Tax relief applications now open for homeowners rebuilding after 2020 Santiam Canyon wildfire

People who were forced to rebuild their homes after Oregon's devastating 2020 Labor Day wildfires will now be able to apply for relief from being overburdened by taxes in Marion County.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — People who were forced to rebuild their homes after Oregon's devastating 2020 Labor Day wildfires will now be able to apply for relief from being overburdened by taxes in Marion County.

Thanks to the passage of an emergency ordinance by the Marion County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday, survivors of the Santiam Canyon wildfire in 2020 can now apply for a tax assessment reset of their rebuilt homes. It means that the homes will be assessed as per the 2020-2021 tax year, bringing the tax rates to pre-fire levels.

This was all made possible by the passage of Senate Bill 1545 earlier this year, something that was championed by Marion County Chair Kevin Cameron.

“I want to thank the Legislature for getting Senate Bill 1545 through to allow this ordinance and help the people with wildfire recovery,” said Cameron in a statement. “I want to highlight that this will reset property taxes for those who rebuilt their homes after the 2020 wildfires to pre-fire levels. Some people’s taxes doubled or tripled after rebuilding, and this will remedy that.”

“We’re passing this as an emergency ordinance so that it takes effect today, and homeowners are immediately able to apply,” added Commissioner Danielle Bethell.

Instructions for determining eligibility for the tax relief program can be found at this link. The application itself can be found here.

Outside of Marion County, SB 1545 allows other counties to opt into the tax reset program.