Property taxes are the number out-of-state buyers scrutinize most, and they are also the number most often misunderstood. Here is the honest, local version, so you can read a Fairfield tax bill the way I do. This pairs with my broader guide to moving to Fairfield.
How Connecticut taxes a home
Connecticut taxes property in mills. A mill is one thousandth of a dollar, applied to a home’s assessed value, and the assessed value is 70 percent of the appraised (market) value. So a mill rate of 19.19 works out to 1.919 percent of assessed value, which is 1.919 percent of 70 percent of what the home is actually worth.
A quick worked example. Take a home appraised at 1,000,000 dollars. Its assessed value is 700,000 dollars (70 percent). At a 19.19 mill rate, the annual tax is 700,000 times 0.01919, or about 13,433 dollars.
Fairfield’s mill rate over time
Fairfield’s mill rate climbed steadily for a decade, then dropped sharply for the July 2026 tax year. Here is the recent history straight from the town:
| Tax year (starts July 1) | Mill rate |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 19.19 |
| 2025 | 28.39 |
| 2024 | 27.90 |
| 2023 | 27.51 |
| 2022 | 27.24 |
| 2021 | 26.98 |
Why the rate fell to 19.19 (and why that is not a tax cut)
This is the part that trips people up, so read it twice. The big drop from 28.39 to 19.19 is not the town cutting your taxes. Fairfield completed a state-required property revaluation in 2025, which reset assessed values upward to reflect today’s market. When the assessed values jump, the mill rate comes down to offset them. Whether any one home’s bill goes up, down, or stays flat depends entirely on how that specific property revalued relative to the rest of town. A house that appreciated faster than average can see its bill rise even as the headline rate falls.
What this means for you
Do not judge a home’s tax future by the mill rate alone, especially in a revaluation year. On any specific house, it is worth looking up the actual assessed value and working out the projected bill rather than trusting the headline rate. That one detail can be the difference between a comfortable budget and an unwelcome surprise.
Trying to make sense of how Fairfield’s taxes would apply to your situation? I am always happy to help you think it through. Reach me at alex@fairfieldbeachrealty.com.
Alex Kniffin, REALTOR, Century 21 AllPoints Realty. Mill rate figures from the Town of Fairfield Tax Assessor.
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