Property Tax Notices

Tax statements show your property tax value, the amount of taxes due, and when they are due.

• To ensure timely payment processing, include the original stubs with your payments.
• The stubs show the amount of taxes due and the dates by which payments must be received to be considered timely.

Escrow accounts

Everyone receiving a tax statement receives payment stubs with the dollar amount due printed on them, regardless of whether you pay your taxes yourself or a mortgage company or escrow agent pays them. If your taxes are being paid by an escrow company:

• The amount of taxes due will be forwarded to your escrow company.
• The following statement will be listed below the PIN/property address information: OUR RECORDS SHOW YOUR TAXES ARE PAID BY A MORTGAGE COMPANY OR ESCROW AGENT.
• If you pay off your mortgage or no longer escrow your taxes, you can use the payment stubs to make your tax payment.

The Proposed Property Tax Notice is mailed every year in mid-November. The notice estimates the amount of property tax you will pay in the following year if the taxing jurisdictions approve the budget amounts they are considering.

Property owners are invited to attend meetings held by the local units of government to express their opinions on local budgets and taxes.

If you move or change your address, you must notify us of this change.

Submit a change of address

Property tax statements, value notices or other types of notification are not forwarded. All undeliverable statements and notices are returned to us by the Post Office.

Electronic delivery of tax and value notices

You can sign up to receive notice electronically by registering for an eNoticesOnline account. You will need to locate your eNoticeOnline authorization code. For security reasons, this code is only located in the bottom right corner of the tax statement that you received in the mail. The code is not located on any version of the statements that you can look up online.

Once you have located the code, visit eNoticesOnline.com to create your account.

Look up statements and notices online

You can view digital copies of statements and notices on the tax and value lookup site. Search for your property, then scroll to the bottom to the page for list of all statements and notices for that property.

Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority: The Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority works on various transit and transit-oriented development projects that address the region’s needs for mobility, improved transportation affordability, mitigation of traffic congestion, and enhanced environmental quality. The authority also oversees Union Depot in downtown Saint Paul. 

Public Safety Radio System: In 2004, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners approved a tax levy to support the development of a countywide 800-megahertz communication system. This system allows easy communication between public safety personnel and agencies and also supports anti-terrorism and Homeland Security initiatives. Current levies are used to pay off debt issued to fund the project.

Ramsey County Library: The Ramsey County Library tax displays on a separate line and only applies to properties located in suburban Ramsey County. Learn more on the library's website.

Saint Paul Public Library: City of Saint Paul property taxes for city services are split into two separate components. The Saint Paul Library Agency is a separate entity from the rest of city government. Learn more on the library's website.

State general tax

The State general tax is a statewide property tax levied by the State of Minnesota on commercial, industrial and seasonal properties. These taxes are paid to the State of Minnesota and go to the State General Fund with a portion used to fund school-related expenditures.

School districts

Voter Approved Levies: Tax amount includes all levies and debt obligations approved by the voters in the listed school district.

Other Local Levies: Tax amount includes school levies for community services and debt obligations that are not voter approved.

Special taxing districts

Metropolitan Special Taxing Districts: Tax amount includes the Metropolitan Council, Metropolitan Transit District and Mosquito Control District.

Other Special Taxing Districts: Tax amount includes housing and redevelopment authorities, economic development authorities, port authorities, hospital districts, and water management or watershed districts. Not all areas have each of these districts.

Tax Increment Financing (Designated as Tax increment): Tax Increment Financing, also known as TIF, is a development program that allows a city to use the additional property taxes generated by a development project to finance land acquisition, demolition and other costs necessary for the development. A bond is usually issued to finance up-front costs and repaid by the extra taxes generated by the new development and construction. These taxes go to the TIF district instead of all the districts that normally levy a tax. Properties with the same market value, class and area will pay the same tax even if one is in a tax increment district and the other is not. Learn more about tax increment financing in the House Research Report.

Fiscal Disparity: Fiscal disparity is a tax-base sharing program to promote better regional planning and improve fiscal equality in the region. Forty percent of the growth in commercial and industrial property is shared with all taxing jurisdictions in the seven-county metro area. A percentage of the value of each commercial/industrial parcel is taxed at a uniform rate. The remainder is taxed at the local rate. Learn more about this program in Minnesota’s Fiscal Disparities Programs Report.

Special assessments and charges

These charges are for improvements that directly benefit the property. Common assessments include streets, sidewalk and sewer improvements. The amount is based on how much the property benefits from the improvement and the cost of the project. The property’s market value is not used to determine the amount of the assessment.

Contamination Tax: If your property is subject to a contamination tax, an amount will display on this line. The amount of the tax depends on the value of the contaminated portion of the property, whether the current owner was responsible for the contamination and whether an approved clean-up plan is in place.

Why are the notices sent out after the general election?

Minnesota Statutes require that the notices be mailed after November 10 but before November 24.

Why does the total shown for last year not match what I paid?

The proposed tax notice does not include amounts for special assessments, contamination taxes and special service charges that appeared on last year’s tax statement.

What factors affect my property taxes?

There are a number of items that affect your property taxes. Items that typically have a large impact include:

• Changes to the tax levy (amount of money a government wants to collect from property taxes) made by the city, county, school district or special taxing districts.
• Changes to the market value of your property.
• Changes in the market values for the area or a particular type of property.
• Legislative changes to the property classification rates, state aid formulas and other tax laws.
• Legislative unfunded mandates (usually seen as an increase in local government tax levy).
• New taxes approved by referendum.

Who determines your property tax?

There are three entities that have a role in determining your property tax. The State Legislature establishes property classes and class rates, determines levels of state aid to local units of government, sets the amount of homestead credit, sets the state general tax rate and mandates unfunded programs to local government. Local units of government determine their tax levy amount. The county assessor assigns each property a market value and property classification as provided by state statute. The property tax is the result of actions taken by all three entities.

What happens at the proposed property tax meetings?

The usual format of the meeting is a budget presentation by the taxing jurisdiction followed by public comment and questions. Special legislation requires Ramsey County, the City of Saint Paul and the Saint Paul School District to hold a joint meeting. At this meeting, county staff are available to answer questions about your property's market value and classification. All other cities and school districts hold separate meetings on different dates as listed on the proposed tax notice.

Why are some taxing jurisdictions not holding a proposed property tax meeting?

State statutes allow taxing jurisdictions that meet certain criteria – including population size and percentage of proposed levy increase – to be exempt from holding a public meeting. Cities with a population under 500 or a county, city, school district or metropolitan special taxing district that does not exceed its previous year property tax levy by more than the percentage increase in the implicit price deflator (IPD) are exempt from the TNT public hearing requirement

Also, special taxing districts, like housing and redevelopment authorities, port authorities, hospital districts, regional rail authorities and watersheds have always been exempt from holding public meetings.

If property values are increasing, does this mean more tax dollars for governmental units?

No. Governmental units must set a tax levy each year. Increasing the levy is the only way a local government will receive more property tax dollars. If a local government doesn't increase its levy, property owners may still see increases in property taxes for that local government if their values are increasing faster than other property in the district; other property owners may see tax decreases.

Is it likely that the amount on my proposed property tax notice will be different than the amount on my tax statement?

The amount on the proposed tax notice is an estimate. The actual amount will likely differ due to:

• New referendums.
• New homestead classifications.
• Jurisdictions lowering their levy.
• Special assessments and other non-tax charges that may be billed on the tax statement.

My school district held a referendum at the November general election; if it passed, is the increase reflected on the proposed tax notice?

No. The notices are only based on levies prior to the referendum election. School districts mail all properties a notice detailing the tax impact if the referendum passes. You should add the appropriate amount from that notice to the amount on the proposed tax notice to get your new estimated taxes. An updated notice will not be mailed.

Referendums passed at the September primary election are included on the TNT notice.

What is a Special Assessment?

A special assessment is an improvement, which directly benefits the property. Common assessments include costs for installation or maintenance of streets, sidewalks and sewers. It is shown as a separate amount on the tax statement and is not included on the Truth in Taxation Notice. The amount is based on how much the property benefits from the improvement and the cost of the project. The property's market value is not used to determine the amount of the special assessment.

Why are special assessments and other charges or fees not shown on the proposed property tax notice?

Special assessment information is not available from the cities at the time notices are prepared. The intent of the proposed property tax notice is to provide the owner with information on the impact a tax jurisdictions anticipated budget will have on their specific property.

How do I request to combine or split my tax parcel(s)?

There are unique requirements to combine or split tax parcels. More information on tax parcel combinations and splits