Pierce County announcement.
Property tax statements are in the mail this week to 174,000 owners of residential and commercial land and buildings in Pierce County. For homes where the tax is paid through a mortgage escrow account, the statement is sent to the bank or mortgage company. The 2023 statements are also posted on the Assessor-Treasurer’s website, www.PierceCountyWa.gov/atr.
While real estate values surged again in 2022, statutory limits on property tax rates reduced the tax rate (per thousand dollars of value) by over a dollar in nearly every taxing district. “The only significant tax increases are in areas where voters approved new levies or bonds,” Assessor-Treasurer Mike Lonergan explained. “As a result, we see moderate tax increases in most of Pierce County, even small decreases in Edgewood and Sumner, where a school bond was paid off.”
Countywide, property taxes billed this year total $1.85 billion, a 5.1% increase over 2022. In addition to schools, property taxes pay for city and county government, fire districts, emergency medical service, parks, libraries, roads, Port of Tacoma, Sound Transit and flood control. Fees are also included on the property tax statement for conservation, noxious weed control and surface water.
The state and local levies for schools make up 59% of all property taxes in Pierce County. The cities and county (including the road district) add up to 19.6%, and fire/EMS districts equal 11.8%. Together, these account for over 90% of Pierce County’s property tax.
The annual tax is determined by multiplying property value (in thousands of dollars) by the combined rate of all taxing districts where the property is located. Unless there is a vote of the people, most taxing districts are limited to receiving 101% of last year’s property tax revenue, plus significant taxes resulting from new construction.
Seventeen new school levies in ten school districts were approved by the voters last year and voters in five fire districts approved multi-year levy lid lifts or renewed EMS levies. Gig Harbor Fire District #5 also passed a 20-year bond and Tacoma Metro Parks approved a levy lid lift. Overall, the average 2023 tax bill Countywide is $5,579, a 5.1% increase over last year.
(NOTE: Click here to view a spreadsheet showing the 2022 to 2023 net effect of higher property values multiplied by reduced tax rates. The result is shown as both a 2023 tax amount for the average home and the percentage change from the previous year.)
Tax payments are due in two halves, by May 1 and Oct. 31, 2023. The service counter at the Pierce County Annex, 2401 S 35th in Tacoma, is open 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday to receive payments and issue receipts. Taxpayers with questions may also contact the Assessor-Treasurer staff by computer chat on the website or by calling 253-798-6111.
My husband and I are seniors. We moved here in2018. Since that, our property taxes has increased by over $4000.00 dollars. The school taxes are taxing seniors out of their homes. We have paid our share of school taxes. Why not have a renters tax since most renters have school aged kids. We should be exempt when it comes to all the school taxes. Maybe Inslee can help seniors that way.
Renters vote yes for all school levies because they see it as “free” (I personally blame the public school system for this, it’s basic math) when you vote “yes” on a school levy, you are DEMANDING that your landlord raise the rent. It’s basic math.
Now a 3% rent raise cap is trying to pass, with a 7% a year cap. Renters, will of course gleefully vote this in. Landlords are selling their rentals and retiring because of this.
Normally single family rental homes make up less than 1% of sales, the last 3 years they made up 36% of overall sales.
Inslee and local politicians are creating a housing problem, and driving up the rents, because there is less available homes to rent.
it’s so ridiculous it’s laughable.
Nice home Kathy. I see you paid $1,657,500 for your place in 2018. Your assessment has risen $650,000 since your purchase. While it drives us all nuts listening to the renters complain about rent increases following their perceived unanimous votes for levies, I’m not sure you’re going to going to find much support for your cause. Particularly from a governor, who loves other people’s money more than his wife.
Complaining about schools should not include funding at the top of the list. Discipline and accountability (or lack of) for students actions should be the top. It’s scary today when the legislature and OSPI have pushed a discipline moratorium down to districts requiring equity in schools that do not allow for the students to be removed from instruction (suspension or expulsion) for their growing more grotesque by the day behavior. This will lead to not only a less educated society, but one that is raised in a belief that there are no consequences for actions. I’m not sure how much time any of us have left on earth, but it may not be that much longer if we continue on the path that we are headed.
Raising our land rental fees in exchange for what? Homeless camps? Thug police? Selective enforcement? Our fantastic roads? The schools infested with extremely weird sexual theories? How much longer do we think this is gonna last?
The only time I raise the rent for my rentals is when the property taxes go up. If the Politicians were serious about making the rental market affordable, they would control the rental property taxes. WA Politicians are currently trying to pass House Bill 1388 and 1389 (Rent control), which is against our constitution. If they pass the bills, my 18 single family rental homes will be sold to families that will move into them. I will make sure they are no longer rentals. The renters should be calling their Politicians and ask them to vote no on the bills. The Politicians and Inslee are causing the rental housing shortage.
Exactly!!!!!
Face it. If not the county and the governor, it would be the individual corrupt local municipalities stealing our monies instead.
Damned if you do, damned if you
don’t.