The San Juan County Assessor’s Office mailed the 2024 Change of Value Notices on Nov. 12. Changes reflect market sales between Jan. 1, 2023, and April 30, 2024, with an assessment date of Jan. 1, 2024. Properties with new construction are valued for improvements made to the property up to July 31, 2024. If your property value did not change from last year, you will not receive a notice.
The total value of San Juan County increased from $14.4 billion to $14.7 billion, with $136 million in new construction. The 2024 inspection cycle included 3,065 properties on the north half of Lopez Island and all of Shaw, Decatur, Blakely, Center and 21 other small islands, with 633 additional inspections for new construction in the rest of the county.
The Change of Value Notice is not a tax bill.
Tax bills are mailed in February by the Treasurer’s Office after taxing district budgets are approved and levy rates are calculated.
Budget-based property tax system
Washington uses a budget-based system. Most taxing districts increase their budgets every year because the cost of services increases, which increases taxes, but if the budgets stayed the same from one year to the next, the total amount of taxes collected would not change even if assessed values doubled or dropped in half.
Assessed values follow market value in Washington. As sale prices increase, assessed values go up. As sale prices decrease, assessed values go down. Under our budget-based system, the levy rate is adjusted so the tax collected equals the approved budget amount. If budgets stayed the same and assessed values went up, the levy rate would go down; if assessed values went down, the levy rate would go up.
Limits on tax increases
Taxing districts (state, county, fire, library, etc.) are limited to a 1% increase in their budgets plus an allowance for new construction in the district, usually another 1%-2% increase, unless voters approve a lid lift. Lid lifts allow a district to increase its levy more than the normal limit up to the new limit stated in the ballot.
Lid lifts were approved for 2025 taxes for Fire District #1 (San Juan) (pending certification of election results), Fire District #2 (Orcas), San Juan Library and Lopez Solid Waste (pending certification of election results).
If you have questions about your assessment, please email the Assessor’s Office at assessor@sanjuanco.com or call 360-378-2172 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
