Why the Lowest Tax Rates on the Maine Beaches Aren't Quite What They Seem

"This downward trend signals a growing gap between assessed values and actual market conditions." That sentence comes from the Town of Kennebunkport, in the assessing note of its Spring 2026 Town Review newsletter. If you're comparing coastal towns from Saco down to York, it's worth reading. Kennebunkport and Ogunquit post the lowest mill rates in this stretch of coast. Both towns also assess property well below what it sells for, and both have started the work of catching up.

Think of the tax figure on a listing in either town as a snapshot. It shows where one house sat on an assessment roll that sale prices have outrun. A reset of that roll moves the tax burden between owners. The house you're looking at may end up carrying more of it or less.

The Bill You Inherit Was Set on April 1

Each town values property as of April 1 and taxes on that roll for a fiscal year that runs July 1 to June 30. For 2026-27, Kennebunkport committed its taxes on July 22, 2026. The rate is $6.75 per $1,000 of assessed value, and installments are due September 10, 2026 and March 10, 2027. Ogunquit committed on September 15, 2026 at $6.50 per $1,000. Its bills are due October 15, 2026 and April 15, 2027.

The Ogunquit assessment database lists a second number right next to the rate, and buyers tend to skip it: "Assessment Ratio is 79%." Kennebunkport's tax information page shows 83%. The ratio is a town-wide estimate of how assessed values compare with what property actually sells for. Maine Revenue Services describes the certified ratio as "generally the percentage difference between the fair market value of your home and the local assessed value."

The Mill Rate Times the Ratio

To compare towns on even footing, multiply each mill rate by its ratio. That gives you a rough rate on market value. In towns assessing at 100%, the two numbers are the same.

The town figures come from each town's posted assessing information: York, Arundel, Scarborough and Saco. The last column is simple arithmetic, not a town figure.

Once you adjust, Ogunquit and Kennebunkport look even cheaper. The listed Ogunquit rate is about 20% below York's. The adjusted rate is closer to 37% below. That gap comes from assessments that lag the market, and gaps like that are exactly what revaluations close.

A town ratio is an average across every parcel. Some houses in Ogunquit are assessed near their market value, and others are assessed far below it. Two homes listed at the same price can carry very different tax bills today because each one's assessment has drifted by a different amount. York doesn't have this problem to the same degree. Its database says the town updates values every year to keep them at 100% of fair market value.

How the Gap Opened

Kennebunkport's own history shows how fast this happens. Its tax page lists a 100% ratio for 2024-25, then 90% for 2025-26, then 83% for 2026-27. The spring newsletter goes further. It says the measured ratio for 2026-27 dropped to "75% (adjustable to 83% within allowable limits)." The rate is applied using the 83% figure, though the town's own reading of the market was lower.

Prices in the region kept rising while the rolls held still. The Maine Association of Realtors reported a York County median sale price of $566,500 for July through September 2026. That's up 3.0% from $550,000 a year earlier, on 9.18% fewer sales. In Ogunquit, town assessor Michelle McDonald reported total valuation up about 1.37% for this tax year, according to the town's September 18, 2026 newsletter. The two figures measure different things. Still, they point the same way, with the roll moving more slowly than sale prices.

Maine law puts a floor under this. Under 36 M.R.S. §327, municipalities must meet a "70% minimum assessment ratio," and the statute adds that a town "should not have an assessment ratio at an amount greater than 110% of its just value." Both towns are above the floor. Kennebunkport's newsletter says it is "still within state guidelines" and notes that the state recommends a revaluation every 10 years, or sooner if ratios fall outside acceptable ranges.

What Kennebunkport's Last Reset Did

The town has been through this before. Its tax page shows the 2021-22 roll at 84%, with total assessed value of $2,038,685,040 and a rate of $9.60. For 2022-23, after the statistical update, the roll was at 100%, total value was $3,463,221,040, and the rate was $6.00.

Multiply each year's rate by its total value. You get roughly $19.6 million raised in 2021-22 and roughly $20.8 million in 2022-23. Assessed value went up about 70% in one year, but the amount the town raised went up about 6%. The rate fell 37.5%, from $9.60 to $6.00, which absorbed most of the jump in values.

So a reset doesn't send everyone's bill up by the amount their assessment jumps. It changes each property's share of a total that the town's budget sets. The Spring 2026 newsletter states the purpose directly: "When properties are undervalued, owners pay less than their fair share of taxes. Conversely, overvalued properties place an unfair burden on homeowners." After an update, the owners whose assessments fell furthest behind the market carry more. Owners whose assessments were closer to market value can carry less.

Both Towns Are Setting Up the Next Reset

Kennebunkport's approved FY2027 budget, dated June 10, 2026, includes a Special Projects line covering AV/TV system upgrades and "a market revaluation assessment ($200,000)." The spring newsletter called a market update "a faster and more cost-effective alternative to a full revaluation that still delivers fair, updated assessments." The budget line doesn't name a vendor or say which tax year the new values would apply to.

In Ogunquit, the August 18, 2026 Budget Review Committee agenda listed a "FY2027 statistical revaluation update" from the town assessor. A month later, the Select Board voted 5-0 for a $6.50 rate, 23 cents lower than last year's $6.73. The town's newsletter worked through what the new rate does to a bill at the same assessment, before exemptions:

• $300,000 assessed: $2,019 becomes $1,950
• $400,000 assessed: $2,692 becomes $2,600
• $500,000 assessed: $3,365 becomes $3,250
• $600,000 assessed: $4,038 becomes $3,900

These are this year's savings on the current roll. A statistical update would recalculate the assessments those savings are based on.

For a buyer, the practical gap between the two towns is how much paperwork is already public. Kennebunkport has a funded line in an approved budget. Ogunquit has an agenda item. Neither has published new values. If you buy in either town this fall, you're paying a price set by today's market while being taxed on a roll that is likely to be updated.

The Homestead Exemption Shrinks on Paper

The ratio affects exemptions too. Maine Revenue Services explains that the $25,000 homestead exemption "must be adjusted by the local certified ratio," and gives the example that an 80% ratio turns $25,000 into $20,000 of exempt value. In Kennebunkport this year, the homestead exemption drops from $25,000 to $20,750, and the veterans exemption drops from $6,000 to $4,980.

Run the numbers backward and $20,750 at an 83% ratio still works out to about $25,000 of market value. Ogunquit's newsletter reaches a similar conclusion for its 79% ratio: the smaller exemption and the lower rate "roughly offset" for a typical home.

The same Maine Revenue Services FAQ says the homestead exemption applies only to a primary residence. Camps, vacation homes and second residences don't qualify. If the house will be a second home, the current owner's bill may include an exemption you won't get.

Questions Buyers Ask About This

Does buying a house trigger a new assessment in Maine?

None of the town pages above mention a reassessment triggered by a sale. Each town values property as of April 1 and taxes on the roll it commits for that year. The bigger change for a new owner in Ogunquit or Kennebunkport is a town-wide update moving every assessment at the same time.

Which towns on this stretch of coast are already at 100%?

For 2026-27, York, Arundel, Scarborough and Saco all post a 100% ratio. York's database says it updates values annually to stay there.

Where can I check a specific property's assessment?

Ogunquit and York both publish online assessment databases. Kennebunkport's assessing department posts its rate history and takes questions at 207-967-1603.

This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Please confirm how assessments and exemptions apply to your own purchase with the town assessor or a qualified tax professional.

If you're weighing a home in Ogunquit, Kennebunkport or anywhere between Saco and York, Bailey Pate and her team can pull a property's assessment next to its asking price, so you can see how far it has drifted before you decide what to offer. Get in touch.