[Correction: Initial information provided to SweetwaterNOW by the Sweetwater County Assessor’s Office cited May 26 as the deadline for tax exemption applications. This date is Memorial Day and the Sweetwater County Courthouse will be closed. The article was corrected to reflect a new deadline of May 27.]
SWEETWATER COUNTY — The deadline to apply for the longterm homeowners’ tax and veterans’ exemptions is coming up.
The Sweetwater County Assessor’s Office reminds residents that the deadline to apply for the exceptions is May 27.
The longterm homeowners’ tax exemption reduces a resident’s property tax burden by 50% if they qualify. The property owner must be 65 years old by May 26, have paid residential property taxes for at least 25 years, and must reside in their home for at least eight months out of the year. Residents do not have to have paid taxes on the same home or lived in the same county for 25 years, and are required to bring identification with a birthdate to verify their age.
Qualifications for the exemption available to veterans have not changed, though the exemption itself has doubled.
A deadline for the Property Tax Refund Program is also coming up. That deadline is June 2.
The assessor’s office is helping residents with their applications at the Sweetwater County Courthouse in Green River. Staffers will be at the Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 19 and May 28. The May 28 date will focus solely on the refund program.
Sweetwater County Assessor Dave Divis said he and his staff have done as much as they can to reach out and help residents with applications and keep them informed of the upcoming deadlines.
“I don’t know how much more I could have done,” Divis said.
Currently, the office is calling veterans they haven’t heard from to remind them of the application deadlines. Divis said he is happy with how much effort his staff has put into working with people. The outreach and effort have led to more than 2,000 applications, more than Divis’ initial estimates. As of Tuesday, the assessor’s office received 2,099 applications, with more trickling in daily.
“I am really proud of us,” Divis said.
