WHAT PERSONAL PROPERTY IS ASSESSED?

Unless specifically exempted, all personal property in Idaho is subject to assessment and taxation. 
ID Code 63-302

Some examples of taxable personal property consists of items used in a business or farming, such as:

• Office Furniture (desks, filing cabinets and chairs)


• Professional Libraries


• Leased equipment


• Machinery and equipment


• Tools (including small hand tools)


• Signs and Telephones


• Unregistered vehicles


• Store counters and display racks


• Computers (including software), typewriters and office machines


• Medical/scientific equipment and instruments.

• Personal effects


• Household items


• Non-business apparel


• Registered motor vehicles


• Farm machinery and equipment
  ID Code 63-602EE


• Livestock


• Business inventory


• Equipment used for education


• Facilities for water or air pollution control.


• Property owned by a fraternal, benevolent or charitable corporations that has received a formal approval of exemption from the Canyon County Board of Commissioners.


• Other exemptions allowed by law

Transient personal property is unregistered farming, construction, logging and mining equipment which spend more than 30 days in more than one county in the state during the same year.  If you own transient personal property, you should consider the county in which you maintain a residence or usual place of business as your home county.
ID Code 63-313

The lien date for real property and most personal property is January 1.  For personal property brought into Idaho after January 1, the lien date is the first day in which the property was brought into the state or put into service.

The Canyon County Assessor’s Office.

If you have taxable personal property in Canyon County, you are required to report it to the Canyon County Assessor.  This is done by using a “Personal Property Declaration,” a form available from the Canyon County Assessor’s Office.  The form contains sections for listing personal property by make, manufacturer, year of manufacture, serial number, year acquired and cost, including installation if required.

You must return your personal property declaration to the Canyon County Assessor by the date indicated on the declaration, or no later than March 15.  A different deadline may be given if your personal property is missed or your business starts after January 1st. You should file the declaration for transient personal property on or before the first Monday of November of each year with the assessor of your home county.  If you own transient personal property, you should notify the county assessor within ten days of entering a county other than the property’s home county.

Personal property is assessed at market value.  This value includes shipping and installation charges.  Appraisers use several methods to arrive at the value.   Depreciation tables, sales information, cost guides and other resources are used in this process. “Market Value” means the amount of US dollars or equivalent for which, in all probability, a property would exchange hands between a willing seller, under no compulsion to sell, and an informed, capable buyer, with a reasonable time allowed to consummate the sale, substantiated by a reasonable down or full cash payment.  All personal property is valued at the retail level, including sales tax if applicable.

The value of personal property is included on the assessment notice mailed to you.   When you get your notice, please review it carefully to ensure all the information is accurate.  Assessment notices are usually mailed by the first Monday in June.   However, if you start a new business after January 1 or have transient personal property, the assessment notice for your personal property is usually mailed in December.
ID Code 63-308

Contact the Canyon County Assessor’s Office if you disagree with the assessed value.   The Assessor’s Office maintains a file of information on your personal property.  If you have questions about your assessment, you should review this information with an appraiser to ensure its accuracy.  If you cannot resolve your disagreement with the appraiser, you may appeal to the Canyon County Board of Equalization, which consists of the County Commissioners.  Your appeal must be filed with them by the fourth Monday in June.  If you received your assessment notice in the latter part of the year, your appeal must be filed in January.   Please be prepared to document your reasons for requesting a change in your property’s assessed value.   You will need to prove that the appraiser’s value is not the current market value of the personal property.  If needed, you can obtain an appeal form from the Canyon County Assessor or Commissioners’ Office.

If you sell to another person or at a farm auction or close a business, you should notify the Canyon County Assessor’s Office in writing as soon as possible.  The prior owner is responsible for taxes for the entire year, because the lien date is January 1st.

The Canyon County Assessor is required to assess property which is not declared.  The assessment is based on the best information available.  Idaho law provides that county officials must double the assessed value of any personal property they discover which has been willfully concealed in order to avoid paying taxes.   The assessment is doubled for each year the property escaped assessment.   County officials may sell personal property immediately after taxes become delinquent and pay off the tax lien from the proceeds of the sale.
ID Code 63-1401

The market value of your property is one factor in setting the amount of tax you pay.  The County Assessor does not determine tax amounts.  The amount of taxes is determined by the budgets of the taxing districts in which your property is located.

You will normally receive your personal property tax bill by the end of November from the Canyon County Treasurer.  For transient personal property or December assessments, you should receive the bill in February of the following year.

Taxes are delinquent if not paid by the due date.  Delinquent taxes accrue interest and penalties, which are also a lien against your property.  At this point, the Canyon County Sheriff may seize and sell your property.