housing data
Southfield is taxed at 50.6993–58.1881 mills across 5 school districts. That is 16.32 mills above the Oakland County median and 18.09 mills above the Southeast Michigan median — the 49th lowest of 52 municipalities in the county, and 205 of 236 region-wide.
Rates by school district
| School district | Homestead | Non-homestead | $250,000 | $350,000 | $500,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TR-Birmingham/Southf | 50.6993 | 64.0610 | $6,337 | $8,872 | $12,675 |
| Birmingham City School District | 51.8496 | 65.2290 | $6,481 | $9,074 | $12,962 |
| Oak Park City School District | 52.1169 | 70.1169 | $6,515 | $9,120 | $13,029 |
| Southfield Public School District | 57.0201 | 67.6801 | $7,128 | $9,979 | $14,255 |
| TR-Southfld/Birmingh | 58.1881 | 68.8481 | $7,274 | $10,183 | $14,547 |
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 Southfield compares in Oakland County
| Municipality | Lowest millage | Annual tax on $350,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Ridge | 46.0062 | $8,051 |
| Madison Heights | 46.2962 | $8,102 |
| Ferndale | 47.1564 | $8,252 |
| Clawson | 48.6167 | $8,508 |
| Southfield | 50.6993 | $8,872 |
| Lathrup Village | 54.0342 | $9,456 |
| Oak Park | 59.4486 | $10,404 |
| Hazel Park | 62.2247 | $10,889 |
← Clawson (lower) · Lathrup Village (higher) →
For sale in Southfield right now
205 active listings in Southfield — 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.
$204,900
5000 Town Center # 1104 · Southfield
2 bd · 2 ba · 1,340 sqft
Listing courtesy of Century 21 Curran & Oberski
$174,900
15626 Stone Crossing DR · Southfield
2 bd · 2 ba · 1,223 sqft
Listing courtesy of Realgistics
$270,000
19578 Midway RD · Southfield
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,752 sqft
Listing courtesy of Legacy In Deed Realty LLC
$340,000
20170 Alhambra ST E · Southfield
3 bd · 2 ba · 2,603 sqft
Listing courtesy of Real Estate King
$169,500
22117 Poinciana ST · Southfield
2 bd · 1 ba · 1,000 sqft
Listing courtesy of Remerica Hometown One
$450,000
26672 Isleworth PT · Southfield
3 bd · 4 ba · 3,513 sqft
Listing courtesy of National Realty Centers, Inc
IDX provided courtesy of Realcomp II Ltd. via Match Realty LLC and 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 2026-11-03T10:57+00:00; refreshed at least twice daily.
Waterfront in Southfield: Rouge River — recorded sale prices and all-sports status for the lake.
Compare Southfield with another community
Southfield has 11 side-by-side comparisons, 9 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 Southfield.
| Comparison | Their lowest millage | Annual tax on $350,000 | vs Southfield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southfield vs Southfield Township · same schools | 25.6381 | $4,487 | −$4,386 |
| Southfield vs Troy · same schools | 30.6309 | $5,360 | −$3,512 |
| Southfield vs West Bloomfield Township · same schools | 31.4531 | $5,504 | −$3,368 |
| Southfield vs Bloomfield Township · same schools | 31.5648 | $5,524 | −$3,349 |
| Southfield vs Bloomfield Hills · same schools | 35.4018 | $6,195 | −$2,677 |
| Southfield vs Royal Oak Township · same schools | 37.2947 | $6,527 | −$2,346 |
| Southfield vs Birmingham · same schools | 38.1422 | $6,675 | −$2,197 |
| Southfield vs Oak Park · same schools | 59.4486 | $10,404 | +$1,531 |
| Southfield vs Ferndale | 47.1564 | $8,252 | −$620 |
| Southfield vs Lathrup Village · same schools | 54.0342 | $9,456 | +$584 |
| Southfield vs Clawson | 48.6167 | $8,508 | −$364 |
Look up, pay and appeal your Southfield taxes
Southfield 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 Southfield 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.
- Oakland County Property Gateway — parcel and tax search for Oakland County addresses.
- Oakland 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 Southfield (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 50.6993–58.1881 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 Southfield
Beyond the tax rate, three things shape what owning in Southfield 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
1961
average year built · 1,789 sqft average across 17,022 single-family homes
SEMCOG Buildings_2024
Lead in drinking water
0 ppb
90th percentile for Southfield · below Michigan's 12 ppb action level. Sampled at the fifth liter, which deliberately draws water that sat in the service line and reads higher by design — not comparable to systems that sample standard.
EGLE / MDHHS water-system monitoring, periods ending 2025-12-31
Radon
1.58 pCi/L
average across 713 home tests · 4% above the EPA 4 pCi/L action level — low. ZIPs 48076, 48075, 48033, 48034, 48025.
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 Southfield, Michigan?
Southfield is taxed at 50.6993–58.1881 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 $8,872 a year.
Does the tax rate change by address within Southfield?
Yes. Southfield spans 5 school districts and the rate runs from 50.6993 to 58.1881 mills depending on the district your address falls in — a difference of $1,311 a year on a $350,000 home. The district table above lists every rate.
How much are property taxes on a $350,000 home in Southfield?
About $8,872 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 Southfield 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 Southfield compare with the rest of Oakland County?
It is the 49 lowest of 52 municipalities in Oakland County and 205 of 236 across the eight-county region — 16.32 mills above the county median.
How do I look up or pay my Southfield property tax bill?
Summer and winter bills are collected by the Southfield 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 Oakland County Treasurer, whose parcel search covers every address in the county.
How do I appeal my Southfield property tax assessment?
Petition the Southfield 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 (50.6993–58.1881 mills).
Is down payment assistance available for homes in Southfield?
Likely, but verify per program: 100% of the 486 Southfield 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 Southfield 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 Southfield — 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.