Understanding Oregon Property Taxes: Your Obligations and Appeal Rights

Oregon's property tax system is unlike almost any other state's. Two voter-approved constitutional measures — Measure 5 (1990) and Measure 50 (1997) — created a system where the value you're taxed on is often disconnected from what your home is actually worth. Understanding how it works is the first step to knowing whether you're paying more than you should.

In Oregon we have the Real Market Value

We also have the Maximum Assessed Value

But do not forget the Assessed Value 

Oregon's property tax rules are found primarily in the Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) and the Oregon Constitution:

Oregon Constitution, Article XI, Sections 11 and 11b — Th2 constitutional caps created by Measures 50 and 5.

ORS Chapter 305 — Administration of tax laws, taxpayer rights, and appeals to the Oregon Tax Court.

ORS Chapter 307 — Property exemptions (veterans, charitable organizations, and others).

ORS Chapter 308 — How property is assessed, including the January 1 assessment date and real market value standards.

ORS Chapter 308A — Special assessments for farmland and forestland.

ORS Chapter 309 — The county Property Value Appeals Board (PVAB) process.

ORS Chapters 310–312 — Tax rates and limits, collection, and foreclosure of tax-delinquent property.

Every Oregon property carries three values:

Real Market Value (RMV) is the assessor's estimate of what your property would sell for on the open market as of January 1 of the assessment year (ORS 308.205, 308.232).                                               .

Why this matters for appeals: Because most Oregon properties have a MAV well below their RMV, a modest reduction in RMV often won't change your tax bill. An appeal typically saves money when (1) your RMV can be reduced below your MAV, or when new construction or an "exception event" was valued incorrectly. 

Maximum Assessed Value (MAV) was created by Measure 50. In 1997, each property's MAV was set at its 1995–96 RMV minus 10%. Since then, MAV can generally grow no more than 3% per year — regardless of what the market does

Assessed Value (AV) — the number your taxes are actually calculated on — is the lower of RMV or MAV.

Property Value Appeals Board (PVAB)

The county PVAB — renamed from the Board of Property Tax Appeals (BOPTA) by House Bill 2031, effective January 1, 2024 — is the first formal step for most value appeals (ORS Chapter 309).

What it hears: Appeals of your property's value — not the tax amount itself.

Filing window: After tax statements are mailed (late October) through December 31. If December 31 falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline extends to the next business day.

Where to file: The county clerk's office in the county where the property is located. Some counties charge a small per-petition fee; others charge nothing.

Hearings: Held between the first Monday in February and April 15. Hearings are brief — typically you'll have only a few minutes to present, so your evidence packet does the heavy lifting.

Evidence: Comparable sales near the January 1 assessment date, a fee appraisal, documentation of property condition, or evidence of assessor error.

I have experience working with counties to defend their property values in Property Value Appeals Board Hearings.

I have helped taxpayers appeal unfair values. I would love to apply my expertise as a real estate agent, MBA in Real Estate, and former county appraiser to your property appeal.