Sarnia property tax rate 2025
City in Lambton · population 72,047 · 34,229 households
In 2025, Sarnia collected $107,606,875 in residential property taxes on $6,237,176,549 of taxable residential assessment. That works out to an effective rate of 1.725%, 0.368 points above the Ontario median of 1.357% for 2024. Among the 391 lower- and single-tier municipalities that filed for 2024, Sarnia ranks 296th lowest and 9th of 10 within Lambton. The 2025 figure is from a return filed ahead of most municipalities, so the provincial ranking still uses 2024.
Where the tax goes
| Municipal (Sarnia) | 1.048% | 61% of the bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lambton | 0.524% | 30% |
| Education (Province of Ontario) | 0.153% | 9% |
| Total residential rate | 1.725% | 100% |
Municipal Regional / county Education
Estimate your Sarnia property tax
| Assessed value | Municipal | Region / county | Education | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $500,000 | $5,242 | $2,619 | $765 | $8,626 |
| $750,000 | $7,863 | $3,929 | $1,147 | $12,939 |
| $1,000,000 | $10,484 | $5,239 | $1,530 | $17,252 |
Assessed value is the MPAC value on your assessment notice, not market value. Ontario has kept assessments at January 1, 2016 values since 2017, so a home bought recently is usually assessed well below its purchase price. Estimates exclude local improvement charges, business improvement area levies and any rebates.
Rate trend 2016–2025
Sarnia's residential rate rose from 1.510% in 2016 to 1.725% in 2025. Total residential taxes collected grew 36% over the same period, which reflects both rate changes and growth in the assessment base.
Year-by-year table
| Year | Residential rate | Municipal | Region / county | Education | Residential taxes levied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1.510% | 0.877% | 0.445% | 0.188% | $78,957,156 |
| 2017 | 1.395% | 0.820% | 0.410% | 0.165% | $81,615,991 |
| 2018 | 1.438% | 0.856% | 0.421% | 0.161% | $84,784,329 |
| 2019 | 1.471% | 0.889% | 0.425% | 0.157% | $87,647,040 |
| 2020 | 1.505% | 0.915% | 0.437% | 0.153% | $90,342,948 |
| 2021 | 1.526% | 0.929% | 0.445% | 0.153% | $92,509,489 |
| 2022 | 1.549% | 0.941% | 0.455% | 0.153% | $94,550,133 |
| 2023 | 1.589% | 0.964% | 0.472% | 0.153% | $97,838,766 |
| 2024 | 1.663% | 1.009% | 0.501% | 0.153% | $103,019,130 |
| 2025 | 1.725% | 1.048% | 0.524% | 0.153% | $107,606,875 |
Instalments and due dates (2025)
Sarnia reported 4 residential instalments in 2025, with due dates including February 27, 2025, April 29, 2026, June 27, 2025, August 28, 2026. Dates shift each year; check the municipal website for the current schedule.
All property classes, 2025
| Property class | Effective rate | Taxable assessment | Taxes levied |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 1.725% | $6,237,176,549 | $107,606,875 |
| Multi-residential | 3.213% | $306,233,993 | $9,840,256 |
| Farmland | 0.380% | $207,431,051 | $788,929 |
| Managed forests | 0.417% | $264,700 | $1,103 |
| Commercial | 3.405% | $759,697,489 | $25,866,685 |
| Office building | 3.303% | $34,223,890 | $1,130,383 |
| Shopping centre | 4.168% | $149,971,207 | $6,250,840 |
| Parking lot | 2.404% | $2,118,500 | $50,931 |
| Industrial | 3.636% | $154,693,597 | $5,625,355 |
| Large industrial | 5.448% | $96,175,200 | $5,239,339 |
| Pipelines | 3.002% | $54,628,590 | $1,639,695 |
Commercial and industrial rates include the provincial business education tax. Rates for small classes can swing year to year because a few properties dominate them.
Compare within Lambton (2024)
| Municipality | Residential rate | Tax on $750,000 | Ontario rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarnia | 1.663% | $12,469 | 296 |
| Brooke-Alvinston | 1.542% | $11,563 | 268 |
| Enniskillen | 1.417% | $10,628 | 224 |
| Lambton Shores | 1.190% | $8,924 | 119 |
| Oil Springs | 1.674% | $12,556 | 299 |
| Petrolia | 1.650% | $12,375 | 293 |
| Plympton-Wyoming | 1.370% | $10,277 | 202 |
| Point Edward | 1.396% | $10,473 | 217 |
| St Clair | 1.303% | $9,776 | 168 |
| Warwick | 1.141% | $8,557 | 96 |
About these numbers
- What is an effective tax rate?
- Total property taxes billed to a class divided by that class's taxable assessment. It is the average rate actually paid, so it can differ slightly from the rate printed in the municipal by-law when a municipality applies different rates to subclasses, phase-ins or special area levies.
- Why is my bill different?
- Your bill depends on your own assessed value, any special area charges, capping or phase-in adjustments and local improvement charges. Use the rate here to compare municipalities, and your assessment notice to estimate your own bill.
- Where does the data come from?
- Every Ontario municipality files an audited Financial Information Return with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. These pages use Schedule 26A, "Taxation and Payments-in-Lieu Summary", for 2016 through 2025. Sarnia's latest return was updated 2026-08-07. See the methodology.