Hudson Valley
Columbia County, New York
Columbia County is home to 61,570 people across 33 cities, towns, villages, and hamlets. Historic estates, farm-to-table towns, and Hudson River art and mountains.
- Population (2020)
- 61,570
- Region
- Hudson Valley
- Places
- 33
Property tax in Columbia County
About $11–$22 per $1,000 of market value
Combined full-value rates (county + town/city + school) across the county, FY2025. On a $300,000 home that's roughly $3,275–$6,502 a year before STAR. The exact rate depends on the town, school district, and village. A planning estimate, not a bill.
Almanac Notes
More about Columbia County
Short, sourced notes tied to this county, with the local color and the things worth knowing before you make a plan.
History & Culture
Claverack's Name Still Carries Dutch Map Memory
Claverack's local identity starts with a hard-to-say Dutch place name tied to Hudson Valley maps, riverbank forms, and old landscape description.
History & Culture
Kinderhook Keeps Lindenwald Close to Main Street Memory
Kinderhook's identity is anchored by Martin Van Buren, Lindenwald, Old Post Road, and a national historic site that remains part of the local landscape.
History & Culture
Chatham Still Reads Like a Rail Hub
Chatham's village story comes from railroad-era Main Street, Tracy Memorial Village Hall, old hotels, shops, and a compact Columbia County crossroads.
Rules & Licenses
Claverack Building Permits Start With the Town Forms
Before building, altering, signing, or seeking a variance in Claverack, start with the town's building, zoning, and planning form pages.
History & Culture
Kinderhook Carries Presidential History in Village Scale
Kinderhook layers Martin Van Buren, Dutch houses, village greens, farms, and Columbia County civic memory into a compact place identity.
Money & Taxes
Columbia Delinquent Taxes Need Exact TCS Amounts
Columbia owners can look up paid and unpaid taxes in TCS, but delinquent payments require the exact amount and have collector limits.
Cars & Driving
Columbia DMV Has a Thursday Evening Window
Columbia County DMV users can plan around the Hudson office's no-appointment route, weekday hours, and later Thursday closing time.
Home & Property
Columbia County Septic Records Belong in the House Folder
Columbia County homeowners can use the county health page as the starting lane for septic applications, plans, and record searches.
History & Culture
Claverack Crosses the Creek on Shaw Bridge
Claverack's local identity includes Shaw Bridge, Claverack Creek, old courthouse memory, and a small-town connection to engineering and courts.
Cities (1)
Towns (18)
Villages (4)
Statewide starting points
County, assessor, STAR, and environment lookups
Start with the state county directory, then use ORPTS for assessor, equalization-rate, and municipal profile data. Exact local offices and deadlines still come from the county, city, town, village, or borough office.
- NY.Gov county directory
- ORPTS Municipal Data Portal — assessors & rates
- STAR property-tax break
- DECinfo Locator
Use this carefully: County pages here are orientation pages. Current forms, deadlines, local offices, and parcel-specific details come from the responsible office.
Tax rates: NYS Dept of Taxation & Finance (ORPTS), Real Property Tax Rates and Levy Data by Municipality, data.ny.gov dataset iq85-sdzs. (FY2025). Population: U.S. Census 2020. Reviewed June 2026.
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