Residential Common Questions
That's because about half of your property tax is determined by the levies that you and your neighbors have approved for such services as schools, parks, water districts, emergency medical service and fire/rescue, among others. If these levies stay the same or increase from the year before, your property taxes may increase. Similarly, if other valuations decrease more than yours, your taxes may also increase.
Only 17 cents of every property tax dollar supports the King County General Fund. The other 83 cents are divided between the State, Cities and other local jurisdictions.
There are 165 local taxing districts in King County, and breakdowns of the levies that affect you are included in your specific tax bill.
Please call us at 206-296-7300 if you have any questions.
Petition for Property Tax Refund
Property owners may qualify for a refund due to a correction of a manifest error in description of the property relied on or used to estimate value for property assessment purposes. An example of a manifest error in description of a property could be the incorrect square footage of your house or lot.
If you think you qualify, you may download the form here (.PDF) and return with documentation or evidence to support your claim.
The maximum number of years for a refund is six years depending on the evidence submitted.
- Real property (real estate) which is land, improvements attached to the land (buildings, etc.) and improvements to the land (bulkheads, etc.) Click here for more details.
- Personal property, meaning assets used in the operation of a business, such as machinery, equipment, signs, office furniture, fixtures and supplies, as well as materials used in the operation of a commercial, industrial or agricultural enterprise. Click here for more details.
Requests to change an account mailing address must be received in writing or by email. An address change can be made:
- By sending email to kingcountytreasurer@kingcounty.gov
- By completing the Name and Address Update box on your property tax payment stub at the time you are remitting payment
- By clicking here to print a Name and Address Change Request Form. Mail form to:
- King County Treasury
- Name and Address Change
- 201 S. Jackson St., Suite 710
- Seattle, WA 98104
- The request should include your tax parcel/account number and your new mailing name and address. Please sign and date a written request. We do not require copies of deeds or other legal documents since you are only changing the property tax mailing information and this does not affect ownership.