Change of Value Notices

The Change of Value Notices for the assessment year 2021 were mailed on October 1st. If your appraised value did not change from the prior year, you will not receive a Change of Value Notice. 

By State law, the Assessor is required to value property at 100% market value. The Assessor's Office analyzed 710 real estate transactions that occurred between January 1st, 2020 and April 30th, 2021. Your market value reflects the real estate market as of January 1st, 2021. For properties with new construction, your market value is effective as of July 31st, 2021.

Below are highlights of the 2021 assessment year:

• The total assessed value for San Juan County increased more than $946 Million over last year, including $114 Million in new construction value.
• The on-site inspection cycle included 3,074 properties on the north part of San Juan Island, and all of Stuart, Johns, Henry, Pearl and Spieden Islands, with 809 additional inspections for new construction county-wide

The Change of Value Notice is not a tax bill. An increase in value does not mean that next year's property taxes will increase at a proportionate rate. The 1% Property Tax Limitation works to protect taxpayers. Tax rates will be available by mid-January 2022. 

State law requires that assessors appraise all taxable property within the county at 100% of its true and fair market value, according to the highest and best use of the property. 

Fair market value, or true value, is the amount of money that a willing and unobligated buyer is willing to pay a willing and unobligated seller.

The Assessor's Office reviews each parcel sold in San Juan County. The purpose of the review is to gain information regarding the nature of the sale and the characteristics of the property. The Assessor's Office uses only the sales between an unobligated buyer and seller to be part of its sales data collection.

By comparing the market sales with our appraised values, we determine when valuation increases or decreases are necessary to maintain market values. 

Below is a summary of how market sales are used to determine your property value:

• The Assessor's Office groups similar properties into "neighborhoods".
• The Assessor's Office reviews the market sales for each neighborhood.
• The Assessor's Office adjusts the value of the entire neighborhood to reflect the market sales in each neighborhood. This method of appraisal is called "Mass Appraisal". 

The Assessor's Office reviewed a total of 710 sales transactions from January 1st, 2020 through April 30th, 2021. 

The objective of reviewing market sales by neighborhood is to improve the consistency of the values. The benefit to property owners is the knowledge that they are being treated the same as other property owners.

The valuation of your property is adjusted, upwards or downwards, based on the market sales data. 

To perform a sales search on the Assessor's website, please read HOW TO PERFORM A SALES SEARCH ON THE SAN JUAN COUNTY WEBSITE. 

If you do not agree with the value of your property, please do the following:

Step 1: Contact the Assessor’s Office between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM

• Phone: (360) 378-2172
• E-mail: The Assessor

Disagreements of property values are often settled at this level.

Step 2: If you are unable to reach an agreement with the Assessor’s Office, you may file an appeal with the Board of Equalization (BOE). Petition forms are available by contacting the Clerk of the Board of Equalization.

• E-mail: boe@sanjuanco.com
• Phone Number: 360-378-6312
• Mailing Address: 350 Court Street #2, Friday Harbor, WA  98250

Forms are available for download on the BOE website

Completed petition forms must be submitted to the BOE within 30 days of the Change of Value Notice.