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DATA / MAPS / ZONES Doing Business in Lancaster County, PA
County of Lancaster
The County acts as an agent of the Commonwealth for functions specified by state law. To carry out those functions, three county commissioners are elected every four years and may be re-elected. The County Code stipulates that each voter may cast a ballot for only two commissioner candidates and that the three having the highest number of votes will be elected.
The commissioners, who have limited legislative powers, serve as the managers and administrators of County government, name citizens to boards, commissions and authorities, and award contracts. Assisting them are a number of officials elected for four-year terms, who fill the so-called row offices, and numerous appointed deputies and directors.
Municipalities
Counties in Pennsylvania are divided into municipalities. Unlike other states, there is no unincorporated land in Pennsylvania. This means that counties do not provide different services in unincorporated areas than in incorporated areas. The services and functions that Lancaster County provides to one municipality, it also provides to all other municipalities.
Lancaster County is divided into sixty municipalities, which include a city, boroughs, a township of the first class and townships of the second class. These municipalities provide varying levels of services and facilities to the residents of their jurisdictions. The City of Lancaster, for instance, provides full-time paid police and fire protection, sewer and water treatment, social services, planning and zoning, parks and recreation services, redevelopment assistance, parking management and government administration. Some rural municipalities, by contrast, have no full-time employees, rely entirely upon volunteer fire companies, and depend on the state police for public safety.
Taxes: Lancaster County
Property Tax
The Lancaster County Assessment Office assesses real estate within the county for the local property tax levy. County government, 17 school districts and most of the 60 municipalities in the County levy a property tax. For most, the property tax is their principal source of revenue. The Assessment Office maintains a listing and valuation inventory of the nearly 183,000 parcels located within the border of the County for this purpose.
Millage
 Download and print the following millage rates:
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