Monroe, Michigan
Monroe is a Michigan city in Monroe County, home to about 20,000 people.
Monroe is one of the oldest towns in Michigan. French traders and farmers settled along the River Raisin here in the 1780s and called it Frenchtown, the third European settlement in what's now the state after Detroit and Sault Ste. Marie; it was renamed for President James Monroe after he visited in 1817. That long history is still on the ground today. The city is home to River Raisin National Battlefield Park, the only national battlefield park in the country marking a War of 1812 battle, where the bloody 1813 fight gave the war its rallying cry, "Remember the Raisin." Monroe is also known as the "Floral City" for its old nursery trade, and it remains the global headquarters of La-Z-Boy, the recliner company two local cousins founded here in 1927.
Population
~20,000
Type
city
Home tax rate
42.6–43.7 mills
School districts
2
What would you like to know?
Explore Monroe
What it's like — the place, local stories, and what's worth knowing about the community.
Get to know it →Moving or buying here?
The property-tax pop-up, the homebuyer calculator, school-district rates, and the local rules to check.
See the practical stuff →Get to know it
About Monroe
Monroe also claims George Custer, who grew up and married here; a large 1910 equestrian statue of him stands at a busy downtown corner and is the subject of an ongoing local debate over whether it should stay, move, or carry added context about his role in the wars against Native American nations. On the practical side, there's a working nuclear plant, Fermi 2, on the Lake Erie shore just northeast of the city, which puts Monroe inside a 10-mile emergency planning zone with monthly siren tests and free potassium-iodide pills available from the county. The city's tap water comes from Lake Erie, which can matter in summer.
Two more things worth knowing as a buyer: Michigan bills property taxes twice a year, in summer and winter, rather than in one annual statement. The notes below cover the Fermi zone, the Lake Erie water supply, and the rest of Monroe's history in full.
More about Monroe
Porch Note
George Custer's hometown — and the ongoing debate over his statue
Monroe has long claimed George Custer, but the downtown Custer statue remains part of an unresolved local debate.
Read this note →Porch Note
Monroe: an old French town, the "Floral City," and the home of La-Z-Boy
Monroe's identity reaches from its Frenchtown roots and Floral City nursery history to La-Z-Boy's global headquarters.
Read this note →Porch Note
Monroe and the River Raisin: "Remember the Raisin"
Monroe is home to River Raisin National Battlefield Park, the only national battlefield park marking a War of 1812 battle.
Read this note →Porch Note
Sterling State Park: Michigan's only state park on Lake Erie
Frenchtown Township is home to Sterling State Park — a mile of Lake Erie beach, lagoons full of birds, and a trail link to the national battlefield park.
Read this note →Porch Note
Why the river is named Raisin (and the township Raisinville)
French settlers named Monroe County's river the Rivière aux Raisins for the wild grapes draping its banks — and Raisinville Township carries the name on.
Read this note →Porch Note
Out of Monroe's harbors, the world's best walleye water
Western Lake Erie's walleye fishery is so productive that anglers call it the Walleye Capital of the World — and Monroe County's harbors are Michigan's front door to it.
Read this note →Porch Note
Muskrat dinners: Monroe County's proudest acquired taste
Monroe County's 'Muskrat French' families have eaten marsh muskrat since the 1780s — a Lenten tradition that's still served at lodge dinners today.
Read this note →The practical stuff
Moving or buying in Monroe
The seller's tax bill may not be your tax bill.
2025 property-tax snapshot
- Primary home (PRE)
- 42.6303 mills - 43.6803 mills
- Other property / non-homestead
- 60.6303 mills - 61.6803 mills
- School districts available
- 2 in Monroe
One mill means $1 per $1,000 of Taxable Value. Rate rows come from the official 2025 Michigan Treasury report. Last reviewed June 8, 2026.
What these local words mean
- Primary home (PRE)
- A home you own and live in as your main home. PRE stands for Principal Residence Exemption and can lower the school operating tax.
- Non-homestead
- Property that is not treated as the owner's main home, such as a rental, vacation home, or second home.
- Assessor
- The local office that estimates and records property values and exemptions.
- Treasurer
- The local office that collects property tax payments and can confirm bill timing.
Michigan homebuyer tax calculator
See the tax bill after you buy.
Where is the house?
Pick the county, city or township, and school district. We use the official 2025 tax rates published by Michigan Treasury.
Not sure of the school district? Check the property listing. It is usually under "Schools."
Need to double-check the exact parcel? Use the official state estimator at treas-secure.state.mi.us/ptestimator or call the local treasurer. Rates can change across city, township, village, and school district lines, so the exact parcel matters.
What buyers in Monroe should know
Michigan property taxes start with Taxable Value, not the price you paid for the home. Local millage rates are applied to that number.
While the same owner keeps the home, Proposal A caps how much Taxable Value can rise each year. When the home sells, that cap usually comes off. This is called uncapping.
After uncapping, the buyer's Taxable Value usually moves closer to State Equalized Value, or SEV. SEV is often about half of the home's market value.
Bottom line: a longtime owner may have been taxed on an older, capped number. After you buy, the taxable number may reset higher, and your first full-year tax bill may be much higher than the seller's.
In Monroe, your rate can vary by parcel. The school district tied to the property matters, and 2 school districts cover Monroe.
For a primary home with PRE, Michigan's main-home exemption, rates currently run about 42.6 to 43.7 mills. Without PRE, non-homestead rates run about 60.6 to 61.7 mills. The calculator uses the exact local rates.
If this will be your main home, make sure the Principal Residence Exemption, or PRE, is handled with the local assessor. PRE is Michigan's main-home property tax exemption. It can remove up to 18 school operating mills. Rentals, vacation homes, and second homes usually use the non-homestead rate instead.
School districts in this area
Jefferson Schools-m
Primary home (PRE) 42.6303 mills · non-homestead 60.6303 mills
Monroe Public School
Primary home (PRE) 43.6803 mills · non-homestead 61.6803 mills
Local rules and costs to check
Note-sized practical catches tied to Monroe: taxes, property rules, permits, local costs, or other things worth checking before you decide.
Porch Note
Monroe's tap water comes from Lake Erie — and what that means in summer
Monroe draws drinking water from western Lake Erie, where summer algae blooms are watched closely and treated by the city water department.
Read this note →Porch Note
There's a nuclear plant on Lake Erie nearby — what that means if you're buying near Monroe
Monroe sits within the Fermi 2 nuclear plant emergency planning zone, with routine siren tests, county planning, and a separate Fermi 1 history worth understanding.
Read this note →Porch Note
In Michigan, you get two property-tax bills a year — not one
Most Michigan property owners get separate summer and winter tax bills, with local rules deciding what lands on each bill.
Read this note →Nearby places
Other Michigan Porch pages in Monroe County — handy when you're comparing local tax rates, school districts, or nearby communities.
Next steps
What to check next for Monroe
Get oriented here, then choose the next practical guide, calculator, or nearby place.
County
Open Monroe County
See the county page for other cities, townships, villages, local notes, and the county-wide tax snapshot.
Open county page →Calculator
Run a buyer tax estimate
Use the Michigan homebuyer tax calculator if you want to compare a different place or school district.
Open calculator →Tax break
Understand PRE
Learn who qualifies for the primary-home tax break and how the deadlines work.
Read PRE guide →Questions buyers ask
Is this an exact number? +
No. It is a strong estimate based on Michigan's published 2025 tax rates for your area. Your actual bill depends on what the local assessor decides your home is worth, called the SEV. Use this to plan your budget, not to lock in an exact figure.
When will my higher tax kick in? +
The first calendar year after you close. Close in June 2026, and the seller's tax bill usually comes through for 2026. Your new popped-up bill arrives in 2027.
What's PRE? +
PRE is Michigan's primary-home tax break. If you own the home and live there as your main home, it can remove up to 18 mills of local school operating tax from the bill. Rentals, vacation homes, and second homes do not get it. File Form 2368 with the local assessor by June 1 for the summer bill or November 1 for the winter bill.
What are mills? +
Mills are the tax rate. One mill means $1 of tax for every $1,000 of Taxable Value. A 40-mill rate means about $40 per $1,000 of Taxable Value. Different areas have different rates because county, city or township, school, library, public safety, parks, and other local taxes are stacked together.
What's the inflation multiplier? +
It is the yearly number Michigan uses to cap Taxable Value increases while the same owner keeps the home. Think of it as the speed limit for Taxable Value. For the 2026 tax year, the multiplier is 1.027, or 2.7%. When a home sells, that cap usually resets.
Are there ways to avoid the pop-up? +
A few, mostly family transfers. Parent to child, spouse to spouse, sibling to sibling, and some grandparent transfers may avoid the reset if the home stays residential. For family transfers, talk to a Michigan real estate attorney.
Why is my number different from the tax history on a listing? +
Most tax history pages show what the current owner paid. That is often based on a protected, lower taxable value. This calculator estimates what your taxable value becomes after Michigan's uncapping rule.
Page feedback
See something wrong or unclear?
Send a note about this page. The page address will be included automatically.
Page feedback
Send a note
The page you're on will be included automatically.