Platte County Treasurer

Property Tax Information

In the Beginning:

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the county just making my tax amount up as they go along?

The County Assessor examines the property, determines the value of the property, and keeps a record of the name and address of the property owner. The Assessor uses “fair market value” – the value a property should sell for on the open market. The fair market value is multiplied by the assessment level – 11.5% for industrial property and 9.5% for all other property – to arrive at the assessed value. The Assessed value is then multiplied by the mill levy (the total of all the different entities that you pay taxes to) to come up with the tax dollar amount due.

Example: A house in Wheatland has a fair market value of $100,000.00 and a mill levy of 75.89 mills.

The County Assessor then transfers the values to the County Treasurer.

After the Tax Buck is passed:

The County Treasurer is responsible for mailing the bills and collecting the property taxes. Property tax notices are mailed annually in September. The bill is sent to the owner of the property as of January 1st. The bill shows the amount due and when the tax is due. If the deed for the property you purchased was recorded after January 1st, you will not receive a tax bill in your name. A taxpayer is responsible for payment of taxes regardless if they receive a bill. Rule of thumb: If you own property, you owe taxes. If you own property in Platte County and do not get a bill by the middle of October, call the Treasurer’s Office at 307-322-2092 and we will be glad to send you a copy.

When is the last possible moment I can pay my bill without interest?

If paid in installments:

The first half of the taxes becomes delinquent on November 11th. Taxes paid after that date are subject to 18% interest. The second half of the taxes becomes delinquent on May 11th of the subsequent year (there is no billing sent for the 2nd installment)

If paid in full:

If the entire tax is paid by December 31st, there will be no interest due on the first installment. We are closed to the public the last business day of December to close the books but we honor the postmark.

It is -14 degrees outside and the wind is blowing 40 mph, can I pay my taxes without coming into the Treasurer’s Office?

You can pay your taxes through the mail. The bottom portion of your tax bill is detachable so that you can send that along with your check or money order. We honor the postmark for your tax payment. We also have a convenient drop box located in the alley east of the Courthouse, between the Courthouse and the Sheriff’s Office. You can drop your tax payment or your motor vehicle renewal. Taxes can be paid online at officialpayments.com by clicking make a payment, local payment, Wyoming, Platte County, property tax payment. Just fill in the information and your payment information will be sent to our office. (Note: There is an additional fee to use a credit card…usually about 3%).

Why am I getting a bill, my mortgage company pays my property taxes…don’t they?

Many taxpayers have an escrow account from which their taxes are paid. Our office sends an electronic file of all the taxes to the mortgage companies upon their request. It is your mortgage companies responsibility to choose your tax(es) from the file and pay it. A tax bill is still sent as a courtesy to the customer for their records. Mortgage companies must make tax payments in halves in November and May. Feel free to call after the 15th of November and the 15th of May to see if your mortgage has made payment for your taxes. This is especially important for those taxpayers that have an irrigation or street assessment that they think their mortgage company should be paying.

There is something wrong with this picture - my mobile home burned down and I am still getting a tax bill.

Unless you fill out a destroyed or permanently dismantled mobile home form available in the County Assessor’s Office, you will continue to be billed for your mobile home. Once you have received your bill it is too late to take the bill off for that tax year but come right in and we will get the destroyed mobile home off the tax roll for the next year.

Does anyone care that I have a new address?

The County Assessor keeps all the updated tax addresses. Please call them at (307) 322-2858 or e-mail them at pcassessor@wyomingwireless.com to change your address. This ensures that you receive all correspondence in a timely manner.

I received a delinquent notice, how can I be delinquent if I never got a bill to begin with?

For any taxes that remain unpaid, a delinquent notice is mailed from this office around the 20th of May. The delinquent notice is sent to the same property owner as reflected on the original tax notice. The notice informs the taxpayer of the delinquency and if unpaid will be published three times in the Platte County Record Times and the lien subsequently sold at the tax sale (If you think nobody reads the paper, just try not paying your taxes and see how many of your neighbors call!).

A property that I don’t own anymore is in the paper in MY NAME for unpaid taxes.

Wyoming Statute 39-13-103 (b)(i)(A) – “All taxable property shall be annually listed, valued and assessed for taxation in the county in which located and in the name of the owner of the property on January 1.” Just as the bill is sent to the person who was the deeded owner of the property as of January 1st, the delinquent notice is sent to that same person, and the subsequent publication is in that name as well. If you receive the original tax billing in September, the only way to avoid having your name published is for the taxes to be paid. If you get the bill for property you sold, send the bill on to either the new owner or the closing company. If you get a delinquent notice, assume that unless action is taken in the near future your name will be in the paper.

I saw a bunch of properties for sale for unpaid taxes in the paper, how can I buy one?

Tax Lien Sales

I want to buy a house for taxes…can I move in tomorrow?

First and foremost, you are buying a lien against the property, not the property itself. Please do not drive your U-Haul to the tax sale in the morning expecting to evict the current owner from the property that afternoon. When a landowner doesn’t pay his/her taxes, the county sells a tax LIEN against property. The tax lien sale is usually held in July. The sale is lottery style. Each person gets one number when they sign in and if their number is drawn they have the opportunity to purchase the lien that is next on the listing. You could go home with all of the liens or none.

How much does it cost to buy the tax lien at the sale?

The purchaser pays the amount of the taxes advertised in the paper plus a $20.00 Certificate of Purchase fee. The Treasurer’s Office accepts many forms of payment including cash, check, money order, or credit card. (Note: There is a fee to use a credit card…usually about 3%).

Give me one good reason to pay someone else’s taxes?

There are actually 2 good reasons. You either get your initial investment plus 18% interest or you get the property itself (after the 4 year waiting period). The landowner has 4 years to pay off the tax lien, including all fees plus 3% penalty and 15% interest. The County then sends a check to the person that bought the tax lien. The check is for his /her investment plus the penalty and interest. If the landowner does not pay off the lien, the purchaser may apply for a tax deed on the land. The tax deed process is explained in detail in the Wyoming Statutes. If you have gone through the tax deed process and the landowner still has not paid off the lien, you can take possession of the property. Back To Top