Official City of St. Cloud Web Site

Assessor's Office

About the St. Cloud City Assessor's Office

The St. Cloud City Assessor’s Office is a division of the city Finance Department. The Assessor’s primary function is to annually establish the market value and classification of all properties within the city.

The office staff physically inspects property to ensure that property information is accurate and up to date. The staff continually analyzes cost, income and sales data and applies that analysis to similar properties to ensure that all properties are valued fairly.

Assessors follow a strict Code of Ethics and Conduct as established by the Minnesota Board of Assessors and the Minnesota Department of Revenue. These organizations annually review the work of assessors. Most of the information at the assessor’s office is public information and is available upon request. If property owners have questions or comments about property value, classification or taxes, contact the Assessor’s Office.

In Minnesota, property taxes provide most of the funding for local government services. The county auditor/treasurer collects the taxes and distributes the money between the county, city, township, school district and special districts such as the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, and Metropolitan Transit Commission.

The tax on each property is determined according to its value, property use and the property tax levies. Assessors are responsible for estimating property values and setting property use classifications for tax purposes.

For information on properties located within the St. Cloud City limits, please contact the following:

St. Cloud Assessing Office
400 2nd Street South
St. Cloud, MN 56301
Phone: 320-255-7203
E-mail: assessor@ci.stcloud.mn.us

The city of St. Cloud crosses the boundaries of three counties; Benton, Sherburne, and Stearns. As a result, the property tax levies could be different for St. Cloud parcels depending upon which county the property is located.

For information on property located outside the St. Cloud City limits, please contact the appropriate county assessor’s office as listed below:

Benton County Assessor’s Office
531 Dewey Street
Foley, MN 56329
320-968-5019

Sherburne County Assessor’s Office
13880 Highway 10
Elk River, MN 55330
763-241-2880
(or toll free 1-800-438-0577)

Stearns County Assessor’s Office
705 Courthouse Square, Room 37
St. Cloud, MN 56303
320-656-3680

Following are links to each county web site for viewing property tax information.

http://www.co.benton.mn.us for the Benton County home page and select Auditor/Treasurer Department.
(St. Cloud parcel numbers with a 17 prefix - in the following format example: 17.00001.00)

http://www.co.stearns.mn.us for the Stearns County home page and select the option for “I Want To…View My Property Tax.”
(St. Cloud parcel numbers with an 82 prefix – in the following parcel format example: 82.43505.000)

http://www.co.sherburne.mn.us for the Sherburne County home page and select the option for Property Values/Taxes.
(St. Cloud parcel numbers with an 85 prefix – in the following parcel format example: 85-430-0105)

Understanding your Property Assessment

Who are the assessors and what are their credentials?

Training and experience requirements are set by the Minnesota State Board of Assessors which governs and administers licensure of assessors.

What does the Assessor do?

Estimates value
The law specifically requires that assessors view each parcel of real estate to estimate its market value. Property values change continuously with changing economic conditions. In addition to market changes, numerous physical changes affect the value of land and buildings. All factors are considered in estimating the value of property.

Classifies property
The assessor also determines the classification or use of each parcel. For example, property may be classified as residential homestead (owner-occupied), residential non-homestead, apartment, agricultural, or commercial/industrial. Each classification is taxed at a different percentage of market value. These percentages are established by the Minnesota State Legislature.

What is “market value?”

Minnesota Statue 272.03 defines “market value” as “the usual selling price…at the time of assessment.” It is the price that could be obtained at a private sale or an auction sale, if the assessor determines the price from an auction sale represents an arms-length transaction.

How does the assessor estimate market value?

State law requires that the value and classification of real estate be established as of January 2nd each year. The Assessor's Office works throughout the year to estimate the market value of each property for the following January 2nd assessment date.

Views property
Approximately every fifth year, an assessor will physically view the property. In addition, all new construction, alterations or improvements will be viewed in the current year.

Gathers information
The assessor gathers information on all characteristics of the property that may affect the market value, such as size, age, quality, basement finish, fireplaces, additional baths, and so forth. The assessor also reviews and analyzes properties that have sold.

Estimates value
The property characteristics are entered into a computerized mass appraisal system. The computer aids the assessor in estimating the property value. Information from actual sales is used to update the market values. The market value estimated by the assessor should be at, or very close to, the amount the property would sell for if placed on the open market. The State Board of Equalization requires the overall level of assessment to be between 90 percent and 105 percent of market value on all property.

Notification
A value notice is mailed annually to each property owner. The assessment on January 2nd forms the basis for the following year’s tax. For example, the value and classification on January 2, 2008 is used to calculate the taxes payable in 2009.

The Appeals Process

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