Property tax in Washington County, Oregon

Who sends the property tax bill in Washington County, and how do you pay it?

The bill comes from the Washington County Department of Assessment & Taxation (Tax Collections). The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Washington County Department of Assessment & Taxation (Appraisal), which is who to ask if the value looks wrong. For how to look up and pay the bill, go to the county's own payment information.

Oregon's tax year starts July 1 and statements go out in late October, so the 2026-27 statement was not out when this was checked. The November 15, February 15 and May 15 schedule and the 3% and 2% discounts are set in state law (ORS 311.505) for every county, and the county's own FAQ prints the same schedule. If the statement arrives late, state law (ORS 311.507) keeps the discount open until 15 business days after it was mailed, if that is later than November 15. The county's other homeowner programs (senior and disabled deferral, disabled veteran and surviving spouse exemptions, active-duty military and public safety officer surviving spouse exemptions) are state programs the county administers. Online card payments carry a 2.45% fee (minimum $1.50) and e-checks $0.95, charged by the payment processor, not the county.

When are property taxes due in Washington County?

For the 2026-27 bill, Washington County splits the bill into 3 payments, the first due November 15, 2026 and the last May 15, 2027. Interest is 1 1/3% a month (16% a year) on an unpaid installment. For the first third it starts on December 16, a month after the due date; for the second and third it starts on February 16 and May 16. Mailed payments count by postmark, and online payments count if sent before 11:59 pm on the due date. Taxes still unpaid after May 15 are delinquent.

From Washington County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. The county had not posted a calendar labeled for this cycle when we checked, so these dates come from state law and the county's standing schedule; the date on your bill is the one that binds you.

Estimate the property tax on a home in Washington County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Washington County's average effective rate of 0.84% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.

Property tax in Washington County at a glance

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 Washington County compare in Oregon?

Among Oregon's 36 counties, Washington County has the 8th highest effective property-tax rate: 7 rank higher and 28 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Oregon. Nationally, it ranks 1491st of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Oregon county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Washington County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Washington County's 143,230 owner-occupied homes, 84.4% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 91.7% pay at least $2,000, and 1.4% pay under $800. Another 3% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $4,931 and owners without one pay $4,923. That is within 10% either way, so in Washington County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.

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

The median property tax bill of $4,929 is about 3.5% of the median income of Washington County homeowner households, $138,864 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 60.8% of Washington 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 Washington County?

Yes. The median bill went from $3,955 in 2015-2019 to $4,929 in 2020-2024, a 24.6% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 52.1%, from $386,600 to $588,000. 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 Washington County

Washington County borders 6 counties.

How is a home assessed in Washington County?

Oregon sets the assessment rules and Washington County applies them. How Oregon assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Washington County?

No. Oregon has no statewide general homestead exemption; homeowners are protected instead by the 3% cap on assessed value growth and the caps on tax rates. That is the Oregon rule, and it applies in Washington County. Oregon's exemptions and relief programs in full.

On top of the Oregon programs, Washington County runs its own:

• Higher tax-free threshold for manufactured homes: Manufactured homes taxed as personal property (not deeded as real property) owe no property tax when their assessed value is under a threshold the county sets above the state minimum; the county says it is one of two Oregon counties to do this and that about 57% of homes in residential parks fall under it. No application is needed. The county's pages print conflicting threshold amounts, so none is given here.

How to appeal your Washington County property assessment

In Washington County you appeal to the Washington County Property Value Appeals Board (formerly the Board of Property Tax Appeals, BOPTA). The deadline: File after the tax statements are mailed in late October and no later than December 31, 2026 (a Thursday), postmarked or delivered to the county clerk. The board hears appeals of value, not of the tax amount. No filing fee. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.

How Oregon's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.

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

Work out your own numbers

• How much house can I afford?

  Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Washington County's tax rate to hand.

• Mortgage calculator

  Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.

• Oregon income tax

  Brackets, standard deduction and what Oregon actually taxes.

• Sales tax in Washington County

  The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.