Brown County, Ohio Sales Tax Rate
Buying anywhere in Brown County? The combined sales tax rate is 7.00%. Below is the full breakdown and a calculator already set to Brown County.
Brown County Rate Breakdown
Bordering County Savings Radar
How Brown's 7.00% rate compares on a $100.00 purchase across county lines
Retail Purchases
Under R.C. 5739.033(B)(1), sales made by Ohio vendors are origin-sourced to where the order is received. Out-of-state remote sellers shipping to Brown County charge this 7.00% destination rate.
Vehicle Titling
Under R.C. 4505.06, motor vehicles are taxed strictly by your county of residence at titling. On a $30,000 vehicle, Brown County residents owe $2,100.00.
Groceries & Medicine
Unprepared food for human consumption and prescription drugs are 100% exempt ($0 tax) statewide in Brown County under the Ohio Constitution (Art. XII, § 13), R.C. 5739.02(B)(2) (food), and R.C. 5739.02(B)(18) (prescription drugs).
Brown County's 7.00% rate sits below the statewide average of 7.14%. Across Ohio, combined rates run from 6.50% to 8.00%. Compare all 88 Ohio county rates side by side.
Anywhere in Brown County, a taxable purchase adds 1.25% in county and transit tax on top of Ohio's 5.75% state base — the 7.00% combined rate shown above. 10 of Ohio's 88 counties charge this exact rate. Cars, general merchandise, and prepared restaurant food are all taxed at 7.00%, while unprepared groceries and prescription drugs stay exempt statewide.
Ranked against the rest of the state, Brown County is the 59th-highest of Ohio's 88 counties, tied with 10 others on 7.00%. In hard numbers that matters most on big-ticket buys: a $30,000.00 car costs $2,100.00 in sales tax here. Registering the same car in Butler County (6.50%, Ohio's lowest) would cost $1,950.00 — a $150.00 difference. At the other end, Cuyahoga County (8.00%) would charge $2,400.00. Ohio taxes a vehicle at the rate of the buyer's county of residence, not the dealer's, so the county on your registration is the one that sets the bill.
Brown County is seated at Georgetown, covers 492 square miles and is home to 43,710 people — the 55th-most-populous of Ohio's 88 counties, at about 89 people per square mile. 12 ZIP codes fall inside it, running from 45101 to 45275, and every one of them pays the same 7.00% — Ohio municipalities cannot levy a sales tax of their own, so there is no city surcharge anywhere in the county. Brown County also borders Kentucky, where a different state's sales tax applies entirely — Ohio's 5.75% base does not follow you across the state line, but Ohio use tax generally does when you bring the item home.
Population: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimate (2023).
Calculate tax in Brown County
Calculate Ohio Sales Tax
Ohio · 2026 tax year · all 88 countiesCalculate total cost and exact Ohio state + county tax on your pre-tax purchase.
An official 2026 estimate based on Ohio Department of Taxation rate schedules (R.C. 5739.02). Actual checkout receipts round intermediate fractions per R.C. 5739.025.
Brown County sales tax by purchase amount
| Purchase | Sales Tax (7.00%) | Total |
|---|---|---|
| $1.00 | $0.07 | $1.07 |
| $5.00 | $0.35 | $5.35 |
| $10.00 | $0.70 | $10.70 |
| $25.00 | $1.75 | $26.75 |
| $50.00 | $3.50 | $53.50 |
| $100.00 | $7.00 | $107.00 |
| $500.00 | $35.00 | $535.00 |
| $1,000.00 | $70.00 | $1,070.00 |
Groceries and prescription drugs are exempt statewide, so they carry $0 tax in Brown County. Prepared food and general merchandise are taxed at 7.00%.
Brown County sales tax FAQ
Statutory guidance reconciled against official Ohio Department of Taxation regulations, county permissive levies, and R.C. 5739 sourcing rules.
The combined sales tax rate in Brown County is 7.00% in 2026. That is Ohio's 5.75% state base plus a 1.25% county and transit portion.
At 7.00%, sales tax on a $100 taxable purchase in Brown County is $7.00, for a total of $107.00.
No. Unprepared groceries and prescription drugs are exempt from Ohio sales tax statewide, so they are not taxed in Brown County. Prepared food is taxable at 7.00%.
12 Ohio ZIP codes have Brown County as their primary county, including 45101, 45115, 45118, 45119, 45121. All of them use the 7.00% combined rate. Because ZIP boundaries can cross county lines, a delivery address near the county line should be checked against Ohio's rate-by-address lookup.
Brown County borders Clermont (6.75%), Adams (7.25%), Clinton (7.25%), Highland (7.25%), plus Kentucky. Clermont County is the cheapest at 6.75%, 0.25% below Brown's 7.00%.
At 7.00%, Brown County has the 59th-highest combined sales tax rate of Ohio's 88 counties, tied with 10 other counties. Statewide, combined rates run from 6.50% to 8.00%.
Counties bordering Brown County
Brown County shares a line with 4 other Ohio counties plus Kentucky. Crossing one of these lines genuinely changes the bill — though which side counts depends on who is selling: an Ohio seller charges its own county's rate on an intrastate sale, while an out-of-state or marketplace seller charges yours.
| County | Combined rate | vs Brown | Tax on $30,000.00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clermont County | 6.75% | −0.25% | $2,025.00 |
| Adams County | 7.25% | +0.25% | $2,175.00 |
| Clinton County | 7.25% | +0.25% | $2,175.00 |
| Highland County | 7.25% | +0.25% | $2,175.00 |
Clermont County is the cheapest county touching Brown at 6.75% — $75.00 less tax on a $30,000.00 vehicle. That only helps you if you actually live there: Ohio charges vehicle sales tax at the rate of the buyer's county of residence, not the seller's.
ZIP codes in Brown County (7.00% sales tax)
12 Ohio ZIP codes have Brown County as its primary county. Every address in them pays the same 7.00% combined rate — 5.75% state plus 1.25% county and transit.
- 45101
- 45115
- 45118
- 45119
- 45121
- 45130
- 45131
- 45154
- 45167
- 45168
- 45171
- 45275
ZIP codes are a USPS delivery construct and a few straddle county lines, so a border address can fall in a different taxing county than its ZIP suggests. Check any borderline address with the ZIP code sales tax lookup or Ohio's official rate-by-address finder before you file.
Compare Brown County rates
- Butler — 6.50%
- Cuyahoga — 8.00%
- Franklin — 8.00%
- Hamilton — 7.80%
- Lucas — 7.75%
- Montgomery — 7.50%
- Stark — 6.50%
- Summit — 6.75%
- Delaware — 7.00%
- Holmes — 7.00%
- Madison — 7.00%
- Miami — 7.00%
- Ottawa — 7.00%
- Portage — 7.00%
- See all 88 counties →
- Browse Ohio rates by city →
Bordering counties: Compare Brown County (7.00%) with neighboring Clermont County (6.75%), Adams County (7.25%), and Clinton County (7.25%).
Commercial sellers: Review our guide on when use tax applies to out-of-state purchases in Brown County to stay fully aligned with state tax regulations.
Compare statewide: See where Brown County ranks across the full Ohio sales tax rates by county table.
Cross-border shopping & vehicles: Buying across state lines? Check our Ohio vs. Kentucky sales tax comparison (Brown border).
Address verification: Some postal ZIP codes in Brown County touch adjacent counties. To look up a precise street address, use our Ohio sales tax rate by address tool.
Ohio Sales Tax Core Reference Guides:
Rate source: the 7.00% combined rate for Brown County was verified against the Ohio Department of Taxation's County Rate Table by ZIP Code on . Ohio county rates change on quarterly boundaries; for a legally definitive rate at a specific street address, use the Department's The Finder lookup — our guide to using The Finder walks through it.