Property revaluation notices for assessment year 2022 for taxes owed in 2023 have been mailed to approximately 60,000 Lewis County property owners.
“Most property owners will see increases over the previous year due to the annual revaluation cycle and the increasing market sales in Lewis County largely due to a housing shortage,” said Lewis County Assessor Dianne Dorey in a news release from the county.
By state law, one-sixth of properties are physically inspected each year, while others are statistically updated in the same year.
“Market analysis is a key component in appraising property equally and fairly for taxation, and sales in a particular area have determined the values in a (similar) neighborhood,” Dorey stated in the release. “The market in Lewis County had sharp increases in 2022 as we use the sales from the year before for the current assessment year.”
The assessed values for the 2023 tax year will appear beginning Nov. 21 under the Parcel Property tab on the Lewis County website at www.lewiscountywa.gov.
According to the county, most property owners have until Jan. 16, 2023, to appeal real property values by submitting a petition to the Board of Equalization. The board is an independent body of private citizens that hears and decides appeals related to property valuation and other determinations by the Lewis County assessor. Property owners who did not have a change in value are still eligible to appeal. Individual appeal deadlines are listed on revaluation notices. Hard copy appeal forms are available or can be filed online at https://lewiscountywa.gov/offices/commissioners/board-of-equalization/.
To save time and resources for both the property owner and the county, property owners are encouraged to speak with an appraiser at the Lewis County Assessor’s Office prior to filing a petition to the board. The board can be reached at 360-740-1391.
For more information, contact the Lewis County Assessor’s Office at 360-740-1392.
