Larchmont property taxes are often the very first thing buyers ask me about in hushed tones when we start looking at homes on the Sound Shore. I will never sugarcoat it: Westchester County is known for having some of the highest property taxes in the nation, and Larchmont is absolutely no exception.
I recently sat at a kitchen island with a couple relocating from Brooklyn. They fell in love with a $1.8M colonial in the Manor, but when they saw the $42,000 annual tax bill on the listing sheet, the oxygen completely left the room. It’s sticker shock, plain and simple. But here is what I told them, and what I tell every buyer: understanding exactly how these taxes are calculated, what they pay for, and knowing your rights to challenge them changes the conversation entirely. It can also save you thousands of dollars a year.
Whether you are looking at a $1.5M starter home in the Village or a $3M waterfront property, here is the unvarnished, insider truth about navigating your property tax bill in our market.
The Town vs. The Village: Understanding Your Double Bill
The most confusing part of buying in Larchmont is understanding our municipal boundaries. If your home is located strictly within the Village of Larchmont, you are actually subject to two separate tax jurisdictions: the Village of Larchmont and the Town of Mamaroneck (which geographically encompasses the Village).
This means your total tax burden is split into three main buckets:
School Taxes: This makes up the lion's share of your bill (often 60% or more). It funds the highly-rated Mamaroneck Union Free School District, which is the primary reason most families move here in the first place.
Town Taxes: Paid to the Town of Mamaroneck, covering county services, town-wide infrastructure, and town parks.
Village Taxes: Paid to the Village of Larchmont, covering our dedicated local police force, fire department, and incredibly responsive village services (like back-door trash pickup, which city transplants absolutely love).
When we look at a listing together, I never just look at the asking price. I will always break down the total annual tax burden so you know exactly what your monthly carrying costs will be before we even think about drafting an offer.
The Biggest Myth: What Does it Mean to "Grieve" Your Taxes?
Property taxes are based on the "assessed value" of your home by the municipality, which is a mathematical formula, not necessarily the current fair market value. Over time, as markets fluctuate, these municipal assessments can become skewed. If you believe your home is assessed at a higher value than it is actually worth on the open market, you have the legal right to "grieve" or appeal your taxes.
Let me clear up the biggest fear buyers have right now: Grieving your taxes is a routine paperwork process, not an IRS audit. I hear it all the time: "Jenny, if I grieve my taxes, will the town send an inspector inside my house and see the new kitchen I just put in and raise my taxes instead?" No. The town assessor is not coming into your living room. It is simply a formal request for the municipality to review their math based on comparable recent home sales that I, or a tax professional, can provide.
Critical Deadlines You Cannot Miss
If you want to reduce your tax burden, you have to play by the municipal calendar. Because Village residents deal with two municipalities, there are two distinct Grievance Days you must be aggressively aware of:
Village of Larchmont Grievance Day: This typically falls on the third Tuesday in February (e.g., February 17, 2026).
Town of Mamaroneck Grievance Day: This falls on the third Tuesday in June (e.g., June 16, 2026).
If you miss these exact dates, you lose your right to appeal your assessment for the entire year, and you will be stuck paying the higher amount. I actually have my past clients set calendar reminders on their phones for this.
Should You DIY or Use a Professional?
While you can theoretically download Form RP-524 and file the grievance paperwork yourself, I always advise my clients to use a local property tax consultant or attorney.
Firms that specialize in Westchester tax reduction, like Granite Tax Reduction or O'Donnell & Cullen, do this all day long. They know exactly how to pull the right comparable sales data to build an airtight case for the assessor. Furthermore, they almost always work on a contingency basis—meaning they only charge a fee (typically a percentage of your first year's tax savings) if they actually succeed in lowering your bill. If they don't win, you don't pay them. It is quite literally a no-risk proposition.
If you are curious about what you can actually afford in our market once the real taxes are factored in, or if you want to check the current market value of your property to see if a grievance makes sense this year, visit my home valuation page to get started, or check out my Larchmont neighborhood guide to see what current tax bills look like on active listings.
