Kitsap County Property Tax Appeal Guide

1. Check whether you're over-assessed

The Board decides one question: is the assessed value higher than the property's true and fair market value as of January 1 of the assessment year? Your strongest evidence is recent sales of similar homes — ideally from the year before that date. Check your Kitsap County home free.

Also check your property record for errors (square footage, bedrooms, bathrooms, year built, a view or waterfront your home doesn't have): look up your Kitsap County record. A wrong record is one of the strongest grounds for a lower value.

Before you file: talk to the Assessor

Call the Assessor's Office at 360-337-5777 and discuss your concern with a county appraiser; the appraiser may start a review. A fix this way needs no hearing.

2. Fill in the official petition

Kitsap County accepts only the Washington Department of Revenue's petition, form REV 64 0075, as printed — don't resize or alter it. One parcel per petition. Sections 1–4 must be complete: owner information, the assessor's value and your value (land, improvements, total), specific reasons, and your signature.

3. File it

Mail or hand-deliver the signed original petition and one copy, each with your evidence and a copy of your value notice, to:

• Include a copy of your Change of Value Notice — the Board asks for it.
• You can instead email the signed petition and notice to the Board's clerk, cgourley@kitsap.gov (360-337-4424), or hand-deliver it.
• One petition per parcel. The Board can ask the Assessor to review it first (Assessor's Office, 360-337-5777).

4. Evidence and the hearing

• Evidence not filed with the petition must reach the Board at least 21 business days before your hearing (WAC 458-14-066).
• Use sales of comparable homes, adjusted for differences, plus photos and contractor estimates for any defects. The Board can't consider tax amounts, other properties' assessments, percentage increases or hardship.
• The Assessor reviews your petition first and may offer a settlement (stipulation) — accepting it ends the appeal without a hearing.
• Your hearing notice tells you where and how to attend. The Board mails its written decision afterwards.

5. After the decision

If you disagree with the Board's decision, you can appeal to the Washington State Board of Tax Appeals within 30 days of the date the decision was mailed. There is no filing fee (RCW 84.08.130); late appeals are dismissed. A lower value applies to the taxes payable the following year.

Property tax exemptions

Separate from an appeal: Washington's property tax exemption and deferral programs can cut the tax on your home if you are 61 or older, retired because of a disability, or a veteran with a qualifying service-connected disability, and your household income is under your county's limit. Apply to the Kitsap County Assessor, not the Board: Kitsap County exemption programs.

Contacts