Little Silver Borough is the smallest of the three Two River premium municipalities by population (5,950 residents per 2020 Census) and the only one of the three with an NJ Transit station inside its borders. The Little Silver Station on the North Jersey Coast Line is the structural feature that distinguishes this borough from its Rumson and Fair Haven neighbors — both of which depend on commute infrastructure outside their borders. The 2024 average residential tax bill of $15,535 per the NJ DCA MOD-IV Average Residential Tax Report places Little Silver seventh-highest in Monmouth County, sitting comfortably below Rumson ($22,890) and Fair Haven ($17,848) while delivering measurably better commuter access.

The 2026 tax year shapes up as a particularly active cycle for Little Silver homeowners. Per the Little Silver 2026 Reassessment Report dated November 1, 2025, the total assessed property value in Little Silver will increase by 10.53 percent for the 2026 tax year compared to 2025. The borough is conducting Complete Borough-Wide Reassessment under the Monmouth County ADP framework, with property inspections scheduled across 2025 and 2026 as the next five-year inspection cycle. Tax Assessor Estela Aguiar (per Borough records) administers the reassessment program, and Mayor Robert C. Neff Jr. signed the official 2025-2026 reassessment communication. This post walks through what that 10.53 percent number means for your individual bill, how Little Silver stacks up against its Two River neighbors, and the structural advantages that the train station provides on top of the headline tax math.

The Little Silver Tax Snapshot

Numbers below from the Monmouth County Board of Taxation 2025 Certified Tax Rates (TR2025Final.pdf), NJ Treasury 2026 Chapter 123 Director’s Ratio table, NJ DCA MOD-IV 2024 Average Residential Tax Report, Little Silver 2026 Reassessment Report (11/1/2025), and the Borough of Little Silver Tax & Finance Office.

How Little Silver Compares: The Two River Triangle

Buyers shopping the Two River corridor are essentially choosing between three boroughs: Rumson, Fair Haven, and Little Silver. The three municipalities sit adjacent to each other, share commute infrastructure to Manhattan, and are often treated as interchangeable in casual conversation. They are not. The tax math, school structure, and commute mechanics differ in ways that matter for any serious purchase decision. Here is the side-by-side data:

▸ Anthony’s Take

“Little Silver is the Two River corridor’s best-kept secret for daily Manhattan commuters. Rumson and Fair Haven get the lifestyle press, but the buyer who has to be at Penn Station Monday through Friday is the buyer who quietly chooses Little Silver. The station is a 5-minute walk for half the borough. That structural advantage doesn’t show up on the tax bill comparison but it shows up on every Monday morning for the next 20 years.”

— Anthony Licciardello, Broker, The Prodigy Team

Little Silver vs Red Bank: The Commercial Base Gap

Buyers also commonly compare Little Silver to neighboring Red Bank. The two boroughs sit one stop apart on the North Jersey Coast Line, share the Red Bank Regional High School District, and offer overlapping amenity stacks — but the tax math runs in completely different directions because of one structural feature: Red Bank’s substantial downtown commercial base. Red Bank’s commercial ratables (Broad Street retail corridor, Two River Theater, multiple office buildings, restaurant district) generate a non-residential tax base that Little Silver simply doesn’t have. The result:

The takeaway: Little Silver runs a lower rate ($1.437) than Red Bank ($1.822) but a higher average bill ($15,535 vs $12,648) because the underlying residential values are materially higher. Same regional high school. Both have train stations. Different residential composition, different commercial mix, different price points. Buyers prioritizing top-end residential inventory with adjacent walkability to Red Bank’s amenities will favor Little Silver. Buyers wanting urban-density living inside Red Bank itself will favor the borough proper. For Red Bank’s submarket dynamics — specifically the East Side vs West Side pricing spread — see our Red Bank submarket analysis.

How Your Little Silver Tax Bill Is Built

A Little Silver tax bill combines six independently authorized levies summing to the $1.437 general rate certified by the Monmouth County Board of Taxation for 2025:

Little Silver Borough Municipal Levy (2025: $0.331 per $100). Funds Borough government — police, fire/EMS, public works, recreation, planning, and administration. Mayor Robert C. Neff Jr. and the Borough Council adopt the annual budget under N.J.S.A. 40A:60-1 et seq. Roughly 23 percent of the total bill.

Little Silver Borough K–8 School District Levy (2025: $0.596 per $100). Funds the K–8 local district operating Markham Place School (PK–4) and Little Silver Middle School (5–8). Roughly 42 percent of the total bill — the largest single component.

Red Bank Regional High School District Levy (2025: $0.303 per $100). Funds the regional district operating Red Bank Regional High School in Little Silver. Apportioned across Little Silver, Red Bank, and Shrewsbury Borough based on equalized property value shares. Roughly 21 percent of the total bill.

Monmouth County Levy + Library + Open Space + Health. County-level apportionment based on Little Silver’s equalized value share. Combined approximately $0.194 per $100, roughly 14 percent of the total bill.

Borough Library Levy. Funds the Little Silver Library system. Small component at $0.010 per $100.

The 2026 Reassessment: 10.53% Aggregate Growth

Per the Little Silver 2026 Reassessment Report dated November 1, 2025, the total assessed property value in Little Silver will increase by 10.53 percent for the 2026 tax year. The report (issued by the Borough Tax Assessor and signed by Mayor Robert C. Neff Jr.) is the official communication for this assessment cycle.

Three mechanical points every Little Silver homeowner should understand:

Aggregate increase does not equal individual increases. Different streets, lot sizes, and price points appreciated at different rates. The Assessor refines neighborhood-by-neighborhood values each cycle. Some homeowners will see assessment growth above 10.53 percent; others will see growth below; some will see no change at all.

The tax rate is expected to drop materially. Per the Reassessment Report’s explicit framing: “Because the tax rate is inversely related to total assessed value, higher assessments generally result in a lower tax rate. Accordingly, the 2026 tax rate is expected” to fall meaningfully from $1.437. Whether your individual bill goes up or down depends on whether your reassessment is above or below the 10.53 percent baseline.

The October 1, 2025 valuation date was pre-decline. Per the Borough’s reassessment report: at the October 1, 2025 reassessment valuation date, there were no signs of market decline. The 10.53 percent represents the cumulative effect of post-pandemic price appreciation through that date. Subsequent market moves are not reflected in the 2026 assessment.

Assessment postcards were mailed in late November 2025. Property owners had until January 15, 2026 to appeal the 2026 assessment to the Monmouth County Tax Board, or until April 1, 2026 to file directly with the New Jersey Tax Court for properties assessed above $1 million.

▸ Anthony’s Take

“Ten and a half percent is real money. On a $15,500 average bill, even with the rate dropping, the homeowner whose individual reassessment came in above 10.53 percent is going to pay materially more in 2026 than 2025. Pull the November postcard, compare to the borough baseline, and don’t assume the rate drop covers you — it only covers you proportionally.”

— Anthony Licciardello, Broker, The Prodigy Team

The Little Silver Station Premium

The structural feature that distinguishes Little Silver from Fair Haven and Rumson is the Little Silver Station on NJ Transit’s North Jersey Coast Line. Direct rail service to Penn Station takes approximately 70 minutes off-peak, with 60–65 minute express service during commuting hours. Long Branch is one stop south; Red Bank is one stop north. The station sits at the corner of Branch Avenue and Sycamore Avenue, with parking lots adjacent.

The structural advantage matters for valuation. Per our analysis of the NJ rail premium, properties within a half-mile walk of an NJ Transit station sell for approximately 6.3 percent more than equivalent properties one mile away. Roughly half of Little Silver’s residential inventory falls within the half-mile rail-walk radius, meaning the borough effectively has two overlapping submarkets: a walkable rail-premium core, and a wider residential ring that captures most of the school-district benefit but lacks the rail-walk premium.

For comparison, Fair Haven and Rumson commuters depend on (a) driving to the Little Silver station, (b) ferry service from Atlantic Highlands or Highlands, or (c) bus connections. None of those alternatives delivers a half-mile-walk rail premium — the inventory premium for direct station walkability is unique to Little Silver in the Two River corridor.

Condos, Townhouses, and Inventory Composition

Little Silver’s residential inventory is predominantly detached single-family on quarter-acre to half-acre lots, with smaller pockets of more substantial estate inventory in the Little Silver Point and Branch Avenue corridors. The borough has a small number of attached residence developments concentrated in transit-oriented locations near the station, but the dominant inventory is traditional Two River Colonial and Cape architecture on traditional residential lots.

Each condo/townhouse unit is taxed individually against the borough general rate of $1.437 per $100. HOA fees are entirely separate from the tax bill — they fund common-area maintenance and association reserves, not municipal services.

No PILOT or tax abatement structures in residential property. Little Silver has not designated any residential redevelopment zones under N.J.S.A. 40A:20. For contrast on how residential PILOTs reshape effective rates in other Monmouth municipalities, see how Long Branch Pier Village condos operate under PILOT.

Appeal Deadlines and the $1M Tax Court Option

Little Silver 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 filed with the Monmouth County Board of Taxation. Per the Little Silver Appeal FAQ (updated 11/1/25), property owners can register and submit evidence through the County Appeal Portal once the November assessment postcards are mailed.

April 1 — for properties assessed over $1 million in true value. These owners may file directly with the New Jersey Tax Court. Given Little Silver’s median home value above $1 million per recent comp data, a substantial portion of inventory qualifies for the Tax Court route.

Quarterly tax due dates: February 1, May 1, August 1, November 1, with the standard 10-day grace period. Tax Assessor Estela Aguiar is reachable directly at the Borough Assessor’s office (732-842-7039).

For Little Silver properties carrying tax bills above $18,000 — meaningful inventory across the Branch Avenue and Little Silver Point sections — the premium-market appeal playbook walks through direct Tax Court filing, contingency-fee attorney economics, the appraiser ROI threshold, and the Freeze Act. For county-board appeal mechanics, see the full NJ appeal playbook.

The Mansion Tax and Closing-Table Math

For Little Silver sellers above $1 million, the New Jersey Realty Transfer Fee changes adopted under the FY2026 Appropriations Act on July 10, 2025 are now in effect. The legacy 1 percent Mansion Tax was replaced with a graduated rate applied to the entire sale price. A $1.5 million Little Silver sale now lands in a different tier than the legacy structure — meaningful additional closing-table cost.

The full breakdown of the 2025–2026 Realty Transfer Fee structure walks through the new graduated tiers. For the complete closing-process walkthrough, see the 2026 NJ real estate closing process timeline.

Tax Relief Programs Available to Little Silver 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.

Active Military Service Property Tax Deferment. Defers payment during deployment.

At the state level: ANCHOR, Senior Freeze, and Stay NJ. 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 administered through the combined PAS-1 application.

The 2026 Budget Watch

Four items worth monitoring on the 2026 Little Silver budget cycle:

2026 certified rate. The 10.53 percent aggregate value growth will mechanically lower the certified general rate from the 2025 baseline of $1.437. The certified 2026 rate will be set by mid-2026; Q3 and Q4 bills will reflect the adjustment.

2026–27 K–8 district budget. Adopted spring 2026. The single largest component of the tax bill.

Red Bank Regional HS budget. Three-municipality regional district means Little Silver’s share can move based on Red Bank and Shrewsbury Borough valuations.

Property inspection cycle. Per the 2026 Reassessment Report, the entire Borough is scheduled to be inspected in 2025 and 2026 for the current 5-year cycle. Expect interior/exterior inspections; cooperate to ensure your Property Record Card stays current and reflects your actual property characteristics.

For broader context on Monmouth County new construction in 2026, see our 2026 Monmouth County new construction inventory.

▸ Anthony’s Take

“Little Silver is the Two River borough where the property inspection cycle actually matters for your individual bill. With every property inspected across 2025-2026, the Borough is calibrating individual assessments to current condition. Homes that have improved since the last inspection cycle will see meaningful assessment increases. If you’ve done renovation work in the past 5 years and your Property Record Card hasn’t been updated, this is the cycle where that catches up.”

— Anthony Licciardello, Broker, The Prodigy Team

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 2025 property tax rate in Little Silver Borough, NJ?

The 2025 general tax rate in Little Silver is $1.437 per $100 of assessed value, certified by the Monmouth County Board of Taxation. The rate breaks down as: $0.596 local K–8 school + $0.303 Red Bank Regional HS + $0.331 municipal + $0.197 county + $0.024 county open space + small components for library and health.

What is the average property tax bill in Little Silver?

The 2024 average residential property tax bill in Little Silver was $15,535 per the NJ DCA MOD-IV Average Residential Tax Report — the 7th-highest among Monmouth County’s 53 municipalities, sitting 42 percent above the Monmouth County average of $10,930.

How is Little Silver different from Fair Haven and Rumson?

Three structural differences. (1) Little Silver has an NJ Transit station inside the borough; Fair Haven and Rumson do not. (2) Little Silver attends Red Bank Regional High School (a three-municipality regional district with Red Bank and Shrewsbury); Fair Haven and Rumson share Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (a two-municipality regional district). (3) Average bills run materially lower in Little Silver ($15,535) than Fair Haven ($17,848) or Rumson ($22,890).

What does the 10.53 percent aggregate value increase mean for my bill?

It does NOT mean your bill is going up 10.53 percent. The 10.53 percent is the total Borough assessed value increase for 2026 versus 2025. Because the tax rate is inversely related to total assessed value, the 2026 certified tax rate is expected to drop from $1.437. Your individual bill depends on whether your specific reassessment is above or below the 10.53 percent baseline.

When is the Little Silver 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).

Does Little Silver have any PILOT properties or tax abatements?

No. Little Silver has not designated any current redevelopment zones under N.J.S.A. 40A:20. Every residential property in the borough pays the standard general tax rate against its full assessed value.

Why does the Little Silver Station matter for property values?

Per NJ rail-premium analysis, properties within a half-mile walk of an NJ Transit station sell for approximately 6.3 percent more than equivalent properties one mile away. Little Silver Station on the North Jersey Coast Line provides direct rail service to Penn Station NYC in approximately 60–70 minutes. Approximately half of Little Silver’s residential inventory falls within the half-mile rail-walk radius — a structural valuation advantage that Fair Haven and Rumson cannot match.

Written by

Anthony Licciardello

Broker, The Prodigy Team · (718) 873-7345