Highland County, Ohio Sales Tax Rate
Buying anywhere in Highland County? The combined sales tax rate is 7.25%. Below is the full breakdown and a calculator already set to Highland County.
Highland County Rate Breakdown
Bordering County Savings Radar
How Highland's 7.25% 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 Highland County charge this 7.25% 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, Highland County residents owe $2,175.00.
Groceries & Medicine
Unprepared food for human consumption and prescription drugs are 100% exempt ($0 tax) statewide in Highland County under the Ohio Constitution (Art. XII, § 13), R.C. 5739.02(B)(2) (food), and R.C. 5739.02(B)(18) (prescription drugs).
Highland County's 7.25% rate sits above 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 Highland County, a taxable purchase adds 1.50% in county and transit tax on top of Ohio's 5.75% state base — the 7.25% combined rate shown above. 50 of Ohio's 88 counties charge this exact rate. Cars, general merchandise, and prepared restaurant food are all taxed at 7.25%, while unprepared groceries and prescription drugs stay exempt statewide.
Ranked against the rest of the state, Highland County is the 8th-highest of Ohio's 88 counties, tied with 50 others on 7.25%. In hard numbers that matters most on big-ticket buys: a $30,000.00 car costs $2,175.00 in sales tax here. Registering the same car in Butler County (6.50%, Ohio's lowest) would cost $1,950.00 — a $225.00 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.
Highland County is seated at Hillsboro, covers 553 square miles and is home to 43,403 people — the 56th-most-populous of Ohio's 88 counties, at about 78 people per square mile. 7 ZIP codes fall inside it, running from 45123 to 45172, and every one of them pays the same 7.25% — Ohio municipalities cannot levy a sales tax of their own, so there is no city surcharge anywhere in the county.
Population: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimate (2023).
Calculate tax in Highland 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.
Highland County sales tax by purchase amount
| Purchase | Sales Tax (7.25%) | Total |
|---|---|---|
| $1.00 | $0.07 | $1.07 |
| $5.00 | $0.36 | $5.36 |
| $10.00 | $0.73 | $10.73 |
| $25.00 | $1.81 | $26.81 |
| $50.00 | $3.63 | $53.63 |
| $100.00 | $7.25 | $107.25 |
| $500.00 | $36.25 | $536.25 |
| $1,000.00 | $72.50 | $1,072.50 |
Groceries and prescription drugs are exempt statewide, so they carry $0 tax in Highland County. Prepared food and general merchandise are taxed at 7.25%.
Highland 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 Highland County is 7.25% in 2026. That is Ohio's 5.75% state base plus a 1.50% county and transit portion.
At 7.25%, sales tax on a $100 taxable purchase in Highland County is $7.25, for a total of $107.25.
No. Unprepared groceries and prescription drugs are exempt from Ohio sales tax statewide, so they are not taxed in Highland County. Prepared food is taxable at 7.25%.
7 Ohio ZIP codes have Highland County as their primary county, including 45123, 45132, 45133, 45135, 45142. All of them use the 7.25% 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.
Highland County borders Brown (7.00%), Adams (7.25%), Clinton (7.25%), Fayette (7.25%), Pike (7.25%), Ross (7.25%). Brown County is the cheapest at 7.00%, 0.25% below Highland's 7.25%.
At 7.25%, Highland County has the 8th-highest combined sales tax rate of Ohio's 88 counties, tied with 50 other counties. Statewide, combined rates run from 6.50% to 8.00%.
Counties bordering Highland County
Highland County shares a line with 6 other Ohio counties. 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 Highland | Tax on $30,000.00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County | 7.00% | −0.25% | $2,100.00 |
| Adams County | 7.25% | same | $2,175.00 |
| Clinton County | 7.25% | same | $2,175.00 |
| Fayette County | 7.25% | same | $2,175.00 |
| Pike County | 7.25% | same | $2,175.00 |
| Ross County | 7.25% | same | $2,175.00 |
Brown County is the cheapest county touching Highland at 7.00% — $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 Highland County (7.25% sales tax)
7 Ohio ZIP codes have Highland County as its primary county. Every address in them pays the same 7.25% combined rate — 5.75% state plus 1.50% county and transit.
- 45123
- 45132
- 45133
- 45135
- 45142
- 45155
- 45172
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 Highland 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%
- Hocking — 7.25%
- Huron — 7.25%
- Jackson — 7.25%
- Jefferson — 7.25%
- Knox — 7.25%
- Lake — 7.25%
- See all 88 counties →
- Browse Ohio rates by city →
Bordering counties: Compare Highland County (7.25%) with neighboring Brown County (7.00%), Adams County (7.25%), and Clinton County (7.25%).
Commercial sellers: Review our guide on Ohio sales tax vs use tax rules for Highland County buyers to stay fully aligned with state tax regulations.
Compare statewide: See where Highland County ranks across the full Ohio sales tax rates by county table.
Address verification: Some postal ZIP codes in Highland 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 7.25% combined rate for Highland 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.