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Property Taxes

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2024 Parcel Tax Roll Review

A Parcel Tax Roll Review Panel will be held on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at 6 p.m., for the purpose of hearing complaints as to one or more of the following grounds per section 205(1) of the Community Charter:

• (a) there is an error or omission respecting a name or address on the parcel tax roll;
• (b) there is an error or omission respecting the inclusion of a parcel;
• (c) there is an error or omission respecting the taxable area or the taxable frontage of a parcel;
• (d) an exemption has been improperly allowed or disallowed.

Notice of complaints must be made in writing by 4 p.m. Friday, April 5, 2024. Complaints can be submitted in person or by mail to the District office or via email to finance@houston.ca

Parcel tax assessment rolls may be inspected at the municipal office or online at https://houston.civicweb.net/document/112429

Please call the District office at 205-845-2238 if you have any questions.

Property Taxes

Property Tax Notices are mailed in late May or early June each year.

Your property tax notice will include:

• information about your property, including assessment class and value;
• the amount of property taxes owed for each category of property tax (i.e. municipal, regional district, school, hospital, police);
• the amount of frontage and parcel taxes owed for water and sewer; and
• the amount of utility fees owed for single family homes, duplexes, townhouses, etc.

Property Tax Due Date

Property taxes are due annually on July 2nd of each year. Postmarks will not be accepted as proof of payment, and payments in any other forms must actually be received by the due date. Please allow sufficient lead time if you will be paying by electronic fund transfer (EFT) or bank transfer. If July 2 falls on a day on which the District's Municipal Office is not open (i.e. a weekend), the property tax due date falls on the first day on which the Municipal Office is open after July 2. Payments received after July 31 are subject to penalty.

Home Owner Grants

The home owner grant reduces the amount of property taxes you pay for your principal residence. It is available to homeowners in British Columbia (BC) who pay their property taxes to a municipality or to the province if they live in a rural area. For more information, please visit our Home Owner Grant information page.

Penalties on Unpaid Taxes

Property taxes not paid by the due date will have a 10% penalty applied to current taxes outstanding. This includes the Home Owner Grant portion if the grant remains unclaimed by July 2.

Payment Methods

The District of Houston accepts on-line banking payments, Interac Debit, cheques or cash for tax payments. We are unable to accept credit cards for tax payments. A drop box option is available at the front door if you cannot make it to the office during the hours of 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday.

Online Payments

Online payments are accepted for tax payments. To set up your online payment, search for "Houston" and select "Houston BC District of - Taxes". Your account number is the 11 digit numerical roll number you will find on the upper right hand corner of your tax notice.

Mortgage Companies

If the District has been notified that your mortgage company will be paying your property taxes, your tax information will be sent to the appropriate banking institution. Each bank has a different procedure; please check with your bank to ensure your taxes are paid on time.

Tax Deferments

Eligible homeowners may apply to have the Provincial Government pay the current year's residential property taxes for their principal residence. If you defer, the taxes paid on your behalf become a debt registered against your property's title and interest accrues annually. For more information, see our Tax Deferment information page.

Delinquent Taxes

If your property taxes remain unpaid and become delinquent, your property will be subject to a property tax sale pursuant to the provisions of the Local Government Act.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) How are property taxes calculated?

Property taxes are calculated as a function of the tax rates (derived and approved by Council) multiplied by the tax assessment value (derived by BC Assessment) divided by 1000. In some cases, the tax rates are set by authorities such as the Regional District Bulkley Nechako, school and hospital districts. Thus, the tax notice includes revenue for District operations and funds collected and remitted to other agencies.

2) My tax notice includes a code for Classification. How are property classes determined?

BC Assessment places the property into a class based on the property’s type of use. There are 9 classifications in BC ranging from Class 1, Residential to Class 9, Farm. A property can be partitioned into multiple classes based on use and classification can be appealed through BC Assessment.

3) Can I appeal my Property Taxes or Property Assessment?

You can't appeal your property taxes, but you may be able to appeal your Property Tax Assessment. For inquiries regarding your property tax rates, please contact the District Collector at 250-845-2238. For inquiries regarding your property Tax Assessment, please contact BC Assessment at 1-866-825-8322

4) What are my property tax payment options?

The District accepts cash, Interac Debit, on-line banking and cheques for tax payments. If paying via Interac, please ensure your daily withdrawal limit is sufficient to cover the full amount of the transaction. If paying via on-line banking, please allow sufficient processing lead time to ensure funds are received by the district on or before July 2. If you are paying in person, our address is:

District of Houston
3367-12th Street
PO Box 370
Houston, BC
V0J 1Z0

A drop box option is available if you cannot make it to the office during the hours of 8:00 am to 5:pm (M-F).

5) What happens if I miss the payment deadline?

A 10% penalty will be applied on outstanding tax amounts received after July 2. There are no exceptions.

6) Does the District accept credit card payments?

The District does not accept credit card payments. There are no plans to develop a credit card payment option at this time.

Disclaimer

The informaiton provided on this page is provided for your convenience only, and information provided on this page is not a replacement for any statutory or regulatory requirement. If you have questions or concerns about your property taxes, please contact District staff at 250-845-2238 or by email at doh@houston.ca for the latest information.