Appraiser
- About the County Appraiser
- Parcel Inspections for 2021 Summer
- Real Estate
- Personal Property
- Oil and Gas
- Property Tax Assessment Ratios by Class
- Market Study Publication
- Contact Us
- About Us
It is the duty of the County Appraiser to value equitably and at fair market value all property identified as of January 1 of each year. This involves first determining if the property is taxable. Unless specifically exempted by the State of Kansas or by the State Board of Tax Appeals, all tangible assets, land and buildings and personal property in the State are taxable. The property must be accurately valued at its fair market value. Fair market value is the amount of money a well-informed buyer and a well-informed seller would accept for property in an open and competitive market without any outside influence.
An important thing to remember is that Appraisers do not create value.
People actually determine value by their transactions in the market place. The Appraiser simply has the legal responsibility to analyze those transactions and appraise individual properties based upon what is happening in the market place.
The Appraisers Office does not determine taxes, but instead determines only the market value of the property. The amount of taxes each taxpayer pays is determined by all the taxing agencies, i.e., city, county, school districts, etc. and depends on the amount of taxes needed to provide all the services the taxpayers require. The assessed value is determined by multiplying the fair market value of the property, as determined by the county appraiser’s office, by the assessment rate as outlined in the State Constitution.
If you have any questions about your real estate values, please call (785) 460-4525.
- Real Estate
By definition, real estate is land and anything permanently affixed to it, including buildings.
The County Appraiser is responsible for discovering, listing, and valuing all property within Thomas County and must follow laws when meeting these responsibilities.
The first step in the appraisal process is to gather information concerning ownership, location, type of use, sales, building measurements, construction type, construction costs, and rental income. Primary sources of this information are real property deeds, subdivision maps, building permits, and local building contractors. Office personnel conduct on-site inspections to gather building data and interview owners. This information is stored by the County Appraiser, updated and maintained for current and future use in the appraisal process.
Each year the appraiser must review recent real estate sales and consider local economic conditions in order to maintain the most current value of property in the county.
- Personal Property
- Boats (inboard, outboard, pontoon, etc)
- Jet Ski
- Vehicles (non-highway title, vehicles tagged with 16M or more weight)
- Trailers (utility, boat, car hauler, box, etc)
- Off-road vehicles (3 or 4 wheelers, golf carts, mopeds, dirt bikes, snowmobiles)
- Camper trailers/Travel trailers (those not qualifying as RV's)
- Aircrafts
- Mobile Homes (if the title to the mobile home is different than who has title to the land it is located on)
What is Personal Property? What is Commercial Personal Property? The valuation of owned or leased commercial personal property is based on the formula described in the Kansas Constitution. Assets are valued according to their retail cost when new, or their used acquisition cost, and the appropriate economic life. The asset is then depreciated over its economic life to a remaining 20 % of the retail cost when new value. Since June 30, 2006, any qualifying item of commercial personal property with a retail cost when new of 00 or less is exempt. Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment purchased after June 30, 2006 is exempt. How are taxes figured on Personal Property? If the fair market value of your individual personal property is 00 and if the assessment rate is 30%, this would mean the assessed value would be 00 (00 x .30 = 00). Once taxing groups (school districts, cities, county, hospitals, etc) have finalized their budgets, these amounts are used to set the mill levies for each taxing district and calculate taxes. Let's assume the combined mill levy (tax rate) has been set at 120 mills. Multiply the assessed value of your property (00) by the mill levy (120 mills or .120). This amount equals 0, which is your share fo the costs of public services. Kansas Department of Revenue - Personal Property Forms and Information |
- Oil and Gas
The lease operator/taxpayer/tax representative is required to provide the information requested in Sections I-IV of the prescribed oil or gas rendition form and all other information necessary to figure the valuation of the property as determined by the Director of Property Valuation.Failure to file a rendition on or before April 1 will result in penalties assessed to the operator.The Prescribed Oil & Gas Rendition forms and Guide can be downloaded from the link below:Kansas Department of Revenue - Oil & Gas Forms and Information
- Property Tax Assessment Ratios by Class
Type Class Assessment Ratio Real Property Residential 0.115 Agricultural Land 0.3 Vacant Land 0.12 Non-Profit 0.12 Public Utility 0.33 Commercial, Industrial, and Agricultural Improvements 0.25 Other Real Property 0.3 Personal Property Mobile Homes 0.115 Mineral Leaseholds 0.30/0.25 Utility Personal Property (Except Railroads) 0.3 Motor Vehicles 0.3 Commercial and Industrial Materials and Equipment 0.25 Other Personal 0.3
- Market Study Publications
- Contact Us
Bruce Webb / AppraiserThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Phone: (785) 460-4525Fax: (785) 460-4527 300 North CourtColby, Kansas 67701