Lake of Bays property tax rate 2025
Township in Muskoka · population 3,759 · 5,151 households
Last updated October 30, 2026; data vintage 2025 (Financial Information Return) and 2021 (Census). How these numbers are made.
In 2025, Lake of Bays collected $25,252,884 in residential property taxes on $3,327,317,727 of taxable residential assessment. That works out to an effective rate of 0.759%, 0.598 points below the Ontario median of 1.357% for 2024. Among the 391 lower- and single-tier municipalities that filed for 2024, Lake of Bays ranks 10th lowest and 2nd of 6 within Muskoka. The 2025 figure is from a return filed ahead of most municipalities, so the provincial ranking still uses 2024.
Where the tax goes
| Municipal (Lake of Bays) | 0.226% | 30% of the bill |
|---|---|---|
| Muskoka | 0.380% | 50% |
| Education (Province of Ontario) | 0.153% | 20% |
| Total residential rate | 0.759% | 100% |
Municipal Regional / county Education
Understanding your Lake of Bays tax bill
Who sends the bill
Lake of Bays is a lower-tier township in the District of Muskoka, so its residential bill has three parts: Lake of Bays's own levy of 0.226%, the district levy of 0.380% set by the District of Muskoka, and the provincial education levy of 0.153%. Of every $100 of residential tax in 2025, about $30 stayed with Lake of Bays, $50 went to the District of Muskoka and $20 went to school boards through the province. The District of Muskoka's share is the larger municipal piece here; the district levy typically pays for paramedics, social housing, district roads and water and wastewater, while Lake of Bays's levy typically covers local roads, fire, parks and planning.
How the rate compares
Among the 391 Ontario municipalities ranked for 2024, Lake of Bays's 0.725% is the 10th lowest, with about 97% of municipalities charging more. That is 0.632 points below the provincial median of 1.357%, or about $3,161 a year less on a $500,000 assessment. Within the District of Muskoka it ranks 2nd lowest of 6, between Muskoka Lakes at 0.662% and Georgian Bay at 0.839%: on a $750,000 assessment that is about $469 more than Muskoka Lakes and $857 less than Georgian Bay.
What moved the rate
From 2016 to 2025 Lake of Bays's residential rate rose 0.082 points, from 0.677% to 0.759%, while residential taxes collected grew 35% and the taxable residential assessment base grew 20%. The levy outpaced assessment growth by 15 points over 9 years, so the rate did the work and a Lake of Bays owner whose assessment never changed still saw the bill rise.
Assessed value is a 2016 number
Ontario has not updated assessments since the 2016 valuation date, so the value behind Lake of Bays's 0.759% is a 2016 figure, not today's price. The 2025 return works out to about $646,000 of taxable residential assessment per household in Lake of Bays, roughly $4,903 a year at 0.759%; a recent purchase price will usually be well above that assessed figure. Buying a home in Lake of Bays does not reset its assessment; MPAC changes it only for new construction, renovations, or a successful reconsideration or appeal.
Instalments
Lake of Bays bills the way most Ontario municipalities do: an interim bill with two instalments early in the year, then a final bill with two more once the 2025 rate was set. Lake of Bays's interim bill arrives before council approves the 2025 rate, so it is based on the previous year's taxes and may not exceed 50% of them.
Commercial versus residential
Commercial property in Lake of Bays paid 1.391% in 2025, 1.83 times the residential rate; part of the gap is the provincial business education tax, which is set higher than the residential education rate. Commercial and industrial property made up 1.2% of Lake of Bays's taxable assessment but paid 2.2% of all property taxes levied, so business carries a share of the levy well beyond its share of the base.
Every figure in this section is taken from Lake of Bays's Financial Information Returns and the 2021 Census and is checked against the source data when the page is built; the wording follows fixed rules rather than opinion. Service descriptions are general to Ontario municipalities of this type and may differ in detail here.
Estimate your Lake of Bays property tax
| Assessed value | Municipal | Region / county | Education | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $500,000 | $1,129 | $1,901 | $765 | $3,795 |
| $750,000 | $1,694 | $2,851 | $1,147 | $5,692 |
| $1,000,000 | $2,258 | $3,801 | $1,530 | $7,590 |
Use the MPAC assessed value from your assessment notice, not the market value (see why). Estimates exclude local improvement charges, business improvement area levies and any rebates.
Rate trend 2016–2025
Lake of Bays's residential rate rose from 0.677% in 2016 to 0.759% in 2025; the section above separates rate changes from assessment growth.
Year-by-year table
| Year | Residential rate | Municipal | Region / county | Education | Residential taxes levied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.677% | 0.170% | 0.319% | 0.188% | $18,727,969 |
| 2017 | 0.627% | 0.162% | 0.298% | 0.167% | $19,017,132 |
| 2018 | 0.633% | 0.166% | 0.304% | 0.162% | $19,345,405 |
| 2019 | 0.643% | 0.176% | 0.309% | 0.157% | $19,853,545 |
| 2020 | 0.648% | 0.178% | 0.317% | 0.153% | $20,141,968 |
| 2021 | 0.656% | 0.180% | 0.323% | 0.153% | $20,699,939 |
| 2022 | 0.669% | 0.183% | 0.333% | 0.153% | $21,267,944 |
| 2023 | 0.691% | 0.195% | 0.344% | 0.153% | $22,241,743 |
| 2024 | 0.725% | 0.213% | 0.359% | 0.153% | $23,669,170 |
| 2025 | 0.759% | 0.226% | 0.380% | 0.153% | $25,252,884 |
Instalments and due dates (2025)
Lake of Bays reported 4 residential instalments in 2025, with due dates including February 26, 2025, April 28, 2025, July 25, 2025, September 26, 2025. Dates shift each year; check the municipal website for the current schedule.
All property classes, 2025
| Property class | Effective rate | Taxable assessment | Taxes levied |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 0.759% | $3,327,317,727 | $25,252,884 |
| Multi-residential | 0.851% | $2,385,800 | $20,297 |
| Farmland | 0.189% | $368,500 | $696 |
| Managed forests | 0.189% | $37,272,700 | $70,469 |
| Commercial | 1.391% | $38,826,000 | $539,991 |
| Industrial | 1.521% | $3,251,000 | $49,445 |
| Other classes | 1.173% | $1,829,100 | $21,458 |
Commercial and industrial rates include the provincial business education tax. Rates for small classes can swing year to year because a few properties dominate them.
Compare within Muskoka (2024)
| Municipality | Residential rate | Tax on $750,000 | Ontario rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake of Bays | 0.725% | $5,436 | 10 |
| Bracebridge | 1.196% | $8,973 | 123 |
| Georgian Bay | 0.839% | $6,293 | 23 |
| Gravenhurst | 1.112% | $8,341 | 83 |
| Huntsville | 1.114% | $8,352 | 86 |
| Muskoka Lakes | 0.662% | $4,967 | 3 |
Who lives here
From the 2021 Census of Population (Statistics Canada). Counts are randomly rounded to a multiple of 5 by Statistics Canada, so small differences between totals are normal.
Residents by age group
Under 15 15 to 64 65 and over
Lake of Bays had 3,759 residents in the 2021 Census, up 18.7% from 3,167 in 2016. The median age was 58.4, older than Ontario's 41.6; 9.4% of residents were under 15 and 34.4% were 65 or older. Median household income in 2020 was $90,000, below the Ontario median of $91,000. Immigrants made up 10.3% of the population (Ontario: 30.0%), and 0.0% of residents had arrived between 2016 and 2021. After English, the most common mother tongues were German (1.6%), French (0.9%) and Italian (0.7%).
| Private dwellings occupied by usual residents | 1,760 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 2.1 persons |
| Age 0 to 14 · 15 to 64 · 65 and over | 9.4% · 56.2% · 34.4% |
| Immigrants (share of population) | 10.3% · arrived 2016–2021: 0.0% |
| Visible minority population | 1.7% · Chinese 0.4% |
| Largest visible minority groups | Black 0.5% · South Asian 0.4% · Chinese 0.4% |
| Most common mother tongues | English 94.1% · German 1.6% · French 0.9% · Italian 0.7% · Dutch 0.3% |
| Commuting | Car, truck or van 94.4% · public transit 0.0% · average one-way commute 26 min |
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population (data tables 98-10-0002, 98-10-0022, 98-10-0041, 98-10-0057, 98-10-0173, 98-10-0240, 98-10-0257, 98-10-0479, 98-10-0622), reference date 2021. Extracted 2026-10-30. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product. Suppressed values are left blank, never estimated.
Questions about Lake of Bays property taxes
- How much is property tax on a $600,000 home in Lake of Bays?
- At Lake of Bays's 2025 residential rate of 0.759%, a home assessed at $600,000 pays about $4,554 a year, using MPAC's 2016-based assessed value rather than the purchase price. Roughly $1,355 of that goes to Lake of Bays, $2,281 to the District of Muskoka and $918 to education.
- Is property tax higher in Lake of Bays or Georgian Bay?
- Georgian Bay's rate is higher: in 2024 it charged 0.839% against Lake of Bays's 0.725%, a gap of 0.114 points or about $857 a year on a $750,000 assessment.
- Is property tax lower in Muskoka Lakes than in Lake of Bays?
- Yes: Muskoka Lakes's 2024 rate was 0.662%, 0.063 points below Lake of Bays's 0.725%, which is about $469 a year on a $750,000 assessment.
- When are Lake of Bays property taxes due?
- For 2025, Lake of Bays reported 4 residential instalments with due dates on February 26, 2025, April 28, 2025, July 25, 2025 and September 26, 2025; dates shift each year, so confirm the current schedule with the township before paying.
- Why did Lake of Bays's tax rate go up in 2025?
- The residential rate moved +0.034 points from 2024 to 2025 while residential taxes collected went up 6.7%. Both rose, so the 0.034-point increase reached existing owners in Lake of Bays directly through the rate rather than through assessment growth.
- How much of a Lake of Bays tax bill goes to the District of Muskoka?
- In 2025, 50% of the residential rate (0.380% of assessed value) was the the District of Muskoka levy, 30% was Lake of Bays's own levy and 20% was education.
About these numbers
- What is an effective tax rate?
- Total property taxes billed to a class divided by that class's taxable assessment. It is the average rate actually paid, so it can differ slightly from the rate printed in the municipal by-law when a municipality applies different rates to subclasses, phase-ins or special area levies.
- Why is my bill different?
- Your bill depends on your own assessed value, any special area charges, capping or phase-in adjustments and local improvement charges. Use the rate here to compare municipalities, and your assessment notice to estimate your own bill.
- Where does the data come from?
- Every Ontario municipality files an audited Financial Information Return with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. These pages use Schedule 26A, "Taxation and Payments-in-Lieu Summary", for 2016 through 2025. Lake of Bays's latest return was updated 2026-10-02, and this page was last rebuilt from the data on October 30, 2026. See the methodology.