Defiance County, Ohio Sales Tax Rate
Buying anywhere in Defiance County? The combined sales tax rate is 6.75%. Below is the full breakdown and a calculator already set to Defiance County.
Defiance County Rate Breakdown
Bordering County Savings Radar
How Defiance's 6.75% 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 Defiance County charge this 6.75% 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, Defiance County residents owe $2,025.00.
Groceries & Medicine
Unprepared food for human consumption and prescription drugs are 100% exempt ($0 tax) statewide in Defiance County under the Ohio Constitution (Art. XII, § 13), R.C. 5739.02(B)(2) (food), and R.C. 5739.02(B)(18) (prescription drugs).
Defiance County's 6.75% 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 Defiance County, a taxable purchase adds 1.00% in county and transit tax on top of Ohio's 5.75% state base — the 6.75% combined rate shown above. 13 of Ohio's 88 counties charge this exact rate. Cars, general merchandise, and prepared restaurant food are all taxed at 6.75%, while unprepared groceries and prescription drugs stay exempt statewide.
Ranked against the rest of the state, Defiance County is the 71st-highest of Ohio's 88 counties, tied with 13 others on 6.75%. In hard numbers that matters most on big-ticket buys: a $30,000.00 car costs $2,025.00 in sales tax here. Registering the same car in Butler County (6.50%, Ohio's lowest) would cost $1,950.00 — a $75.00 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.
Defiance County is seated at Defiance (the city and the county share a name), covers 411 square miles and is home to 38,258 people — the 65th-most-populous of Ohio's 88 counties, at about 93 people per square mile. 8 ZIP codes fall inside it, running from 43512 to 43556, and every one of them pays the same 6.75% — Ohio municipalities cannot levy a sales tax of their own, so there is no city surcharge anywhere in the county. Defiance County also borders Indiana, 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 Defiance 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.
Defiance County sales tax by purchase amount
| Purchase | Sales Tax (6.75%) | Total |
|---|---|---|
| $1.00 | $0.07 | $1.07 |
| $5.00 | $0.34 | $5.34 |
| $10.00 | $0.68 | $10.68 |
| $25.00 | $1.69 | $26.69 |
| $50.00 | $3.38 | $53.38 |
| $100.00 | $6.75 | $106.75 |
| $500.00 | $33.75 | $533.75 |
| $1,000.00 | $67.50 | $1,067.50 |
Groceries and prescription drugs are exempt statewide, so they carry $0 tax in Defiance County. Prepared food and general merchandise are taxed at 6.75%.
Defiance 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 Defiance County is 6.75% in 2026. That is Ohio's 5.75% state base plus a 1.00% county and transit portion.
At 6.75%, sales tax on a $100 taxable purchase in Defiance County is $6.75, for a total of $106.75.
No. Unprepared groceries and prescription drugs are exempt from Ohio sales tax statewide, so they are not taxed in Defiance County. Prepared food is taxable at 6.75%.
8 Ohio ZIP codes have Defiance County as their primary county, including 43512, 43519, 43520, 43526, 43530. All of them use the 6.75% 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.
Defiance County borders Putnam (7.00%), Henry (7.25%), Paulding (7.25%), Williams (7.25%), plus Indiana. None of them charge less than Defiance's 6.75%.
At 6.75%, Defiance County has the 71st-highest combined sales tax rate of Ohio's 88 counties, tied with 13 other counties. Statewide, combined rates run from 6.50% to 8.00%.
Counties bordering Defiance County
Defiance County shares a line with 4 other Ohio counties plus Indiana. 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 Defiance | Tax on $30,000.00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam County | 7.00% | +0.25% | $2,100.00 |
| Henry County | 7.25% | +0.50% | $2,175.00 |
| Paulding County | 7.25% | +0.50% | $2,175.00 |
| Williams County | 7.25% | +0.50% | $2,175.00 |
No county bordering Defiance charges less than 6.75%, so there is no cheaper neighbour to cross into.
ZIP codes in Defiance County (6.75% sales tax)
8 Ohio ZIP codes have Defiance County as its primary county. Every address in them pays the same 6.75% combined rate — 5.75% state plus 1.00% county and transit.
- 43512
- 43519
- 43520
- 43526
- 43530
- 43536
- 43549
- 43556
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 Defiance 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%
- Erie — 6.75%
- Fairfield — 6.75%
- Geauga — 6.75%
- Greene — 6.75%
- Hancock — 6.75%
- Medina — 6.75%
- See all 88 counties →
- Browse Ohio rates by city →
Bordering counties: Compare Defiance County (6.75%) with neighboring Putnam County (7.00%), Henry County (7.25%), and Paulding County (7.25%).
Commercial sellers: Review our guide on Ohio sales tax vs use tax rules for Defiance County buyers to stay fully aligned with state tax regulations.
Compare statewide: See where Defiance County ranks across the full Ohio sales tax rates by county table.
Cross-border shopping & vehicles: Buying across state lines? Check our Ohio vs. Indiana sales tax comparison (Defiance border).
Address verification: Some postal ZIP codes in Defiance 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 6.75% combined rate for Defiance 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.