Kansas homeowners pay a median of $2,798 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.29%, the 13th highest of the 51 states we cover. The deadline to appeal: 30 days after notice (about March). Here is who sets your value, how to challenge it and what evidence works.
Opens soonThe spring informal appeal window for 2026 closed in March. The payment under protest window for 2026 taxes opens when tax statements are mailed, from November through December 15, and closes December 20, 2026 (or at payment if you pay later). The next spring window opens with the 2027 notices, mailed by March 1, 2027.
Your first appeal is to the county appraiser, and it must be filed within 30 days after the notice was mailed (K.S.A. 79-1448). The county appraiser holds an informal meeting after that. Example: Johnson County mailed its 2026 notices starting February 25, 2026, and the county set the informal appeal deadline at March 27, 2026. For the next step, BOTA and the Division of Property Valuation say 30 days from the mailing of the informal meeting results. But K.S.A. 79-1448 and 79-1606 set 18 days for small claims and hearing officer appeals. To avoid losing your right to appeal, file within 18 days. Payment under protest is a separate route. You file it with the county treasurer when you pay your property tax, or by December 20 if you pay part or all of it by then. Tax statements are mailed from November through December 15. You cannot use both routes for the same property and tax year.
The county appraiser mails a Notice of Appraised Value to each owner on or before March 1 (Johnson County mailed its 2026 notices starting February 25). The notice shows your appraised value, explains your right to appeal and includes an appeal form. The notice does not mean you owe more tax. Tax rates are set separately by local governments.
Where you file depends on your county. Pick yours for the office contacts, local tax figures and a step-by-step guide.
Enter the market value on your assessment notice and what you think the home would really sell for. We estimate the yearly saving if the board agrees with you.
Some states cap how fast the taxable value of a home can rise (California, Florida, Michigan and Texas homesteads, for example). If your taxable value is already held below market value by a cap, a lower market value may not lower this year's bill.
The county appraiser values all real property in the county as of January 1. The county appraiser also hears your first appeal, at an informal meeting. If you are not satisfied, some counties have a county hearing officer or panel. Otherwise, or after that, you appeal to the state Board of Tax Appeals (BOTA). Homes are valued at fair market value as of January 1 each year. Your taxes are based on the assessed value, which is 11.5% of the appraised value for residential property. Values are updated every year. The law requires the county appraiser to physically view and inspect every parcel at least once every six years, so about one-sixth of the homes are inspected each year.
The informal meeting is required before you can appeal further. The appraiser must show the evidence behind the value, including how it changed from last year and the property record details. Bring your own evidence. The appraiser must give you a written result, and must not raise your value because of the informal meeting. If the appraiser does not change the value, you can still appeal.
What works in Kansas: Recent sales of similar homes near you. Ask the county appraiser for the comparable sales it used for your home's value.; Your purchase contract or closing statement, if you bought the home within the last two or three years; A recent appraisal of your home by a Kansas certified appraiser, with an effective date of January 1 of the year you are appealing. A single appraisal like this can shift the burden of proof back to the county.; Photos and repair estimates for damage or condition problems that the county did not fully consider; Corrections to the property record card, such as square footage, number of rooms or condition.
Return the appeal form on the back of your Notice of Appraised Value to your county appraiser, or file online where your county offers it. Your county may require a hearing by phone, in person or based on evidence sent with the form. The county appraiser holds the meeting and mails you the written result. If you disagree, you can appeal the result, as explained below. Cost: No fee.
At the informal meeting, the county appraiser must start by giving you the evidence that supports the value. At a hearing or at BOTA, the county must show that its value is correct, by a preponderance of the evidence. There is no legal presumption that the county's value is right. The one exception is leased commercial and industrial property, which does not apply to a home.
BOTA and the Division of Property Valuation say to file within 30 days from the mailing date of the informal meeting results. But K.S.A. 79-1448 and 79-1606 set 18 days for small claims and hearing officer appeals, so file within 18 days to be safe. For a single-family home, you must go to the BOTA Small Claims Division first. If you disagree with the Small Claims decision, you can then appeal to the regular BOTA division within 30 days of that decision. If your county has a hearing officer or panel, you appeal to it first by filing with the county clerk within 18 days after the appraiser's final decision was mailed (K.S.A. 79-1606). You can then appeal the hearing officer's order to BOTA within 30 days (K.S.A. 79-1609). Ask your county appraiser which steps apply in your county. File the appeal form with BOTA at 700 SW Harrison St., Suite 1022, Topeka, KS 66603. Send a copy to the county clerk and to the county appraiser. Include a copy of the Declaration of Representative form if someone else is representing you. Single-family homes pay no fee in Small Claims. Other property pays a fee set by K.A.R. 94-5-8 (for example, $100 per parcel for a value of $250,000 or less in Small Claims). Small Claims hearings are informal and are heard by one hearing officer. A decision is usually mailed within 30 days after the hearing.
If the county lowers your value on appeal, the lower value applies to that tax year. If you paid under protest, the county refunds the difference with interest. For five years after a qualifying reduction, the county must check any increase over 5% a year, as explained in the rules above.
Kansas appeals are framed around fair market value. Comparable sales of similar homes are the main evidence, and the county must produce its own evidence first. The appeal statute also lets you list comparable properties as evidence of inequality, so unequal assessment can be a ground of appeal at BOTA. Ask your county appraiser how it is handled. This works only in limited cases. Run the numbers with our unequal assessment calculator.
Most wins start with a mistake in the assessor's record of your home. Check it line by line.
Record card checklistAn exemption is separate from an appeal: you apply once and it cuts your taxable value every year. Check you have every one you qualify for.
A refund of part of the property tax you paid on your main home, up to $700. For 2025, household income had to be $43,389 or less, the home valued at no more than $350,000, and you had to be 55 or older, blind or totally and permanently disabled, a disabled veteran or the surviving spouse of one, or have a qualifying dependent child. This is a refund you claim after paying the tax, not a reduction in the assessed value. Figures change each year.
A refund of 75% of the property tax you paid on your main home, with no dollar cap. For 2025, you had to be 65 or older for all of the year, household income had to be $25,380 or less, and the home valued at no more than $350,000. You can receive only one of the three homestead-type refunds in a year.
You can file and appear on your own. A family member, an authorized employee, a tax representative or agent, a certified public accountant, a certified general appraiser or an attorney can also represent you. For the county informal meeting, a non-attorney representative needs a Declaration of Representative form from the county appraiser. At BOTA Small Claims, a non-attorney representative can speak for you. Ask BOTA about the rules for representatives at a regular BOTA hearing.
Fill in your details and download a written appeal statement as a PDF or Word file. Most boards also require their own appeal form: file the form and attach this letter and your evidence to it.
Tax Appeal Map is a free information site, not a law firm or appraiser. The letter is a template, not legal advice.
Your first appeal is to the county appraiser, and it must be filed within 30 days after the notice was mailed (K.S.A. 79-1448). The county appraiser holds an informal meeting after that. Example: Johnson County mailed its 2026 notices starting February 25, 2026, and the county set the informal appeal deadline at March 27, 2026. For the next step, BOTA and the Division of Property Valuation say 30 days from the mailing of the informal meeting results. But K.S.A. 79-1448 and 79-1606 set 18 days for small claims and hearing officer appeals. To avoid losing your right to appeal, file within 18 days. Payment under protest is a separate route. You file it with the county treasurer when you pay your property tax, or by December 20 if you pay part or all of it by then. Tax statements are mailed from November through December 15. You cannot use both routes for the same property and tax year.
With the County appraiser informal meeting. Return the appeal form on the back of your Notice of Appraised Value to your county appraiser, or file online where your county offers it. Your county may require a hearing by phone, in person or based on evidence sent with the form. The county appraiser holds the meeting and mails you the written result. If you disagree, you can appeal the result, as explained below.
No fee.
The informal meeting is required before you can appeal further. The appraiser must show the evidence behind the value, including how it changed from last year and the property record details. Bring your own evidence. The appraiser must give you a written result, and must not raise your value because of the informal meeting. If the appraiser does not change the value, you can still appeal.
You can appeal to the State Board of Tax Appeals (BOTA). BOTA and the Division of Property Valuation say to file within 30 days from the mailing date of the informal meeting results. But K.S.A. 79-1448 and 79-1606 set 18 days for small claims and hearing officer appeals, so file within 18 days to be safe. For a single-family home, you must go to the BOTA Small Claims Division first. If you disagree with the Small Claims decision, you can then appeal to the regular BOTA division within 30 days of that decision. If your county has a hearing officer or panel, you appeal to it first by filing with the county clerk within 18 days after the appraiser's final decision was mailed (K.S.A. 79-1606). You can then appeal the hearing officer's order to BOTA within 30 days (K.S.A. 79-1609). Ask your county appraiser which steps apply in your county. File the appeal form with BOTA at 700 SW Harrison St., Suite 1022, Topeka, KS 66603. Send a copy to the county clerk and to the county appraiser. Include a copy of the Declaration of Representative form if someone else is representing you. Single-family homes pay no fee in Small Claims. Other property pays a fee set by K.A.R. 94-5-8 (for example, $100 per parcel for a value of $250,000 or less in Small Claims). Small Claims hearings are informal and are heard by one hearing officer. A decision is usually mailed within 30 days after the hearing.
If the county lowers your value on appeal, the lower value applies to that tax year. If you paid under protest, the county refunds the difference with interest. For five years after a qualifying reduction, the county must check any increase over 5% a year, as explained in the rules above.
Checked 2026-10 against official Kansas sources. Local deadlines and fees can differ; confirm with your assessor or board.