Approximately 31,000 property tax statements & value notices will be mailed to Douglas County property owners at the end of March.
Local Boards of Appeal and Equalization and Open Book meetings will begin April 9 and run through April 19. Appointments are required. Your Valuation Notice will specify the date and location of the meeting for each district. An appeal cannot be made to the County Board of Appeal & Equalization in June unless an appeal was first heard by the Local Board (City or Township) of Appeal & Equalization. The Assessor’s office is available by phone or email if you have questions. Note that these meetings cannot take any action on the taxes currently due.
Douglas County Sales & Valuation Summary:
The high demand for housing in the Alexandria area has continued to affect market values. Every district in Douglas County will see an increase in the 2024 values (taxes payable 2025). The number of sales countywide for residential & seasonal residential properties decreased by approximately -19.45% while the average sales price increased by roughly 14%. Lakefront properties continue to be a hot market with 114 lake sales and an average sale price of $580,000. This is an increase of 17% compared to last year. Based on sales on the chain of lakes, front foot value increases range from $400 - $600 depending on the lake.
Douglas County had 21 ag sales in last year’s sales study period (Oct 1, 2022 – Sept 30, 2023). The sales price per AC overall was higher than the market values; properties will see increases to tillable and non-tillable acreage of approximately 14%.
Why do values change each year? The Assessor’s office uses land and building schedules to value property consistently throughout the county and be relatively close to the sales prices. Sales of real estate are the primary impact to the county’s mass appraisal system. With different motivations of buyers and sellers however, it is virtually impossible to value properties at their sales price.
Property taxes- The value put on your property does not directly affect your property tax bill. It is used to calculate your share of the local property tax levy for the year. The levy is the total property tax revenue needed to fund the budgets set by the county, city, or township, and school district. Your property’s taxable market value is multiplied by its classification rate to determine its share of the levy. Increasing or decreasing your property’s market value does not change the overall amount of property tax collected.
The Tax Statement itemizes the property owner’s share of the taxes payable in 2024 and is based on the 2023 assessed values & classification. The various Local Boards of Appeal listed on the Valuation Notice cannot take any action affecting the tax statement for taxes payable in 2024.
Douglas County offers several convenient ways to pay property taxes. Residents wanting to pay in person need to remember the Auditor/Treasurer’s office has moved from the courthouse to the Administration Building at 821 Cedar Street. There is a drop box in the parking lot in addition to one on the west side of the building.
For those facing financial hardship, please go to the state of MN website: www.revenue.state.mn.us and type in M1PR in the search box. It will connect you to a form that compares your income with your property taxes due (on homestead property) and you may be eligible for a partial refund of your property tax.
If you own and live in your home and are not getting homestead classification, contact the assessor’s office. All new homesteads will require an application.
Any property owners who choose to appeal their 2024 value or classification must make an appointment. We strongly encourage property owners to contact our office by phone 320-762-3884 or email: assessors.office@co.douglas.mn.us.
For property owners in the city of Alexandria, call 320-763-6678 for an appointment to appeal to the Alexandria City Board of Appeal.