By Josh McKnight | The McKnight Team
Yes. Under Act 54 of 2024, New Britain Township taxes for fire protection can go as high as 10 mills, and for ambulance and rescue as high as 5 mills. Today the township levies 1.25 mills for fire and 0.50 mills for ambulance and rescue. Ordinance 2026-05, which the Board of Supervisors enacted on October 19, 2026, sets those higher limits.
Those New Britain Township taxes will not jump on their own. The ordinance raises the ceilings. The actual rates are set by resolution with the budget, so the number on your 2027 bill gets decided later this fall.
What Did Act 54 of 2024 Change?
Before Act 54, the limit was 3 mills for fire protection and 0.50 mills for ambulance and rescue. The law raised those limits to 10 mills and 5 mills. A township still has to pass an ordinance to use the new room, which is what Ordinance 2026-05 does.
For you as an owner, the key word is maximum. An ordinance like this one gives supervisors permission. It does not spend a dollar. The spending decision comes when the 2027 budget and tax resolution are adopted, and that is the vote to watch if you want a say in your rate.
The township manager’s memo explains the push. New Britain already levies the full 0.50 mills for ambulance and rescue. Without a higher limit, the memo says, the township is not able to raise any more money for that purpose.
Where Does Fire and EMS Tax Money Go?
The township’s third quarter distributions show where these dollars land. Chalfont Fire Company received $11,535.51 from real estate tax and $14,192.72 from the local services tax, plus a $7,500 volunteer firefighter incentive. Chal-Brit Regional EMS received $4,928.81 and $15,160.41. Smaller amounts went to the Hilltown, Dublin and Doylestown fire companies and Central Bucks Ambulance.
Those payments come from your real estate tax and from the local services tax paid by people who work in the township. If your fire company or EMS squad needs more support, this is the tool the township would use to send it.
How Much Could New Britain Township Taxes Go Up?
A mill is $1 for every $1,000 of assessed value. Bucks County has not reassessed since 1972, so assessed values sit far below what homes sell for. Take a home assessed at $40,000 as an example. Each mill costs that owner $40 a year. Moving fire and EMS from 1.75 mills to the full 15 would add 13.25 mills, or $530 a year. That is the ceiling, not a proposal.
To find your own number, look for the assessed value on your township tax bill, divide it by 1,000, and multiply by the change in mills. That gives you the yearly cost in dollars.
For context, New Britain Township homes sold for a median of $610,000 from April through September 2026, with a median of 12 days to contract, per Bright MLS data in our Bucks County housing market report. Our read: a few hundred dollars a year will not stop a buyer at that price. It does show up in the monthly payment buyers compare from one house to the next.
What Should You Do Before the Budget Vote?
If you own in New Britain Township, find the assessed value on your tax bill and run the math at a few rates. If you plan to list this winter, have the current bill ready and be clear with buyers that the fire and EMS rate is set with the budget.
If you are buying, ask for the latest township tax bill and plan for a higher fire and EMS line in 2027. The bigger lines on a Bucks County bill are still the school district and the county, so keep this change in proportion.
Budget discussions continue at the municipal building at 207 Park Avenue in Chalfont. For more on the area, see our Chalfont community guide. We are glad to run the numbers on a home you are weighing.
Thinking about buying or selling in New Britain Township? Let’s talk.
