The Impuesto sobre Inmuebles Urbanos (municipal property tax) is the annual tax each alcaldía (city hall) charges the owner of a house, apartment, commercial unit or urban plot. Many people call it "derecho de frente" (frontage fee), a name used by Baruta's own SEMAT (municipal tax office). We reviewed the Caracas ordinances in October 2026; where a figure is missing, we say so.
What the national law says
The Ley Orgánica del Poder Público Municipal (municipal government law; reform published in Gaceta Oficial No. 6.015 Extraordinario of December 28, 2010) defines it as follows:
Exemptions, exonerations and rebates apply only in the cases set by the ordinance, and the last two run for at most four years, renewable (art. 168).
In 2023 came the Ley Orgánica de Coordinación y Armonización de las Potestades Tributarias de los Estados y Municipios (state and municipal tax harmonization law; Gaceta Oficial No. 6.755 Extraordinario, August 10, 2023). For this tax it set these rules:
That table came out in Resolución 011-2023 (Gaceta Oficial No. 6.783 Extraordinario, December 29, 2023). Annual caps: 0.5% residential, 1% commerce and services, 0.75% industry and 1.5% vacant land. We found no later version.
The alcaldías had 90 calendar days from the law's publication to adapt their ordinances. Libertador, Chacao and Baruta did so between November and December 2023; El Hatillo did so in December 2025, in force since January 1, 2026.
How it is calculated
The basic formula is the same in the municipalities reviewed:
annual tax = cadastral value × rate
In Chacao, Baruta and El Hatillo, the cadastral value comes from multiplying the square meters by the unit values in the table annexed to the ordinance, by zone and type of building. Those values are expressed in "times" the BCV exchange rate, so the amount in bolívares moves with the rate.
Libertador annexes no table: its catastro (cadastre office) appraises the market price, multiplies that value by a "proporción fiscal" (fiscal ratio), 0.30 for housing (art. 22), and applies the rate to the result (art. 20).
Hypothetical example in Baruta: an apartment with a cadastral value of 10,000 times the exchange rate pays, at 0.25%, 25 times a year; with the 10% discount (full year paid in January, no earlier debts), 22.5.
How much and when you pay in Caracas
| Municipality | Housing | Commerce and offices | When it is paid | Discount for paying the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chacao | 0.12% | 0.25% (commerce and services), 0.35% (industry) | Quarterly, in the first 5 business days "vencidos" (lapsed) of each quarter (art. 11); publishes no dates | 20% if you pay the full year in the first quarter |
| Baruta | 0.25% | 0.60% (commercial units, offices, warehouses, industries) | Quarterly: January, April, July and October | 10% if you pay all four quarters in January and owe no earlier years |
| El Hatillo | 0.25% | 0.50% | Quarterly: first 5 business days of April, July, October and January | 25% if you pay the full year in the first quarter and owe no earlier years |
| Sucre | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Libertador | 0.35% (primary residence) or 0.50% (secondary), on the fiscal value | 0.50% (offices), 0.80% (shops), on the fiscal value | Monthly, within the 30 days after the close of each month | 20% if you pay the full year between January 1 and March 31 |
Ordinances: Chacao, Gaceta Municipal Extraordinaria (extraordinary municipal gazette) 9554 of 2023 (arts. 7 and 11); Baruta, Extraordinaria 421-12/2023 (arts. 22, 26 and 36); El Hatillo, 520/2025 (arts. 35 and 38, Annex I); Libertador, 5001-C of 2023 (arts. 7, 18 and 22). We could not obtain Sucre's current ordinance. The housing rates in the four ordinances reviewed do not exceed the national cap of 0.5%.
Benefits for primary residences and people over 60:
In all four cases the exemption is requested from the alcaldía, with its supporting documents.
Where to pay: Chacao and El Hatillo accept electronic means, counters and authorized banks (arts. 12 and 40). Libertador accepts only the electronic means designated by its tax administration, the SUMAR (art. 18). In Baruta, the SEMAT mentions card terminals and transfers reported online (undated page).
Who pays if the property is rented
Before the alcaldía, the liable party is the owner. But Libertador (art. 12) and El Hatillo (art. 7) make the tenant jointly and severally liable, and Baruta (art. 16) treats the tenant as a "sujeto pasivo en condición de responsable" (a taxpayer liable as a responsible party). In other words, those alcaldías can collect from either of the two.
Between owner and tenant, a different rule applies. The Ley del Régimen Especial de Arrendamiento de Inmuebles Destinados a Vivienda (residential lease law; Gaceta Oficial No. 7.065 Extraordinario, August 7, 2026) says in its article 19 that, unless otherwise agreed, the condominium fees and "the taxes applicable to urban properties" fall to the landlord.
These are two different rules: the ordinance says whom the alcaldía can charge; the law says who bears the cost. Neither says how this is settled if the alcaldía charges the tenant; in that case, consult a lawyer.
That law applies only to contracts agreed since it came into force (art. 2). For an earlier lease, check what your contract says.
What happens if you do not pay
You cannot sell. Article 97 of the Ley de Registros y Notarías (registries and notaries law) bars registrars from recording a sale or a mortgage without the solvencia (tax clearance certificate) for this tax. El Hatillo extends that ban to notaries and judges (art. 47), and Baruta requires the solvencia for any municipal procedure (art. 29). The steps to obtain it are in the guide to solvencia municipal and cédula catastral, and what it costs to close a purchase, in closing costs.
The debt grows. Each ordinance has its own rule:
The harmonization law bars late-payment interest above the rate in the Código Orgánico Tributario (national tax code), under art. 16.
They can charge you for past years. Libertador collects up to the last 6 years if the property is not registered and 4 years if it is (art. 20).
It can be negotiated. Libertador accepts payment agreements with 30% down and up to 6 monthly installments (art. 31); Baruta, 40% down and up to 6 installments (art. 47); Chacao, up to 12 installments (art. 18); El Hatillo, up to 12 months (art. 48). With an agreement, Chacao and El Hatillo issue only a partial-payment solvencia (arts. 17 and 49).