The Thurston County Board of Equalization is a quasi-judicial board comprised of three citizen members who are appointed for three-year terms by the Thurston County Commissioners. Three alternate members are also appointed by the County Commissioners to serve when regular Board members are absent. The Board is established by the laws of Washington State and governed by the Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR), pursuant to RCW 84.08.020 and 84.08.060.

The Board is separate from and operates independently of the Thurston County Assessor. It adjudicates appeals of assessed property valuations and other determinations of the Assessor, with a goal of providing an impartial and economical forum to hear and decide appeals brought by taxpayers. The Board is also responsible for equalizing the assessed values so that all real and personal properties in Thurston County are assessed equitably at 100 percent of their true and fair value, with comparable properties assessed at comparable values.

Hearings of the Board are open to the public except for confidential proceedings involving proprietary business information. Hearings are held during business hours, currently via a conference call format. In-person hearings are expected to resume in the coming months and will be held in the BOE Hearing Room, 3000 Pacific Avenue SE, Room 244, Olympia, WA  98501.

The Board’s Clerk and staff are employees of Thurston County; however, they perform their duties under the direction, and serve at the pleasure, of the Board, pursuant to RCW 84.48.028.

Since 2020, the Thurston County BOE has accepted digital copies of petitions and supplemental information through our online links. If you wish to electronically file an appeal or evidence with the BOE, you must use one of the following links to attach your PDF read-only documents (this is necessary to ensure your data/signature doesn't get lost when transmitted). Please DO NOT attempt to submit documents through any other email or electronic method. 

Click these instructions on how to save your completed PDF interactive petition form for electronic submittal.

The deadline to file a 2022 property appeal (unless otherwise stated on your Official Property Value Change Notice) was Tuesday, October 18, 2022. Taxpayers who have received BOE approval on a Late Filing Request or Request for Reconvening may file a petition through the new petition link. 

 BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR DOCUMENTS, PLEASE CONTACT RUTH ELDER IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR NEED ASSISTANCE.