Kitsap County Assessor's Newsletter April 2024

When is ownership updated after a sale?

It can take 2 to 6 weeks from the time that the excise document is processed by the Treasurer’s Office before names are updated on the tax rolls.

If there is a question or problem with either the names on the document or the legal description, that can require further research before a name change is made. In the case of an incorrect legal description, we will contact the title company, attorney or individual(s) and will make the name change at the time the corrected excise and document are recorded.

If an excise is presented to the Treasurer’s Office but the corresponding document is not recorded, the name change will not be completed until the document is recorded.

Businesses need to submit their personal property listings this month

As mentioned in our February newsletter, personal property listings are due by April 30th each year.  Listings that are received after the April 30^th due date are subject to late filing penalties under state law.  Online filing is available for existing accounts and is the preferred method of filing. If you have a business and do not have a personal property account, you may complete a listing for a new account and email the completed form to: personal-property@kitsap.gov and an account can be set up for you to file online. 

The Department of Revenue provides a detailed publication on Personal Property Tax for further information.

Are you planning to make an improvement to your home?

Washington state law offers a three-year property tax exemption on qualifying improvements.  You will need to apply with the office prior to the completion of construction.   If approved, the taxable value of your home will not include the improvement value (up to a maximum of 30% of the assessed value of your home prior to the improvement).  At the end of the exemption, the value of the improvement will be added to the value of your home.

More information as well as the application are available on our website at Residential Improvement Exemption (kitsap.gov)

Property Tax Distribution on Parcel Details

Are you curious how property tax dollars are distributed between tax districts?  You can find this information in Parcel Details.   Enter your parcel number (tax account) or your site address to locate your account.  Once the account is displayed, select the drop-down arrow by Tax Bill then select Tax Distribution. This will display tax distribution for the entire county. You may click on the picture of the pie chart as well to see the county tax distribution. For an individual property, you may enter your tax account number or site address in one of the search boxes.  The account or address will display below the search box and when you select it, the tax distribution for that specific property will be displayed.  Once the information is available for the specific property you are looking at, you may customize the data by clicking on the graphs.  For example, if you just want to look at a specific year, then click on the bar on the top left side and the data will adjust to that specific year.

Senior citizen and disabled persons exemption outreach

The Poulsbo Library holds Social Service Wednesdays the third Wednesday of each month. Staff from our office will be attending the event to be held on April 17 from 11am to 1pm and will be available to answer questions you may have about the Senior Citizen and Disabled Persons property tax exemption.

Elections that impact property taxes

There will be a special election on April 23, 2024, for the Central Kitsap School District. This ballot measure will be for educational enrichment programs and operations levy to be collected over 3 years, 2025, 2026 and 2027.  Additional details are available on the Auditor’s website.