Property tax in Clearwater County, Idaho

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Clearwater County, Idaho is $1,443 a year, which is about 0.54% of the county's median home value of $268,200. That effective rate is higher than the typical Idaho county (0.45%) and lower than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.

Estimate the property tax on a home in Clearwater County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Clearwater County's average effective rate of 0.54% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.

Home market value

Estimated property tax: $1,448 / year

Property tax in Clearwater County at a glance

Clearwater County, Idaho property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$1,443
Median home value	$268,200
Effective tax rate	0.54%
Typical Idaho county rate	0.45%
National median county rate	0.81%

Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

How does Clearwater County compare in Idaho?

Among Idaho's 44 counties, Clearwater County has the 9th highest effective property-tax rate: 8 rank higher and 35 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Idaho. Nationally, it ranks 2483rd of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Idaho county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Clearwater County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Clearwater County's 3,013 owner-occupied homes, 13.6% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 31.5% pay at least $2,000, and 16.3% pay under $800. Another 5.7% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Clearwater County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	490	16.3%
$800 to $1,499	1,018	33.8%
$1,500 to $1,999	381	12.6%
$2,000 to $2,999	540	17.9%
$3,000 or more	411	13.6%
No property tax paid	173	5.7%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,547 and owners without one pay $1,355. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.

How does the Clearwater County property tax bill compare with local incomes?

The median property tax bill of $1,443 is about 2.2% of the median income of Clearwater County homeowner households, $66,576 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 82.9% of Clearwater County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.

Have property taxes gone up in Clearwater County?

Yes. The median bill went from $1,059 in 2015-2019 to $1,443 in 2020-2024, a 36.3% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 72%, from $155,900 to $268,200. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.

Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.

Property tax in counties next to Clearwater County

Clearwater County borders 7 counties, 2 of them across the state line.

Clearwater County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Missoula County, MT	0.88%	$4,150	$472,100
Nez Perce County, ID	0.78%	$2,609	$334,700
Latah County, ID	0.64%	$2,368	$368,600
Lewis County, ID	0.6%	$1,341	$225,300
Clearwater County, ID (this county)	0.54%	$1,443	$268,200
Shoshone County, ID	0.5%	$1,334	$267,400
Mineral County, MT	0.48%	$1,758	$364,300
Idaho County, ID	0.32%	$995	$310,200

How is a home assessed in Clearwater County?

Idaho assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Clearwater County included. How Idaho assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Clearwater County?

Yes. Idaho's homeowner's exemption takes 50% of a primary home's value off the assessment, capped at $125,000. Apply once through the county assessor. That is the Idaho rule, and it applies in Clearwater County. Idaho's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Clearwater County?

Counties mail bills in November. The full amount is due by December 20, or you can split it and pay half by December 20 with the second half due by June 20. The June grace period only applies if the first half was paid in full and on time. Miss either deadline and late charges plus interest are added to whatever is outstanding.

Idaho splits the bill into 2 installments. That is the Idaho rule. Clearwater County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How to appeal your Clearwater County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the county board of equalization, then the Idaho Board of Tax Appeals or district court. The filing deadline is typically the fourth Monday in June for property on the regular roll, or the fourth Monday in November for the subsequent roll. That is the Idaho rule; Clearwater County sets the exact dates and forms. The Idaho appeal process step by step.

Idaho rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Idaho page.

Work out your own numbers

Sources

Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Clearwater County, Idaho: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.