The Assessor mailed 2023 assessment notices for real property on June 2, 2023 and notices for new construction and personal property were mailed on August 25, 2023. There is some confusion about the appeals process because on the back of the "Official Property Value Change Notice" it says to call or email Ruth Elder to file an appeal. Please note that in order to have a valid appeal of your assessment, you MUST file with the Board of Equalization a properly completed/signed Petition (found in BOE Forms) along with a copy of the Value Notice by 5 pm on the deadline listed on your notice. The deadline for real property was August 1, 2023, and the deadline for new construction/personal property is:  Tuesday, October 24, 2023. If the Assessor's Office issued you a new Official Property Value Change Notice that has a subsequent date, your deadline will be 5 pm on the date listed on the new notice. 

This is an annual process and each year’s Petition stands on its own merits. To protect your appeal right, you would need to file an appeal by the deadline date every year that you disagree with your assessment, even if you have an unresolved appeal from a previous year. The Board’s decision will be based upon all evidence submitted for this year’s Petition and sworn testimony given at the hearing. By law, the Assessor’s valuation is presumed correct, so the burden of proof is on the petitioner to provide clear, cogent and convincing evidence each year, even if the petitioner had a successful appeal in past years. See Preparing an Appeal for important information on completing a properly completed Petition.

For the 2023 filing period, the Board of Equalization continues to accept online submissions of completed Petition forms through the "NEW Petition Submission" link under Filing Electronic Submissions on our home page. You may use the transmittal form to upload your Petition and value notice. We do not accept electronic submissions through any other means.

Taxpayers may also send appeals (Petition/value notice) to the Board of Equalization at 3000 Pacific Avenue SE, Olympia, WA 98501 by mail through the US Postal Service, delivering in person, or using a service such as UPS or Fed Ex. If mailing your submission through the US Postal Service, it must be postmarked on or before 5 pm on the deadline date. BOE customer service hours are by appointment only, however on Monday, October 23, and Tuesday, October 24, 2023, the BOE office will be open for taxpayer visits from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. If our office is closed, you may deposit your submission in the drop box located in the parking lot of 3000 Pacific Avenue SE, or in the drop box across the hall from the BOE office. 

A separate Petition form must be completed for each tax parcel. Please refer to the Appeal Preparation Guide for Residential Appeals to obtain helpful information on preparing your residential real property Petition.

For more information, or if you have any questions, please email Ruth Elder, Clerk of the Board. Email is the preferred form of communication, however, you may also contact our office at (360) 786-5135, TDD call 711 or 1-800-833-6388.