Western New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is New York's second-largest city, the seat of Erie County and the heart of Western New York — a Great Lakes port at the mouth of the Niagara River, famous for its wings, its architecture, and its lake-effect winters.
A Buffalo home is assessed locally and taxed by the city, county, and school district; New York's STAR program can lower the school-tax part. Western New York has some of the state's most affordable home prices paired with high effective tax rates — the snapshot below shows the local rate.
- Type
- City
- County
- Erie
- Region
- Western New York
- Population (2020)
- 278,349
Local Almanac
Notes in and around Buffalo
Short, sourced notes tied to this place, its county, or nearby communities.
This place · Cars & Driving
Buffalo Fruit Belt Parking Permits Are Address-Specific
Buffalo's Fruit Belt residential parking permit depends on vehicle registration, neighborhood address, and posted block rules.
Read this note ->This place · History & Culture
The Soup Wings That Conquered the Super Bowl
One late night in 1964, Teressa Bellissimo fried up the chicken wings meant for her soup pot and tossed them in hot sauce — and the Buffalo wing was born at the Anchor Bar.
Read this note ->This place · Money & Taxes
Buffalo Taxes Come in More Than One Envelope
Buffalo property owners have city tax, county tax, sewer rent, water, and user-fee dates that do not all land at the same time.
Read this note ->This place · Cars & Driving
Buffalo Parking Tickets Have Separate Pay and Hearing Doors
Buffalo drivers should separate parking ticket payment from hearing requests, especially if a ticket is under the hearing-age limit.
Read this note ->This place · The Outdoors
Olmsted's Park System Runs Through Buffalo
Frederick Law Olmsted designed Buffalo a connected web of parks and parkways in the 1860s, with 350-acre Delaware Park as a free centerpiece.
Read this note ->This place · Rules & Licenses
Buffalo Rental Owners Have Registration and Lead Checks
Buffalo rental owners should know when rental registration, inspections, and lead-hazard rules apply to their units.
Read this note ->This place · Home & Property
Buffalo building permits should be checked before work begins
Buffalo property owners should use the city permit-process and permit pages before starting regulated building work.
Read this note ->This place · Money & Taxes
Buffalo user-fee trash bills are a city finance issue
Buffalo residents with sanitation user-fee questions should use the city user-fee and streets-sanitation pages before paying or disputing.
Read this note ->This place · History & Culture
Buffalo City Hall Turns Niagara Square Into Civic Theater
Buffalo City Hall gives Niagara Square a monumental civic presence that still shapes how the center of the city feels.
Read this note ->Property tax snapshot
Roughly $13–$13 per $1,000
Combined full-value rate — county + town/city + school district, per $1,000 of market value (FY2025). On a $300,000 home that's about $3,855–$3,855 a year before the STAR break.
A planning estimate, not a bill. Your exact rate depends on your school district and any village. Confirm with the assessor.
Statewide links
Statewide starting points.
Good to know
- • Your assessed value usually isn't your market value — ask for the equalization rate.
- • Register for STAR; new applicants generally receive a credit instead of an automatic exemption on the bill.
- • Outside the cities, check the well, the septic, and the FEMA flood map before you buy.
Nearby
Nearby places
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. Source data ->
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