I didn’t receive an Official Assessment Notice in the mail, why not? There are two reasons why you may not have received an assessment notice; first, we may not have your correct owner mailing address or second, your valuation may not have changed. We post the valuation notice on our website and you can check your owner mailing address and see valuation changes there. Go to  http://www.spokanecounty.org/pubpadal and enter your parcel number or address, select “events,” then select “Click here to view the property assessment notice.” If your owner mailing address is incorrect, please go to http://www.spokanecounty.org/pubpadal/MailingAddressChange.aspx fill in the form, print, sign, and mail to the assessor address indicated. How are property taxes levied? Two things determine your property taxes: • Your assessed value and • The budgets of the tax districts in which you live. Throughout the year, my appraisal staff assesses all residential and commercial property at fair market value. In November, each of the 57 Spokane County tax districts establishes a budget and sends their budget resolution to me. In January, I use the budget resolutions to calculate levy rates to fund those budgets. Then in February, the Treasurer uses my levy rates and assessed values to determine individual property taxes. My property was revalued last year; why did my assessed value go up? Assessed values are driven by the real estate market. The assessor's office values property based on sales information. The real estate market tends to be cyclical in nature with highs and lows. When real estate sales in your area indicate little or no appreciation in value, your assessed value will reflect that change also. Is assessed value different than market value? Yes. The assessor’s office values or assesses property for the purposes of determining property taxes as of January 1st of any given year. Market value is what a willing buyer and seller determine to be the value on an ongoing basis throughout the year. Didn’t Initiative 747 limit my property tax to a 1% annual increase? No. Individual tax bills and assessed values are not limited to a 1 percent increase or any other limitation. Taxing districts have a series of budget limitations, the 1 percent budget increase limit being one of them; however, these limitations are complicated with special levies, banked levy capacity, annexations, and type of taxing district. When are property taxes determined? Property taxes are calculated at the end of the calendar year for the next calendar year’s taxes. Therefore, please note when you receive your Official Assessment Notice in June, the levy rates and taxes will not be calculated until mid-January the following year. Who do I contact to see what my property taxes will be? The treasurer's office can answer tax billing questions and can be reached at 477-4713. Why are there two addresses on my Official Assessment Notice? The first address is the legal owner address and is used by the assessor to address assessment notices. Questions/corrections to owner address can be handled by contacting the assessor’s office at 477-3698 or go to http://www.spokanecounty.org/pubpadal/MailingAddressChange.aspx The second address is the taxpayer address and is used by the treasurer to address tax bills. Questions/corrections to taxpayer address can be handled by contacting the treasurer’s office at 477-4713 or go to http://www.spokanecounty.org/treasurer/namechange.aspx Do I qualify for a senior citizen exemption? If you are 62 or older, own your home, and have a total household income of less than $35,000, you may be eligible for a reduction in your property taxes! An application is available at http://www.spokanecounty.org/assessor/content.aspx?c=1385  or you can call 477-5754 to have one mailed to you. Is my senior citizen/disabled person exemption application processed? We process applications in the order received. When your application has been processed, you or your mortgage company will receive a corrected tax statement from the treasurer’s office. If you’d like to check the status of your application, please call 477-3698. How does the assessor value commercial property? Washington law allows the assessor to value property using the three recognized approaches to value: Replacement Cost, Market, and Income. The method of valuation is determined by the type of property and the data available for each methodology. What is personal property? All property can be divided into two major categories--real property and personal property. Real property is generally immovable and includes land, buildings, and permanent structures. The chief characteristic of personal property is its mobility. Some examples of taxable personal property are: office furniture and equipment, computers, software, store equipment, manufacturing equipment, signs, and farm machinery. Who must report personal property? Everyone who owns a business must report all personal property assets to the county assessor. The telephone number for personal property assessment is 477-4787. Why do my property lines not line up with the aerial photo and/or street centerlines? The data used on the interactive Parcel Viewer comes from various sources and it does not always align perfectly. Where’s my property line? If you cannot locate your property corners, the safest action is to contact a Private Land Surveyor. You can contact the auditor’s office at 477-2270 to check for a recent survey or to acquire a copy of your plat, but keep in mind any improvements made without proper knowledge of property limits could result in litigation. Are there maps online? Yes. You can find maps on our website at http://maps.spokanecounty.org Is it possible to find the owner of an address? Yes. If you know the address or the parcel number you can find the owner on our webpage at http://www.spokanecounty.org/pubpadal Select, “I Agree.” Then enter either the parcel number or the street number, name, and direction. Then click search.