Property is not prorated on the tax roll when acquired and is not prorated off the tax roll when disposed of (K.S.A. 79-309). However, private contracts between buyers and sellers will often prorate the property tax. The only exceptions to this are for motor vehicles and when taxable property becomes exempt or exempt property becomes taxable.
The Homestead Act is a State program designed to refund a portion of the property taxes paid on a Kansas resident's homestead. Information about who may qualify and other general information can be found on the back of the Douglas County Tax Statements. The State of Kansas can be reached regarding the Homestead Act at 785-368-8222 Option #4.
Motor vehicles are appraised in the following ways:
To fall under the tax definition of an "RV" the vehicle must be, among other things, for use on a chassis and designed as living quarters for recreational, camping, vacation or travel use; have a body width not exceeding 8½ feet and a body length not exceeding 45 feet; an electrical system which operates above 12 volts and provisions for plumbing and heating. Please contact the county appraisers office for proper classification.
The formula for calculating residential real estate properties is as follows:
Appraised value x 11.5% = Assessed value x mill levy-$46.00*= Taxes**
* Residential properties receive a credit on the first $20,000 of assessment on the general portion of the school mill levy. This calculates to $46.00 per property.
** This will not include any specials that might be assessed such as sidewalks, streets, etc.
Real estate sales price information is not considered open record in Kansas (K.S.A. 79-1437f). A licensed appraiser or real estate broker may be able to help you find the information you seek.
This is how you can calculate the property taxes on your property:
Contact your county clerk to find out what your mill levy is.
You can change your address by mailing it to P.O. Box 884, Lawrence, Kansas 66044. It can also be changed by email to skurtz@douglascountyks.org, or by filling out the back portion of the tax statement that is to be turned in with your payment.
Contact us or the Douglas County Treasurer by email, phone or US Mail and we will update your mailing address.
If the tax owing is Real Estate tax you can:
If your property value goes up, it does not necessarily mean you will pay more taxes. Likewise, if your property value goes down or does not change, it does not automatically mean you will pay less or the same amount of taxes. Changes in property taxes are based in large part on how much your local government decides to spend on services each year.
Article 11, Section 1 of The Kansas Constitution provides that: Tangible personal property shall be classified into six subclasses and assessed uniformly by subclass at the following assessment percentages:
Real estate and personal property payment history can be found online through the Property Search page.
The website contains only Real Estate information. Personal property history can be obtained by contacting our office 785-832-5178. Payment information for your car tags can be found on your registration. If you want the amount paid please be prepared with a plate number for each vehicle, you can call us at 785-832-5273.
Any overages occurring from a tax sale are turned over to the Douglas County District Court. The Treasurer’s Office does not retain a listing of these properties.
First half taxes are due December 20th. Second half taxes are due May 10th.
Cash payments should be made in person in the office only. Checks are accepted in any of our office locations, in our two drop box locations, and through the mail. You can pay by e-check online for a $1.49 fee. Credit card payment is available in the office and online at http://ks-douglas.manatron.com. There is a fee for using a credit card. Payment cannot be made by credit card over the phone.
If the payment is for real estate, you have until May 9th to still pay the first half with interest. If the payment is for personal property, the full amount plus interest becomes due on December 21st.
You will need to contact the Appraiser's Office at: 785-832-5289. Be prepared to provide the proper documentation regarding any transactions.
It is a tax based on value, or property tax.
The county voters passed a 1.0% countywide sales tax in 1994. The countywide sales tax goes to the county and cities based on formulas. The main purpose of this tax for the county was to build a new jail and health facility, and to reduce ad valorem taxes.
The county voters passed a 0.25% sales tax in 2018 for the purpose of financing the costs of providing mental health services for the county. Collection of the sales tax began April 1, 2019.
If you have reason to believe that your property is valued too high, submit a "payment under protest" form with your payment. These forms are available at http://www.kansas.gov/cota/documents/PR%20Appeal%20to%20Co.pdf (PDF format).
After submitting this form, the Appraiser office will contact you to make arrangements for a hearing. At this time you will provide the necessary paperwork to prove that your value is valid.
If personal property is not listed or if a rendition is untimely filed, the county appraiser is required by law to apply any applicable penalties. These penalties are set forth in K.S.A. 79-1422 and K.S.A. 79-1427(a) as follows:
Article 11, Section 1 of The Kansas Constitution provides that: Tangible personal property shall be classified into six subclasses and assessed uniformly by subclass at the following assessment percentages:
By law, all property in this state, real and personal, not expressly exempt therefrom, is subject to taxation.
K.S.A. 79-306 requires all taxable personal property to be listed, by the taxpayer, on a rendition (also referred to as a 'statement') and filed with the county appraiser on or before March 15th of each year, or the next following business day, if such date falls on a day other than a regular business day. Oil and gas renditions are to be filed on or before april lst.
Real Estate properties are eligible for foreclosure proceedings 2 years and 10 months after the property has been “bid over to the county”. The bid process occurs the first Tuesday in September after taxes become delinquent.
As directed by KSA 19-547, a listing of all delinquent personal property taxes will be published three consecutive weeks during the month of October.
As directed by KSA 79-2303, a listing of all delinquent real estate properties will be published three consecutive weeks during the month of August.
For current information on county tax sales, please check our Tax Foreclosures page. For information on sales handled by the Sheriff's Office, please visit the Sheriff Sales page.
The legal description can be found on the deed to the property. If you do not have a copy of your deed one can be obtained at the Register of Deeds office.
Please note that the legal description provided on tax statements is not a complete legal description.
Any of our three locations:
** Indicates outside drop box at these two locations.
By law, every person, association, company or corporation required to list property must personally sign the rendition. In addition, if a tax rendition form preparer prepared the rendition, then the tax preparer must also sign and certify that the information presented therein is true and correct. (K.S.A. 79-306).
K.S.A. 79-303 states "Every person, association, company or corporation who owns or holds, subject to his or her control, any taxable personal property is required by law to list the property for assessment."
If any person, association, company or corporation has in their possession or custody any taxable personal property belonging to others, it shall be their duty to list the property with the appraiser in the name of the owner of the property.
Except for certain motor vehicles, property tax due on personal property is the responsibility of the owner of record January 1 of each year. For real property, if not addressed in private contract, the buyer is responsible for the property tax if the property is sold on or after January 1 and before November 1. The seller is responsible for the property tax if purchased on or after November 1 and prior to January 1. (K.S.A. 79-1805) Private contracts between buyer and seller will often specify who pays the taxes.
Your tax dollars are used by local government to provide funding for roads, parks, fire protection, police protection, health and other services. Property taxes also fund public school districts. All property tax dollars received by the state are redistributed to public school districts or to educational building funds.
Local units of government are currently prohibited by federal law from taking credit cards directly. We must go through a 3rd party vendor who charges a fee for the service they provide to us and the taxpayer.