When is the deadline to declare personal property? In Jackson County, it’s complicated

If you own a vehicle in Jackson County, you likely got a postcard in the past few weeks reminding you to “declare” it online.

“Declarations need to be made by March 1, 2024 or late fees may be applied,” the postcard reads.

But when residents visit the county’s online declarations portal, a different due date is listed.

“Declarations not submitted before May 1, 2024, may be subject to penalty. This penalty will range from $15 to $105 depending upon the assessed value of your account,” the assessment department’s website reads.

So which is it? The Star reached out to Jackson County to clarify why two different due dates are listed.

“The state law requires us to use the March 1 deadline, and declarations filed after March 1 are considered late and subject to a penalty. Therefore, March 1 is used on the postcard because that is the statutory deadline,” county spokesperson Marshanna Smith explained.

“State law, however, also allows us to waive the penalty for declarations filed after the March 1 deadline, up to April 30.”

Jackson County chooses to do so — meaning that while declarations filed after Friday will technically be late, the county won’t begin charging late fees for another two months.

Personal property refers to movable property like vehicles, farm equipment and some livestock. “Real” property, which usually means land and the permanent buildings on it, is only assessed by the county in odd-numbered years.

Do you have more questions about property taxes in Missouri or Kansas? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.