Every assessor shall take an oath or affirmation to support the Constitution of the United States and of this state, and to demean himself faithful in office and to assess all of the real and tangible personal property in the county in which he assesses at what he believes to be the actual cash value. He shall endorse this oath on his certificate of election or appointment before entering upon the duties of his office. RSMo. 53.030

How often is property reassessed?

Real property should be reassessed every odd-numbered year unless the State intervenes and every year the Assessor places a value on new construction. Personal property is assessed every year.

Why is reassessment required?

Under Missouri law, property tax assessments must be based upon market value and should be uniform. Over time, property values may change due to the location of the property, sales in the surrounding areas and other factors. Per state statute 137.115 the Assessor shall annually assess all real Property at the percent of its true value in money. Reasons for real estate value changes include, but are not limited to:

New Construction including new homes, additions, remodeling, or any improvement made prior to Jan 1, corrections to data and land value changes.

What is market value?

Market value is the price that your real property would bring if offered for sale if you were not forced to sell and the buyer was not obligated to buy.

Is all property assessed at the same rate?

No, real property is assessed into three categories with separate rates. Personal property is classified into three separate categories with varying rates. The assessed value of both real and personal property is calculated as a percentage of market value.

Rates for real property:
Residential – 19%
Commercial/Other – 32%
Agricultural – 12%

Rates for personal property:
Cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles, campers, etc. – 33.33%
Farm equipment and livestock – 12%
Historic vehicles – 5%

How does the Assessor know what personal property I have?

The Assessor sends out personal and business assessment forms during the first week of each year. If you live in Polk County as of January 1st of that year, you must file with the Assessor’s Office. It is your responsibility to send a completed form to the Assessor’s by March 1, listing the taxable personal property you owned January 1 to avoid late penalties. The penalty is based on your assessed value and will be added to your tax bill for the year.

Will I be notified of an increase in my assessment?

The Assessor is required to send increase notices to the owner of record of real estate in the county. Notices are sent out the first week of June each year if the value of your property has increased.

What do I do if I disagree with my increase in assessment?

1. Informal hearings: If you feel that the new value of your property is incorrect, call the Polk County Assessor’s Office at 417-326-4346. If we cannot answer your questions by telephone, you can schedule an informal hearing with an appraiser. This informal meeting must take place prior to June 30th.

Changes in the market value of your property can only be made if you can provide information to show that our records are incorrect. Prior to meeting with an appraiser, you should determine what you believe to be the market value of your property and compile information, such as pictures, a recent sale of your property, or an appraisal of your property, to bring to the meeting as evidence of value.

2. Board of Equalization: If you and the appraiser are unable to reach an agreement as to the value of your property, you may appeal to the Polk County Board of Equalization by the second Monday of July. This can be done whether or not you have an informal hearing with an appraiser. The Clerk’s Office provides forms to appeal to the Board of Equalization, and your completed form must be returned to the Clerk’s Office before the second Wednesday in July. The Board Of Equalization will hear your evidence of property value and the Assessor’s Office evidence of property value during a scheduled hearing in the third week of July.

3. State Tax Commission: You have the right to appeal to the State Tax Commission by August 15 or within 30 days after the Board of Equalization makes a final decision on your appeal, whichever date is later. Failure to file with the BOE prevents any further appeal to the State Tax Commission.

Does the Assessor’s office set the levy rates?

No, the levies are set by each taxing district, including but not limited to, your schools, fire, road, cities, ambulance, hospitals, senior services and Senate Bill 40.

What is a tax waiver (statement of non-assessment) & how can I obtain one?

A statement of non-assessment, also called a tax waiver, indicates a specific person, business or corporation does not owe any personal property taxes for a specified tax year. You may be entitled to a waiver if you are one of the following:

• A new resident to the state.
• This is the first vehicle you have ever owned, or have had titled in your name.
• You did not own any personal property on January 1st the prior year.
• You are in the military and your home of record is not Missouri.
• You lease a vehicle and the leasing company has paid the personal property tax on that vehicle.

Please bring a form of identification and your title or insurance card into the Assessor’s Office to receive a tax waiver.

Doesn’t the Driver’s License Bureau tell you when I trade vehicles?

No, the License Bureau does not give us any information regarding vehicles traded or purchased. Their only function that relates to the Assessor’s Office is that they are required to see proof that you have paid your prior year’s taxes on the vehicles that are being renewed.

What if I don’t receive a personal property list in the mail?

If you do not receive an assessment list please contact our office at (417) 326-4643 or (417) 326- 4346.

What should I do if I move from one county to another county in Missouri?

You will owe personal property taxes to the county that you lived in on January 1. Most counties do not have a system in place to communicate taxpayers moving into or from their county. It is your responsibility to notify the Assessor’s Office.

Personal Property Appeal Process

RSMO 137.115.9 states:

“The Assessor of each county and each city not within a county shall use the trade-in value published in the October issue of the National Automobile Dealers’ Association Official Used Car Guide, or its successor publication, as the recommended guide of information for determining the true value of motor vehicles described in such publication. The Assessor shall not use a value that is greater than the average trade-in value in determining the true value of the motor vehicle without performing a physical inspection of the motor vehicle. For vehicles two years old or newer from a vehicle’s model year, the Assessor may use a value other than average without performing a physical inspection of the motor vehicle. In the absence of a listing for a particular motor vehicle in such publication, the Assessor shall use such information or publications which in the Assessor’s judgment will fairly estimate the true value in money of the motor vehicle.”

If you are not satisfied with your tax statement and would like to file an appeal with the State Tax Commission you may do so by filing online at:

https://stc.mo.gov/file-an-appeal/

You will have until December 31 of each year to file the appeal. Please let the Collector know you are paying Under Protest by providing a letter of explanation for the protest and file your appeal with the State Tax Commission. The taxes must be paid prior to December 31st of each year. If all appropriate steps are not followed, you may lose your opportunity to appeal.

Does the Assessor visit my property?

Members of the Assessor’s staff perform exterior inspections of all property. All staff members carry photo I. D.’s: A business card or note with our phone number will be left if no one is home.
Does the Assessor or staff have the right to come on to my property?

Missouri Statutes provide for access to the property by the Assessor and staff for assessment purposes.

Mo Rev Statutes Chapter 137 Sec 137.130. Whenever there shall be any taxable property in any county, and from any cause no list thereof shall be given to the Assessor in proper time and manner, or whenever the Assessor has insufficient information to assess any real property, the Assessor or an employee of the Assessor shall assess the property based upon a physical inspection or on the best information the Assessor can obtain; and for that purpose the Assessor or an employee of the Assessor shall have lawful right to enter on any lands and make any examination and search which may be necessary to assess such real property only when the Assessor is entering because no list of taxable personal property has been given. The Assessor or an employee of the Assessor shall not enter the interior of any structure on any real property as part of the inspection to assess such property without permission. The Assessor shall list, assess and cause taxes to be imposed upon omitted taxable personal property in the current year and in the event personal property was also subject to taxation immediately preceding three years, but was omitted, the Assessor shall also list, assess and cause taxes to be imposed upon such property.

Our office offers:

Plat Books-$30.00

Road & Bridge Map-$ 5.00

Land Ownership Map -$ 15.00