Sedgwick County homeowners to see rising property values again. What about tax bills?
It’s good news and bad news for Sedgwick County property owners this year: Home values have seen sharp increases once again, according to the latest report from the county’s new appraiser, but many homeowners will likely face higher tax bills.
Word of climbing home values came Wednesday from county appraiser Deanna Aspedon, who presented the Board of Sedgwick County Commissioners with the annual appraisal report during a regular meeting.
Among the highlights, 88% of county homeowners, and 90% of those in the city of Wichita, will see their home values jump this year, data from the county shows. On average, county increases will be about 13.5%, while those in Wichita could see an average jump of 14.5%.
“We’re looking at [a] 9.3% median increase, so there will be some above and … some below,” Aspedon said. “We use sales data to determine their appraised value, it is the driving force of the increase in valuations.”
That sales data shows rising home prices in Sedgwick County, with a median sale price last year of $264,100. That’s up from $247,500 in 2024. The first year the county saw a median sales price at or above the $200,000 mark was in 2021.
“In 2025, residential sale prices were elevated and affected by the value of neighboring homes due to limited inventory,” Aspedon said in a follow-up news release Wednesday.
But rising home values will also mean higher property tax bills for many. The valuations set each spring are used to determined how much property owners owe after local governments set their mill levies in the months to come. In recent years, Sedgwick County homeowners have seen substantial increases in their tax bills as home values have continued to rise.
Residential properties are not alone in seeing changes as part of the reappraisal process. Fifty-three percent of agricultural property in the county lost value this year, according to the Aspedon’s report, while 52% of commercial properties saw an increase in value compared to 2025, with a median net change of 0.0014%.
Can I appeal my home’s appraisal? How are property taxes decided?
The county will send out the appraisal notices to property owners starting Sunday, March 1. After receiving their valuations in the mail, property owners have until the end of the month — Tuesday, March 31 — to appeal.
“When you receive that valuation notice, if the property owner … does not believe that it’s correct, for whatever reason, they can actually contact our office and visit with our office if they want to appeal their valuation,” Aspedon said.
Your home’s valuation is not the only factor used to determine your tax bill.
Clerks in all taxing jurisdictions, including the city, county and schools districts, still need to set tax rates for the year. Local governments in the Wichita area typically set their mill levies in August while adopting budgets. The county then takes the assessed value times the mill levy rate to determine how much property owners owe.
Last year, few homeowners saw property tax relief. While the state, county and city all reduced their mill levies, the reductions were small compared to the increased valuations, which sat at a median of 9% — similar to this year’s median of 9.3%.
“So why are the tax bills higher? Well, because the valuation … still continues to go up. But for example, Sedgwick County, we’ve lowered our mill levy. So therefore, I would expect my tax bill go down … but because [the] assessed valuation is still growing, even though the mill levy has been lowered, your tax bill is still probably going to be higher,” Sedgwick County Treasurer Brandi Baily told The Eagle in a December interview.
This story was originally published February 19, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
