Personal Property Frequently Asked Questions

Personal property tax is a tax which is based upon the value of taxable personal property. Personal property is everything that is not real property, that is to say, everything that is not real estate.

See RSMO:  137.115   137.120

Taxable personal property consists of motor vehicles, trailers, mobile homes, watercraft, boat motors, aircraft, livestock, farm machinery and equipment, agricultural crops, and any other personal property not exempted by law. Taxation of business enterprises is not included here because its complexity is beyond the scope of this explanation.

See RSMO: 137.075

Every person owning or holding taxable personal property in Missouri on the first day of January, including all such property purchased on that day, shall be liable for taxes thereon during the same calendar year. This includes the property of non-residents whose property is held in Missouri, but does not include the property of non-residents whose property is regularly kept in another state, but just happens to be in Missouri on the first of January.

Your tax is calculated by dividing the assessed value of your property by 100 and then multiplying that result by the tax levy. The formula looks like this:

(Assessed Value / 100) x Tax Levy.

Assessed value is a percentage of market value. In order to calculate the assessed value, multiply the market value by the adjustment factor which applies to the item of property being considered. The adjustment factors are as follows:

• 33 1/3%    All property except that listed below
• 19%          Mobile homes used as dwellings                              
• 0.05%       Grain and other Agricultural Crops                           
• 12%          Livestock and Poultry                                              
• 12%          Farm Machinery                                                      
• 5%            Historic motor vehicles under 301.131 RSMO              
• 5%            Certain aircraft see section 137.115 RSMO                 
• (see laws) Certain business tools and equipment               

The levy is the figure which is multiplied by the assessed value to arrive at the tax amount (See the Taxing Districts page on this website to determine the levies of the districts in which you live). A levy is a tax rate, sometimes called a mill rate, which is set by each taxing district which derives a part of its revenue from property tax. Taxing districts cannot arbitrarily set the tax rate they charge, but instead must put the proposed rate to a vote of the residents living within that district. Once the levy rate has been approved by the voters it typically remains at that rate until another vote is taken.

The Assessor uses standard valuation manuals for all of the various types of personal property. Vehicles are the most widely owned form of taxable personal property, and for this the Assessor uses a rate book provided by the Missouri State Tax Commission. This rate book is used by all Missouri counties. For any questions concerning the valuation of your property, your point of contact is the Greene County Assessor's Office. The County Assessor is the official whose responsibility is to assess the value of all taxable personal property within the county

Contact the Assessor's Office.

See RSMO: 137.340

   Yes. Each year you are required to make a list, called an assessment list, of all of your taxable personal property and mail or deliver this list to the County Assessor's office in the county where you lived on the first day of January. This list is due no later than the first of March

Yes. Each January the Assessor mails a form to everyone who submitted an assessment list or opened a new tax account the previous year. If you do not receive one of these forms by the middle of January, you should call the Assessor's office and request one.

The Assessor is the elected county official who is charged with the responsibility of determining the value of all taxable real estate and personal property within the county.

See RSMO: 137.090

   All taxable personal property shall be assessed in the county in which the owner resides on the first day of January with a few exceptions. The exceptions are: houseboats, cabin cruisers, floating boat docks, and immobile mobile homes shall be assessed in the county in which they were located on the first day of January. Personal property owned by an estate shall be assessed in the county in which the division of the circuit court has jurisdiction.

Personal property tax bills are mailed in early November each year and must be paid by December 31^st. Payments not postmarked by December 31^st will incur late payment fees.