Clatsop County Courthouse in Astoria, Oregon
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Clatsop County property tax statements are out: due dates, discounts and a fraud alert

ByDana Whitcomb

Photo: Visitor7, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The envelope in the mailbox this week is worth opening before it lands in the pile. Clatsop County finished mailing 2026-27 property tax statements by Oct. 25, and the first payment deadline, Monday, Nov. 16, is also the last day to take the discount for paying early.

According to the county’s notice, owners who pay the full year by Nov. 16 get 3% off. Paying two-thirds by that date earns 2%. Everyone else can split the bill into three installments due Nov. 16, Feb. 15 and May 17, 2027. The county does not send reminder notices for the February and May payments, and under Oregon law interest starts accruing on unpaid balances on Dec. 16. The county has no authority to waive it.

On a $4,000 annual bill, the full-payment discount is $120. Paying two-thirds on the same bill saves about $53.

Why your bill may be up more than 3%

Oregon’s Measure 50 caps growth in a property’s assessed value at 3% a year in most cases, and that cap is visible on this year’s statements. The county says this year’s changes reflect 3% assessed value growth, new construction and voter-approved levies and bonds, so some owners will see increases above 3%. A few specific items are new:

  • Warrenton: the 21-year bond voters approved in 2024 for the city’s wastewater collection, treatment and disposal system appears on tax statements for the first time.
  • Drainage Improvement District No. 1: a significant rate increase this year, which the county warns may be noticeable. Owners in other diking districts may also see changes based on acreage and district rates.
  • Rural fire patrol assessments: because of House Bill 3940, properties inside both city limits and a Rural Fire Patrol District boundary, including vacant land, are now assessed. Outside city limits, the assessable acreage for improved properties rises from 5 acres to 10, and vacant parcels of 10 acres or less inside a patrol district are now subject to the charge. Questions about these charges go to the local rural fire department.

The county collects taxes for 66 taxing districts, from schools and Clatsop Community College to cities, the Port of Astoria and fire districts. If the assessed value on your statement looks wrong, appeal rights are printed on the back. We’ve walked through how to read a Clatsop County tax statement line by line, and the money measures on this fall’s ballot, which could affect future bills, are explained here.

The color of the bill matters, too. A yellow statement means county records show a mortgage company or Oregon’s Senior Deferral Program is paying. A green one means the owner is responsible.

Ways to pay

Payments can be made in person at the Clatsop County Tax Office, 820 Exchange St., Suite 210, in Astoria, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is a secure drop box near the corner of Ninth and Exchange streets; the county asks people not to confuse it with the ballot drop box nearby, an easy mistake in an election season. Mailed payments must be postmarked by Nov. 16 to get the discount, and because some mail is postmarked at a central facility rather than the local post office, the county recommends mailing early. Online payments and an automated phone line, 855-233-4031, both carry processing fees.

A new free alert inside the envelope

Tucked in with this year’s statement is a brochure for a service the County Clerk’s Office launched Oct. 16. The Property Recording Alert Service sends a same-day email whenever a document is recorded under a name you’ve registered, which can be an early warning of deed fraud. Sign-up is free at clatsop.co/records, each email address can monitor up to 10 names, and alerts cover only documents recorded after enrollment.

“This is another tool residents can use to stay informed about activity involving their property records,” County Clerk Tracie Krevanko said in the announcement.

The county is clear about the limits. The service cannot stop a fraudulent document from being recorded, and the Clerk’s Office does not judge whether documents are valid. Anyone who gets an alert that looks wrong should contact local law enforcement and a lawyer. The Clerk’s Office can be reached at 503-325-8511.

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