ZANESVILLE, Ohio — Muskingum County homeowners who qualify for the Homestead Exemption have until 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, to apply for new relief for the 2027 tax year, the Muskingum County Auditor’s Office reminded residents, according to the Zanesville Times Recorder.
The new relief comes from House Bill 479, which provides an additional $350 million in one-time property tax relief for recipients of Ohio’s Standard and Enhanced Homestead Exemptions, according to the Times Recorder.
Eligible homeowners are expected to receive an estimated $475 in additional Homestead savings, the auditor’s office told the Zanesville Times Recorder.
The Homestead Exemption is Ohio’s long-standing property tax break for qualifying homeowners, including older Ohioans and people with disabilities, and the House Bill 479 money adds a one-time boost on top of the standard savings for the 2027 tax year.
The deadline is firm: applications for the new relief must be in by 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, according to the reminder published by the Zanesville Times Recorder. Homeowners who already receive the exemption but have not applied for the additional relief should not assume it arrives automatically.
For more information, residents can contact the Muskingum County Auditor’s Office by calling 740-455-7109 or visiting its website, according to the Times Recorder.
The same week-in-brief from the Times Recorder also flagged two Halloween-weekend fixtures for Muskingum County families: the annual Zanesville High School Devilette Bazaar runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at National Road Elementary, and an Election Day luncheon is set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 3 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New Lexington.
For Muskingum County homeowners, though, the immediate priority is Friday’s 3 p.m. deadline — a short application window standing between eligible residents and an estimated $475 in additional tax savings.
County auditors across Ohio have been pushing the same Friday deadline, because the House Bill 479 relief only reaches homeowners who are on the Homestead rolls and apply in time. For Muskingum County households on fixed incomes, the estimated $475 in additional savings is real money against a 2027 tax bill — which is why the auditor’s office is urging residents to check their status this week rather than after the window closes.
Photo: Paul Sableman, CC BY