How to Find Out Personal Property Tax Records
Property tax records for your own land or someone else's are available for public inspection under state and federal laws. If you live in a municipality that collects the taxes for the town/city, county and school district, you should be able to get all of the records in one place. If not, the process may be more involved.
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Instructions
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Verify the address by making a physical observation of the property. If it doesn't have a house number, note nearby house numbers and the name of the street. Note the names of other streets in the vicinity and any landmarks or vacant lots. Take the information to the county tax mapping or real property office, and a representative should be able to pinpoint the parcel you are describing, possibly with aerial photos, and provide an exact address and parcel identification number.
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Take the address and/or owner's name to the town or city hall nearest to the property you are researching. Tax figures on that property dating back several years should be available there, along with information on whether taxes are past due on the property. The tax collector/chamberlain can tell you whether there are other taxing entities involved, such as the county, school district or fire district.
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Visit each of the other taxing entities with the same request. You may be required to fill out a Freedom of Information Act request, which could delay release of the records by up to 20 days, according to the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
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Tips & Warnings
Many counties and municipalities post property assessment figures online, but not annual tax bills. If you want to get figures online, you can figure out the tax bill for that parcel if you have the tax rates for the city or town/village, county, school district and any other taxing entities. However, that calculated figure won't include property tax exemptions, such as school tax rebate programs or discounts for veterans or senior citizens.
