Assessor

Thank you for visiting the Assessor page, if you have any questions at all please feel free to call or e-mail the staff and I are eager to help. Property taxes are one of the primary sources of funds for local governments, counties, school districts, cities, towns, and special agencies such as water and cemetery districts. The state and federal government do not receive any revenue from your property tax.

Property taxes are based upon the “Fair Market Value” of your property. Fair Market Value is the amount which property would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller, neither being under any compulsion to buy or sell and both having reasonable knowledge of the facts. Market value is an estimate of the value of your real property as of January 1 of each tax year. These values are based on actual sales in each area throughout the county. Sales from outside San Juan County are rarely used as a comparison.

The legislature requires that county assessors annually update property values. Assessors are also required to complete a detailed review of property characteristics for each property at least once every 5 years. The Tax Commission may take corrective action if county assessment levels do not meet established standards.

The County Assessor is required by law to be a licensed appraiser with the Department of Real Estate of Utah. The Assessor does not determine the tax amount to be paid, the value becomes part of the formula used by the taxing entities to set tax rates.

A Notice of Valuation is mailed in July every year for your review. We encourage all tax payers to first call the Assessor’s office with any questions. If your questions cannot be resolved at that level you may file an appeal with the County Auditor’s office. The appeal must be filed by September 15th. If not appealed by that date the value on the notice will become the final value for your final notice and cannot be appealed.