If you buy at The Orchards in Aylett this fall, your first tax figures come from a rate King William County has already published. That rate is applied to property values the county is about to replace. On January 1, 2027, a countywide reassessment takes effect, and the county's last one was in 2022. A buyer comparing a new Ryan Homes house at 103 Harvest Lane with a resale in Mechanicsville is comparing a tax bill that is about to be recalculated with one that is recalculated every year.
The 2026 rates are real. They just aren't the whole comparison.
Two rates on two clocks
King William's 2026 County Tax Rate Comparison chart lists real estate at $0.615 per $100 of assessed value. The same chart lists Hanover at $0.81. Vehicles are much closer, with King William at $3.50 per $100 and Hanover at $3.57. Hanover kept its 81-cent rate in the FY2027 proposed budget and calls it the lowest among the Richmond region's largest localities.
A rate means little without the assessed value it multiplies, and the two counties update that value on very different schedules.
Hanover reassesses every year, as VPM reported in January 2026. In its 2026 update, the county said residential reassessments rose 7.9%, or $1.5 billion, and about 44,500 parcels received change notices. So Hanover's 81 cents is applied to values that already include this year's market.
King William's 61.5 cents is applied to values from its 2022 reassessment. According to the Daily Press, that reassessment came after the county had gone without one since 2015. The Town of West Point's May 2026 newsletter says the countywide 2027 General Reassessment is underway. Appraisers are reviewing property records, analyzing recent sales and visiting properties from the outside.
What the gap looks like on Orchards price points
Ryan Homes currently lists four models at The Orchards. To see how big the rate gap is, apply each county's 2026 rate to each starting price. A county's assessed value won't necessarily match a contract price, so treat these as a yardstick for the gap, not a forecast of anyone's bill.
- Aspen, from $359,990, 1,440 sq. ft.: about $2,214 a year at King William's rate, about $2,916 at Hanover's
- Tupelo, from $379,990, 1,517 sq. ft.: about $2,337 versus about $3,078
- Cedar, from $389,990, 1,903 sq. ft.: about $2,398 versus about $3,159
- Elder, from $419,990, 2,176 sq. ft.: about $2,583 versus about $3,402
On these numbers the difference runs roughly $700 to $820 a year. That's the figure that makes crossing the Pamunkey look like an easy call. But it assumes King William's rate stays where it is once the values underneath it change, and January is when that assumption gets tested.
January 1, 2027 resets the King William side
The county hired Vision Government Solutions in late 2025 to conduct the reassessment. The county's request for proposals sets January 1, 2027 as the valuation date. It also requires the data to be in the county's system by November 1, 2026, to leave time to generate notices. The same document leaves the notice mailing schedule to be set between the county and the contractor, and notices must go out before informal hearings begin.
The process is being checked closely. At the August 24 Board of Supervisors meeting, Commissioner of the Revenue Karena Funkhouser said that while spot-checking the work she "found errors" that "added over $1 million to the real estate tax rolls." She described her concern as being about data entry, the Daily Press reported. For an owner, that's a reason to read the notice line by line when it arrives. The county's reassessment request for proposals provides for informal reviews by phone, in writing or at the County Administration Building. After that comes a formal hearing before an appointed Board of Equalization.
Why the 61.5-cent rate is unlikely to stay put
Two forces will act on King William's rate after the new values are in, and they push in opposite directions.
The first is state law. Under Va. Code § 58.1-3321, when a reassessment would raise total real estate levies by one percent or more, the locality has to lower its rate until it brings in no more than 101% of the prior year's levies. The only way around that is to advertise and hold a separate public hearing, which can't be combined with the annual budget hearing, before adopting a higher rate. If values rise in January, the published rate is the starting point for a decision, not the final answer.
The second is the county's budget. In March, Finance Director Stacey McBride told supervisors that FY27 revenues of $38.9 million fell short of $41.1 million in requested spending, leaving a gap of about $2.1 million. The options presented included a 7-cent real estate increase, a 4-cent increase paired with a 50-cent increase on personal property, and moving 8 cents of the school split levy over to county government, the Daily Press reported in April. County Administrator Derek Stamey's April 6 recommendation called for no change to the real estate rate and leveling personal property at $3.50. On October 13, the Daily Press reported that the county's FY2025 audit could be delayed further while FY2027 budget revisions continue.
So rising values pull the rate down, and a tight budget gives the board reasons to adopt something above the reduced rate through that separate hearing. Hanover buyers face nothing like this in 2027, because their values were already updated this year. At The Orchards, the 2027 bill depends on a reassessment and a rate vote that haven't happened yet.
A new house enters the rolls differently
Owners of older homes in King William have been paying on 2022 values. A newly built Orchards house doesn't fit that pattern neatly. Under Va. Code § 58.1-3291, new buildings are assessed at their actual value at the time of assessment, finished or not. In King William, the reassessment contract makes new construction and building permits the job of the Commissioner of the Revenue, who adds the improvements to each property record card.
That changes what a cheap tax bill on an older King William resale tells you. If it's based on 2022 values, it shows what that house has been paying, not what a new house down Harvest Lane will pay after January. When you set The Orchards against Hanover, compare the assessed value as well as the rate. A resale's past bill is a weak proxy for either one.
What to have in hand before you compare
If you're weighing The Orchards against a home across the river this fall, these documents and dates are what the comparison depends on:
- The adopted rates for the year you'll own. The county's 2026 chart is a comparison tool and advises checking the adopted schedule. The adopted figures for 2027, and any hearing notice the county publishes under § 58.1-3321, are what settle the number.
- The assessed value on the specific parcel, from the Commissioner of the Revenue, alongside the contract price.
- The 2027 reassessment notice, which goes out before informal reviews begin. Check the parcel's details against what you know about the house.
- The review path if a figure looks wrong: an informal review first, then the Board of Equalization.
- The vehicle line, where the two counties are only 7 cents apart on the 2026 chart. For a household with two cars, that part of the comparison is close to even.
Life along this stretch of Route 360 keeps filling in. A Wawa opened in February at 12065 King William Road. Ryan Homes' directions put the Orchards models about half a mile past it. The tax side is still being worked out through the winter, and the 2026 numbers alone won't tell you how it lands.
Everything here is general information about how these rules work, not legal, tax or financial advice. Please confirm your own figures with the county and a tax professional before making a decision based on them.
If you're comparing The Orchards with a home in Mechanicsville or anywhere else in Hanover and want help lining up assessed values, adopted rates and reassessment timing for the specific houses on your list, Cowan Realty can work through those numbers with you before you write an offer. Work with Us.
