Bellingham- The Whatcom County Assessor's Office is responsible for annually updating assessed values for all real and taxable personal property in Whatcom County, and calculating levy rates for all taxing districts for property tax purposes.
The 2023 assessments were established as of January 1, 2023 (July 31, 2023 for new construction), and were determined through analysis of property sales that occurred prior to the end of 2022. This assessed value data is used to determine the amount of taxes owed in 2024. An increase in assessed value due to market appreciation is not the prevalent cause for property tax increases.
The main increases in property tax were voter approved measures. Whatcom County voters approved:
- City of Bellingham- Greenways 5
- Fire District 14
- Fire District 5 (Point Roberts)
- Point Roberts Park and Recreation District
Many properties within the Ferndale School District and Fire District 7, saw a decrease in their property tax due to a back-tax payment by Petrogas, due to a settled property value appeal.
The total taxable assessed value in Whatcom County increased from $52.49 billion for 2023 taxes, to $60.84 billion for 2024 taxes, which is a 15.9% increase in assessed value.
According to the County Treasurer's Office, tax statements were mailed this week. Property tax payment information for 2024 is also available online at the Treasurer's office website: http://www.whatcomcounty.us/331/Treasurer
Property taxes to be collected this year by all taxing districts in Whatcom County will show an overall 9.2% increase over last year. Property taxes will total $459,179,102 in 2024, up $17.2 million over 2023's $441,957,023 that was levied for all taxing districts. The voter approved levies were the primary increases.
While tax amounts increased, most levy rates calculated for individual taxing districts actually decreased due to higher assessed values overall.
The Whatcom County Assessor's office publishes an Annual Tax Book, which provides information on taxing districts and levy rates. It is available online here: https://www.whatcomcounty.us/178/Annual-Tax-Book
Property tax relief is available for senior citizens and people with disabilities, who meet program requirements. In 2023, changes to the program were made by legislation which significantly increased the threshold of qualifying income. The disposable household income qualifying threshold for Whatcom County residents is $52,000 in 2023, to impact taxes in 2024. Participants must live in the home as their primary residence, including the year prior to the first tax year the reduction is applied for.
The Assessor's office has updated webpages with additional information online, including contact information for all taxing districts, information on the Senior Citizens and People with Disabilities exemption program, and more. https://whatcomcounty.us/177/Assessor
