Polk County Assesor Iowa (2024)

FAQs

How to find out who owns a property in Iowa? ›

There are several ways to find out who owns property. Current ownership records are maintained by the County Auditor's Office and can be viewed online. You will need to know the address for the property, its Geo-Parcel Number (GPN), or its legal description. You may also call the Auditor's Office at 319-892-5300.

You are not required to allow them access to the interior of the home, but allowing them to collect fresh information will provide you with a more accurate assessed value. (A typical inspection takes only 10 minutes of your time!)

Pay by e-check, credit card and debit card. To pay by e-check, please have the routing number and account number available. Transaction fees will apply. Call 515-286-3060 for property tax payments.

Johnson County

This is the highest payment per year in the state. The county has the second-most property values within the entire state. Johnson County has a median effective property tax rate of 1.83%.

Check With The County Clerk

The county clerk's office has public records of property, deeds, land records and other useful information when searching for the property owner. Not only will this tell you the owner of a house, but your county recorder may give you insight into the history of the property.

Start with a public records search at the local county recorder's office or the tax assessor. The recorder's office keeps all the permanent public records that have to do with real property. The clerk will do the property owner lookup for you with the address you've given them.

You have a one-month grace period to pay before you start paying a penalty of 1.5% per month. If a tax payment is owing after April 1 or after October 1, the taxes have become delinquent. You can still pay the property taxes but will now have to pay interest and fees as well.

In addition to the homestead tax credit, eligible claimants who are 65 years of age or older on or before January 1 of the assessment year are now eligible for a homestead tax exemption. For the assessment year beginning on January 1, 2023, the exemption is for $3,250 of taxable value.

Statements are mailed out to the titleholder of record each year after taxes are certified to the County Treasurer by the County Auditor's Office typically in July or August. Contact your County Treasurer if you have not received a property tax statement. Search for you parcel(s) by clicking here.

The lowest property tax rate in Iowa is in Dickinson County (0.97%), and the highest is in Polk County (2.10%).

Why are Iowa property taxes so high? ›

Assessment value changes, a key factor in determining property taxes, are influenced by real estate market dynamics. And extremely "hot" real estate market, coupled with improvements to existing properties, drives property values higher, and in turn pushes our property taxes upwards.