Levy Overview

Property tax is the tax liability imposed on property owners for owning real and personal property and are levied and collected at the county level. Property taxes are one of the primary (if not only) ways for taxing districts (cities, fire districts, school districts, etc.) to raise the money they use to provide services to their citizens.

Each year, the councilors and directors of the individual taxing districts meet in an open session to adopt a budget for the following year. The taxing district then submits the budget to the Assessor, who calculates and certifies levy rates for most taxing districts, assuring that the limits to the levy rates are not exceeded. The Assessor compiles an assessment roll showing the assessed value of all taxable property and a tax roll indicating the amount of levies that are due from each property owner under State statute.

In addition to the Annual Reports prepared by the Assessor's Office, the Washington Department of Revenue compiles and publishes a number of reports available to taxpayers.

The Property Tax Statistics reports for all Washington counties are compiled and organized according to the report type.

The Statistical & Reports section of the Washington State Department of Revenue's website provides additional information and reports for all counties in the state.  They include reports on: 

  • General Tax Statistics,
  • Property tax Reports and Statistics,
  • Tax Structure and Alternatives, and
  • Tax Incentive Reports and Studies.