Real Estate taxes are collected
by the Shelby County Trustee on an annual basis beginning the first Monday of October each
year, through the last day in February of the following year. It is the responsibility of
each taxpayer to ensure that his/her taxes are paid whether or not a tax notice is received.
The Shelby County Assessor's Office establishes the
assessed value of property, and the Board of Commissioners set the tax rate. Once the
Assessor certifies the assessment roll and the tax rate is set, the Trustee applies the
tax rate to every $100 of assessed value. The Trustee prints and mails tax notices to the
owner's last record of address as it appears on the tax roll. In cases where the
property owner pays through an escrow account, the mortgage company normally requests the
tax information, and the owner receives the original notice for his/her records.
Delinquent Taxes
Real Estate Taxes become delinquent on March 1st
of each year. After March 1st, interest and penalty charges begin accruing on
the base tax balance at 1.5% per month (1% interest, .5% penalty) or 18% per annum.
Payments made on delinquent taxes are first applied to charges, then to the base tax
amount. Unpaid delinquent taxes may be subject to lawsuit, incurring court costs, attorney
and miscellaneous fees, and eventual sale of the property.
Mobile Homes
Any moveable structure attached to real property by virtue of
being on a foundation, or being underpinned, or connected with any one (1) utility service
such as electricity, natural gas, water, or telephone is assessed by the Assessor for tax
purposes as real property (improvement to the land where located). In cases where a
moveable structure is attached to land occupied and used as a trailer or mobile home park,
the structure is billed separately from the land, and the owner of the structure is
responsible for the tax. The owner of the land is granted a lien against the moveable
structure to secure the payment of the municipal and county taxes.
Military Exemption (Mobile Homes)
House trailers or mobile homes owned by nonresident
military service personnel on active duty in the state pursuant to military orders are
immune from state taxation.
To receive a military exemption on a house trailer or mobile
home, a Statement of Service must be submitted to the Shelby County Assessor of Property
in order to have mobile home property exempted from property taxes for the coming year.
This form is generally submitted to the mobile home park owner, who notifies the Shelby
County Assessor.
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