Tax Levies and Assessed Values

There can be a number of different taxing districts within a township or town, each with a different levy.

Based on the budgets submitted by the various levying authorities, the Auditor's Office prepares and certifies the levy rates in the county. Budgets for each levying authority are based on its taxable valuation as well as levy limits established by the Code of Iowa. Levy rates are expressed in dollars and cents per $1,000 of taxable valuation.

The Assessor determines the assessed value of a property. The County Auditor calculates the taxable value of a property after applying state ordered "rollback" percentages to the assessed value of the various classes of property. Both the assessed value and taxable value of a property appear on the tax statement.

Rollback is the common name for statewide limitations on the annual growth of property assessments. Each November, the Iowa Department of Revenue certifies the limitation percentages to the County Auditor. The roll back percentage is multiplied by the actual (assessed) value to obtain the value of the property that is subject to taxation (taxable value).

Things to Remember

Example 2017:
(Tax payable this year, Fall 2017)

Example 2016:

(Tax payable last year, Fall 2016)
$100,000
2016 Assessed value (residential class)
$100,000

2015 Assessed value (residential class)
x 0.569391
2016 residential roll back

x 0.556259
2015 residential roll back
56,939
roll back value (taxable)
55,626
roll back value (taxable)
- 4,850
Homestead Credit (funded 100%)
- 4,850
Homestead Credit (funded 100%)
52,089
net taxable value
50,776
net taxable value
x .04478270
levy $44.7827 per thousand (varies with taxing district)
x .04484057
levy $44.84057 per thousand (varies with taxing district)
$2,333
property tax (rounded to nearest even whole dollar)
$2,277
property tax (rounded to nearest even whole dollar)


As shown above, the residential roll back factor for taxes payable in Fall 2017 is 0.569391.
For commercial and industrial, the roll back factor is 0.900000.
For agricultural land and outbuildings, the roll back factor is 0.474996.
For multi-residential, the roll back factor is 0.825000. See the Multi-Residential Rollback Schedule.
Other credits or exemptions may apply.