Skip to main content

Residential

Residential

DID YOU KNOW?

The King County Tax Advisor is available to help you with any questions or concerns you may have about your tax assessment. The Advisor, who is independent from the assessor's office, will also help you if you decide to appeal your assessment.

For more information, call
206-477-1060.

Common Questions

Residential


In 2014, King County was the 2nd fastest growing urban county in the nation; as a result, property values rebounded steadily in our region. Many property owners saw an increase in their property values, however, the majority have not returned to their 2008 values.

An increase in property value does not represent a dollar-to-dollar increase in property taxes.

Your individual property tax is calculated based on the assessed value of your property, the total taxable property value in your community, voter-approved measures, and the budgets adopted by your local governments. Taxing districts are limited to a 1% annual increase in property tax revenue regardless of changes in property values.

Under Washington state law, two types of property can be assessed and taxed:

  1. Real property (real estate) which is land, improvements attached to the land (buildings, etc.) and improvements to the land (bulkheads, etc.) Click here for more details.
  2. Personal property, meaning assets used in the operation of a business, such as machinery, equipment, signs, office furniture, fixtures and supplies, as well as materials used in the operation of a commercial, industrial or agricultural enterprise. Click here for more details.

Each year, our accredited appraisers assess your property at its full market value using one or all of three approaches: Market (comparable sales), Cost (reproduction or replacement cost, less depreciation) or Income (income or capitalization of economic rents).

An Official Property Value Notice is mailed each time we revalue your property. It shows both the previous and the new values.

Each February, you or your mortgage company (if you have an escrow account) will be mailed a tax bill for each property you own. It will show the amount of taxes due for that year. You can also click here, type in your account number (also known as the parcel number) and view the amount of taxes you owe.

State law requires that assessors value real and personal property at 100% of "true and fair" value which Washington State courts have interpreted as fair market value.

The amount you pay depends on the cost of state and local government, including schools, roads, parks, libraries, hospitals, city and county government, as well as your local taxing districts such as port district, fire districts and sewer districts. A large part of each property tax dollar goes to pay off construction bonds for school buildings and other public projects.

The state constitution and state legislature set statutory levy limits and voters approve excess levies to fund local projects or services, such as additional school levies, fire protection, sewage treatment, etc. For detailed information on levy limits, click here.

If you are a senior citizen or disabled you qualify for an exemption if:

  • you have a total annual household income of $58,423 or less
  • you are 61 years of age or older by December 31 of the year for which you are applying or
  • you are retired because of physical disability or
  • you are a widow, or widower, or state registered domestic partner at least 57 years of age whose spouse or state registered domestic partner had an exemption at time of death

If you are a senior citizen or disabled you qualify for a deferral if:

  • you have a combined disposable income of $$67,411 or less
  • you are at least 60 years old by the end of the year when you apply or
  • you are retired because of a disability

If your income is $57,000 or less, you may be able to defer 25 percent of your property taxes:

  • you must have owned your property for five years and
  • you must have paid the first half of your property taxes for the year
  • If you qualify, you can defer 50 percent of the second half of your property taxes. The application deadline is September 1 of each year. The deferred taxes, plus 7 percent interest, become a lien on your property. For more information, call 206-263-2323 or get more detailed information in this publication (.PDF, 1,539KB). You can also download an application here (.DOC, external link).

You may contact us at 206-296-7300 or email at Assessor.info@kingcounty.gov to address questions you have about your property. You may also find sales of similar properties by clicking on the following link: https://info.kingcounty.gov/assessor/esales/Residential.aspx

You may contact us at 206-296-7300 or email at Assessor.info@kingcounty.gov. If you feel that we have made an error in the characteristics of your property, you can request that the data be reviewed or explained by appraiser and an Assessment Review can be initiated.

Petition for Property Tax Refund

Property owners may qualify for a refund due to a correction of a manifest error in description of the property relied on or used to estimate value for property assessment purposes. An example of a manifest error in description of a property could be the incorrect square footage of your house or lot.

If you think you qualify, you may download the form here (.PDF) and return with documentation or evidence to support your claim.

The maximum number of years for a refund is six years depending on the evidence submitted.

If you wish to appeal the new appraised value of your property, you must file a petition with the King County Board of Equalization (BOE) no later than July 1 of the assessment year or within 60 days from the mailing date on the front of the Official Property Value Notice, whichever is later. A separate appeal must be filed each year to protect your appeal rights, as past or pending appeals should not be assumed to affect the value on your most recent notice. For information and/or petition forms, please visit the BOE's website at https://kingcounty.gov/independent/board-of-appeals.aspx or call the BOE at (206) 477-3400. Additional assistance can be provided by contacting the King County Property Tax Advisory at 206-477-1060.

Requests to change an account mailing address must be received in writing or by email. An address change can be made:

  • By sending email to kingcountytreasurer@kingcounty.gov
  • By completing the Name and Address Update box on your property tax payment stub at the time you are remitting payment
  • By clicking here to print a Name and Address Change Request Form. Mail form to:
    • King County Treasury
    • Name and Address Change
    • 201 S. Jackson St., Suite 710
    • Seattle, WA 98104

    • The request should include your tax parcel/account number and your new mailing name and address. Please sign and date a written request. We do not require copies of deeds or other legal documents since you are only changing the property tax mailing information and this does not affect ownership.
expand_less