A general tax rate of $1.002 per $100. An effective rate of 1.109% — below the New Jersey statewide median. A 2024 average bill of $8,255 on a 1,697-resident borough occupying just 0.25 square miles of land — the 51st-smallest land area of all 53 Monmouth municipalities. A four-year rate compression from $1.204 in 2022 to $1.002 in 2025 — a 16.8 percent drop. A 2005 renaming from South Belmar to Lake Como that distinguished the borough from its larger neighbor. And a non-operating school district structure that sends K-8 students to Belmar Elementary and routes high schoolers to a choice between Manasquan HS and Asbury Park HS — one of the most unusual school configurations on the Jersey Shore.
Lake Como Borough sits on the Atlantic shore of southern Monmouth County, bordered by Belmar to the north, Spring Lake to the south, and Wall Township to the west. The lake itself — the freshwater Lake Como — straddles the southern boundary between Lake Como and Spring Lake. Originally incorporated May 6, 1924 as South Belmar, the borough renamed itself Lake Como effective January 4, 2005 — a rare municipal rebrand that distinguished the small borough from its larger northern neighbor and anchored a new civic identity around its namesake freshwater lake. The borough occupies just 0.26 square miles of total area — 0.25 square miles of land and 0.0077 square miles of water (3.08 percent) — ranking 51st of 53 in Monmouth County by land area. The 2020 Census recorded 1,697 residents, with 2025 estimates at 1,644 (declining trend of approximately 0.6 percent annually). Elevation of 16 feet places Lake Como in the lower-elevation tier of Monmouth shore municipalities. Mayor Kevin G. Higgins (D, term ends December 31, 2026) leads a Borough Council form of government, with Administrator Andrew Huisman and Municipal Clerk Amy L. Boney operating from Borough Hall.
The tax math is structurally distinctive in three ways. First: despite a 0.25-square-mile land footprint, Lake Como ranks 6th-highest in Monmouth County by population density at 6,741.7 residents per square mile — placing the borough in the same elite-density tier as Asbury Park, Long Branch, Keansburg, Keyport, and Bradley Beach. Second: the 2025 effective tax rate of 1.109% is below the New Jersey statewide median of 1.89% but above the immediate beachfront prestige tier (Spring Lake 0.444%, Sea Girt 0.520%) — structurally similar to Spring Lake Heights (1.075%) and Belmar (0.955%) as the affordable inland-or-edge anchor of the Manasquan-HS-cluster region. Third: the four-year rate compression from $1.204 (2022) to $1.002 (2025) represents a 16.8 percent drop — nearly identical to Interlaken Borough’s 17 percent compression and Spring Lake Heights’ 18.3 percent compression, reflecting aggressive valuation growth catching pace with stable levy increases under the Monmouth ADP reassessment program.
Lake Como’s 2026 Chapter 123 average ratio is 104.64 percent — meaning the borough’s assessments are running slightly above current market value on average. This is an unusual structural feature for an ADP-participant Monmouth municipality and creates a meaningful appeal opportunity for owners whose individual properties have not appreciated as quickly as recent overall assessment increases would suggest. The 95-115 ratio band sets the appeal threshold: properties assessed at more than 115 percent of true market value have a strong statutory case for reduction. Watch the November 2025 assessment postcards carefully and verify against current comparable sales before the January 15, 2026 county-board appeal deadline. For the full Monmouth ADP framework and the Chapter 123 ratio mechanics, see our complete appeal guide.
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The Lake Como Tax Snapshot
Numbers below from the NJ Treasury 2025 General Tax Rates Table, the 2026 Chapter 123 Ratios for the Year 2025, the Monmouth County 2025 County Equalization Table, and the NJ DCA MOD-IV 2024 Average Residential Tax Report.
Lake Como is the smallest affordable anchor of the southern Monmouth shore — structurally distinct from its larger Belmar neighbor and from the prestige Manasquan-HS cluster. The 1.109 percent effective rate is below the New Jersey statewide median, the 2024 average bill of $8,255 runs roughly $2,675 below the Monmouth County average, and the borough delivers shore proximity at half the absolute tax cost of the Spring Lake / Sea Girt prestige tier. The trade-off is the small footprint — 0.25 square miles of land — and the non-operating school district structure that routes K-8 students out to Belmar Elementary. For sophisticated buyers prioritizing shore proximity, freshwater lake access, and the affordability that comes from a structurally compact borough, Lake Como delivers one of the best value-per-shore-block math equations in Monmouth. For broader context, see our analysis of the lowest-property-tax NJ municipalities in 2026.
“Lake Como is one of the most overlooked value plays on the southern Monmouth shore. People walk through Spring Lake and Sea Girt and assume that’s the only way to get this geography. Lake Como sits literally between Belmar and Spring Lake at the southern Monmouth shore, costs less than half what those boroughs do in absolute tax dollars, and the 16.8 percent four-year rate compression has been quietly improving the math for current owners. The 2005 renaming gave the borough a distinct identity. The school-choice flexibility — Manasquan HS or Asbury Park HS — gives families options that the single-destination boroughs simply don’t.”
How Lake Como Compares: The Southern Shore Affordability Tier
Lake Como sits in the structurally affordable inland-or-edge tier of the southern Monmouth shore, alongside Spring Lake Heights (inland Manasquan-cluster value play), Belmar (immediate northern neighbor with similar absolute pricing), and Bradley Beach (Asbury Park HS sending district to the north). The five-borough comparison:
| Southern Shore Value Tier (2025) | Lake Como | Belmar | SL Heights | Bradley Bch | Avon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 General Rate | $1.002 | $1.570 | $1.024 | $0.885 | $0.923 |
| 2025 Effective Rate | 1.109% | 0.955% | 1.075% | 0.915% | 0.710% |
| 2024 Avg Bill | $8,255 | $8,944 | $8,666 | $9,590 | $11,326 |
| Population 2020 | 1,697 | 5,706 | 4,890 | 4,282 | 1,933 |
| Land Area | 0.25 sq mi | 1.05 sq mi | 1.29 sq mi | 0.61 sq mi | 0.43 sq mi |
| Density | 6,742/sq mi | 5,434/sq mi | 3,777/sq mi | 7,014/sq mi | 4,542/sq mi |
| K-8 Structure | Non-operating (Belmar) | Own K-8 | Own K-8 | Own K-8 | Own K-8 |
| High School | Manasquan or Asbury Park | Manasquan HS | Manasquan HS | ~93% Asbury | Lottery (M/AP) |
Lake Como delivers the lowest absolute 2024 average bill ($8,255) of all five comparable southern-shore value-tier boroughs — below Spring Lake Heights ($8,666), Belmar ($8,944), Bradley Beach ($9,590), and Avon ($11,326). The structural reason: Lake Como’s small land area (0.25 sq mi) combined with its non-operating school district shifts a meaningful portion of educational cost burden into a per-pupil tuition payment to the Belmar School District rather than a full self-contained K-8 operation. This is the structural advantage of non-operating SD status when the population base is small enough that own-K-8 operations would be inefficient. For the Spring Lake Heights immediate inland comparison, see our Spring Lake Heights NJ Property Taxes 2026 deep dive. For the Bradley Beach Asbury-pathway parallel, see our Bradley Beach NJ Property Taxes 2026 deep dive. For the Avon-by-the-Sea lottery sending-district contrast, see our Avon-by-the-Sea NJ Property Taxes 2026 deep dive.
The South Belmar Renaming and the 2005 Civic Identity Reset
Lake Como is one of only a small handful of New Jersey municipalities to undertake a formal name change in the modern era. The borough incorporated May 6, 1924 as South Belmar — reflecting its origin as a small jurisdiction immediately south of the larger Belmar borough. For 80 years the borough operated as South Belmar, with its civic identity essentially defined by its relationship to its larger northern neighbor.
The renaming effective January 4, 2005 established Lake Como as a distinct identity, anchored in the borough’s namesake freshwater lake that straddles the southern boundary with Spring Lake. The change required formal voter approval and statutory action, and represented a meaningful civic statement: the borough was no longer simply “south of Belmar” but a distinct community with its own geographic identity. The motto and civic infrastructure adopted around the lake-oriented identity has held for two decades.
For tax-base purposes, the renaming had no direct impact on assessment or rate calculations — the borough continued its participation in the Monmouth ADP and maintained continuity of municipal operations. But the identity reset coincided with a multi-year cycle of incremental property value appreciation and gradual residential transition from summer-rental to year-round ownership patterns. For broader Monmouth shore market dynamics that have shaped this cycle, see our three new rules rewriting the New Jersey Shore real estate playbook.
Borough of South Belmar incorporates as a separate municipality from portions of Wall Township, distinguishing the small jurisdiction immediately south of the larger Belmar borough.
The Borough of South Belmar operates under its original name for eight decades, primarily known as a summer-rental adjacent to its larger Belmar neighbor.
The borough formally adopts the name “Lake Como” effective January 4, 2005, anchoring civic identity in the namesake freshwater lake that straddles the southern boundary with Spring Lake.
The Lake Como identity holds across two decades, coinciding with a multi-year cycle of property value appreciation and gradual transition from summer-rental to year-round ownership patterns.
The Non-Operating School District and the High School Choice
Lake Como operates as a non-operating school district — meaning the borough does not operate its own K-8 elementary school. This is a structurally distinctive arrangement that fewer than a dozen Monmouth County municipalities employ. Two mechanisms anchor the Lake Como school structure:
K-8: Belmar Elementary School. Lake Como K-8 students attend Belmar Elementary School, the single PreK-8 facility operated by the Belmar School District. The Belmar Elementary enrollment is approximately 565 students per year — comparable to Brielle Elementary’s 484 and meaningfully larger than the smaller Manasquan-cluster K-8 operations. Lake Como pays per-pupil tuition to the Belmar School District for the borough’s K-8 student cohort.
High School: Manasquan HS or Asbury Park HS choice. Lake Como public high school students attend either Manasquan High School or Asbury Park High School, with the specific assignment dependent on the borough’s sending arrangements. Lake Como students also have access to specialty academy options at Red Bank Regional High School (application-based) and the five nationally-ranked schools in the Monmouth County Vocational School District.
The structural advantage: Lake Como’s small population (1,697 residents) and compact 0.25 sq mi land area make self-contained K-8 operations structurally inefficient. The non-operating district arrangement allows Lake Como to participate in Belmar’s scaled K-8 infrastructure at per-pupil tuition cost rather than maintaining own-borough facilities. This is the structural foundation of Lake Como’s favorable absolute tax bill ($8,255 — the lowest in the southern-shore value tier).
A non-operating school district arrangement shifts the K-8 cost burden from in-borough facility operation (building maintenance, full faculty roster, administrative overhead, capital improvements) to per-pupil tuition payment. For a 1,697-resident borough, the K-8 student cohort is small enough that tuition economics typically beat self-contained operations. The trade-off is reduced local educational control — Lake Como families work within the Belmar School District’s budget and curriculum decisions rather than directly setting them. For Lake Como, the structural math is favorable because the absolute tax bill ($8,255) reflects this efficiency — meaningfully below what a self-contained 1,697-resident K-8 operation would require.
How Your Lake Como Tax Bill Is Built
A Lake Como property tax bill combines five independently authorized levies summing to the $1.002 general rate certified for 2025:
Lake Como Borough Municipal Levy. Funds Borough government — the Borough Council under Mayor Kevin G. Higgins, Administrator Andrew Huisman, Municipal Clerk Amy L. Boney, the Lake Como Police Department, public works, recreation including lakefront and ocean-block infrastructure, and the borough’s park system.
School Tuition Payment (Non-Operating SD). Rather than operating its own K-8 elementary, Lake Como pays per-pupil tuition to the Belmar School District for the borough’s K-8 cohort attending Belmar Elementary. The Lake Como School District levy on the property tax bill funds this tuition arrangement plus per-pupil tuition to either Manasquan HS or Asbury Park HS (depending on student assignment) for the borough’s high schoolers.
Monmouth County Levy + Library + Open Space. County-level apportionment based on Lake Como’s equalized property value share of the total Monmouth County base.
County Library + Open Space dedicated levies. Standard statutory components.
“The high school choice flexibility is one of the most underrated structural features of Lake Como. Buyers with school-age dependents get optionality between Manasquan HS (the prestige Manasquan-cluster destination) and Asbury Park HS (the regional comprehensive). For families whose preferences may shift over the years their kids are in high school, that flexibility is genuine value. Most boroughs lock students into a single destination.”
Appeal Deadlines, Tax Court, and the 104.64 Ratio Opportunity
Lake Como uses Monmouth County’s alternative appeal calendar under the ADP. For why Monmouth runs differently from the rest of New Jersey, see our complete explainer on the ADP framework, the January 15 deadline, and the seven non-ADP towns. Two deadlines apply:
January 15 — for properties assessed under $1 million in true value. Appeals are filed with the Monmouth County Board of Taxation. Given Lake Como’s compact inventory and median value profile, this is the dominant appeal route in the borough.
April 1 — for properties assessed over $1 million in true value. These owners have the option to file directly with the New Jersey Tax Court rather than the county board. Lake Como’s premium lakefront and oceanfront properties may fall into this category.
The 104.64 ratio creates a specific appeal opportunity. Lake Como’s 2026 Chapter 123 average ratio of 104.64 percent means the borough’s assessments are running slightly above current market value on average. The Chapter 123 lower limit (85.03 percent) and upper limit (115.05 percent) define the statutory appeal threshold — properties assessed at more than 115 percent of true market value have a particularly strong statutory case for reduction. Owners whose individual property values have appreciated more slowly than the borough-wide assessment increase should review their November 2025 postcards carefully against current comparable sales. For county-board mechanics, see the full NJ appeal playbook covering both single-family and condo-specific appeal mechanics.
The Mansion Tax and Closing-Table Math
Lake Como sellers above $1 million — a smaller cohort than in the immediate beachfront prestige boroughs but still meaningful for lakefront and oceanfront properties — now face the New Jersey Realty Transfer Fee changes adopted under the FY2026 Appropriations Act on July 10, 2025. The legacy 1 percent Mansion Tax was replaced with a graduated rate applied to the entire sale price.
The full breakdown of the 2025–2026 Realty Transfer Fee structure walks through the new graduated tiers and the pricing-cliff effects near each threshold boundary. For the complete closing-process walkthrough, see the 2026 NJ real estate closing process timeline.
Lake Como has no active residential PILOT or tax abatement structures. The borough’s favorable tax math comes from the rate compression dynamic and the non-operating SD structural efficiency rather than any abatement framework. For contrast on how active PILOTs reshape effective rates in other Monmouth municipalities, see how Long Branch Pier Village condos operate under PILOT.
Tax Relief Programs Available to Lake Como Homeowners
$250 Veteran Deduction + $250 Senior Citizen / Disabled Persons Deduction available under state income guidelines.
100% Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption. Full exemption on the primary residence for honorably discharged veterans with 100% service-connected permanent disability.
At the state level: ANCHOR, Senior Freeze, and Stay NJ apply to qualifying Lake Como homeowners. Stay NJ reimburses 50 percent of property taxes for eligible homeowners age 65+, capped at $13,000 with a 2024 cap of $6,500. All three programs are now administered through a single combined PAS-1 application. Given Lake Como’s median age of 41.8 years (one of the youngest in the southern Monmouth shore cluster), the proportional Senior Freeze and Stay NJ eligible population is smaller than in Spring Lake or Sea Girt. For broader context on long-term carrying cost across NJ municipalities, see our analysis of NJ towns with the lowest property taxes.
The 2026 Budget Watch
Lake Como School District tuition payments. Watch the Belmar School District 2026-27 budget hearings for the per-pupil tuition trajectory that flows through to Lake Como’s K-8 cost basis. The Belmar Elementary School enrollment of ~565 students is the operational scale Lake Como participates in.
High school destination tuition variability. Lake Como’s split-destination structure (Manasquan HS or Asbury Park HS) creates dual-source tuition exposure. Watch the Asbury Park district’s projected $13M budget shortfall (reported per The Coaster December 2024) and the Manasquan HS sending-district per-pupil tuition for the structural inputs.
Borough Council 2026 municipal budget. Mayor Higgins and the Borough Council adopt the 2026 budget through the spring 2026 hearings. The 2026 cycle is particularly important because Mayor Higgins’ term expires December 31, 2026 — the next election will determine the administration overseeing the 2027-2030 cycle.
Annual ADP reassessment cycle. Lake Como participates in Monmouth County’s annual reassessment program. The 104.64 Chapter 123 ratio — assessments slightly above market average — is the structural condition heading into 2026.
For the immediate Manasquan-cluster sister-borough analyses, see our Spring Lake, Sea Girt, Spring Lake Heights, and Brielle deep dives. For the Loch Arbour county-lowest-effective-rate context (another small Monmouth borough with distinctive school-district history), see our Loch Arbour NJ Property Taxes 2026 deep dive. For broader Monmouth new construction context, see our 2026 Monmouth County new construction inventory. For the NJ Transit rail proximity premium that lifts Lake Como valuations near the Belmar station, see our NJ Transit rail premium analysis.
“The 104.64 Chapter 123 ratio is the immediate variable for current Lake Como owners. Assessments running slightly above market means owners whose property values have lagged the borough average have a genuine appeal case. This is the kind of structural condition where running the comps and filing the paperwork can actually move the needle. The January 15 deadline matters — owners who let it pass leave money on the table.”
Lake Como is the smallest and most structurally efficient affordable anchor of the southern Monmouth shore. The 1.109 percent effective rate is below the New Jersey statewide median, the 2024 average bill of $8,255 is the lowest in the southern-shore value tier, and the 16.8 percent four-year rate compression reflects the borough’s favorable position in the Monmouth ADP reassessment cycle. The 2005 renaming from South Belmar established a distinct civic identity, the non-operating school district arrangement delivers structural cost efficiency at small-borough scale, and the Manasquan-or-Asbury-Park high school choice gives families optionality that single-destination boroughs cannot match. For sophisticated buyers prioritizing shore proximity, freshwater lake access, and the lowest absolute tax math in the southern Monmouth value tier, Lake Como delivers value that punches well above its 0.25-square-mile land area.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 2025 property tax rate in Lake Como, NJ?
The 2025 general tax rate in Lake Como is $1.002 per $100 of assessed value, certified by the Monmouth County Board of Taxation and published in the NJ Treasury 2025 General Tax Rates Table. The 2025 effective tax rate is 1.109%, below the New Jersey statewide median of 1.89%.
What is the average property tax bill in Lake Como?
The 2024 average residential property tax bill in Lake Como was $8,255 per the NJ DCA MOD-IV Average Residential Tax Report — approximately $2,675 below the Monmouth County average of $10,930 and the lowest 2024 average bill in the southern-shore value tier.
Where do Lake Como kids go to school?
Lake Como is a non-operating school district. PreK-8 students attend Belmar Elementary School in the Belmar School District. High school students attend either Manasquan High School or Asbury Park High School depending on the borough’s sending arrangements. Students also have access to specialty academy options at Red Bank Regional High School (application-based) and the Monmouth County Vocational School District.
When did South Belmar become Lake Como?
The borough renamed itself from South Belmar to Lake Como effective January 4, 2005. The change required formal voter approval and statutory action, anchoring the new civic identity in the namesake freshwater Lake Como that straddles the southern boundary with Spring Lake. The borough was originally incorporated as South Belmar on May 6, 1924.
Has Lake Como’s tax rate been going down?
Yes. Lake Como’s general tax rate has compressed from $1.204 (2022) to $1.002 (2025) — a 16.8 percent drop across four tax years. The effective rate has dropped from 1.427% (2022) to 1.109% (2025). The compression reflects aggressive property valuation growth catching pace with stable levy increases under the Monmouth ADP reassessment program.
What is Lake Como’s 104.64 Chapter 123 ratio about?
The 2026 Chapter 123 average ratio of 104.64 percent means Lake Como’s borough-wide assessments are running slightly above current market value on average. The statutory band runs from 85.03 percent (lower limit) to 115.05 percent (upper limit). Properties assessed at more than 115 percent of true market value have a particularly strong statutory case for reduction under New Jersey’s appeal rules. Owners whose individual properties have appreciated more slowly than the borough average have a meaningful appeal opportunity heading into 2026.
When is the Lake Como tax appeal deadline?
January 15 of the tax year for properties assessed under $1 million in true value, filed with the Monmouth County Board of Taxation. April 1 of the tax year for properties assessed over $1 million in true value, filed directly with the New Jersey Tax Court. For complete mechanics, see our Monmouth County property tax appeal guide 2026.
Does Lake Como have any PILOT properties or tax abatements?
No active residential PILOT structures currently. Every residential property pays the standard general tax rate against its full assessed value. The borough’s favorable tax math comes from the four-year rate compression dynamic and the structural efficiency of the non-operating school district arrangement rather than any abatement framework.
Find Out Where Your 2026 Lake Como Assessment Should Actually Land
With Lake Como’s 104.64 Chapter 123 ratio indicating assessments running slightly above market and the four-year rate compression story still working through the system, every Lake Como homeowner should verify their November 2025 postcard reflects accurate current market value. Owners whose individual property values have lagged the borough average may have a meaningful appeal case before the January 15, 2026 county-board deadline. We’ll pull the lakefront, ocean-block, and mainstream borough comparable sales, model the appeal economics including the ratio context, and tell you whether the case is worth bringing.
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