Commercial & Business Property
Oregon Commercial Property Tax Appeals
Office, retail, industrial, multifamily, and special-purpose buildings in Oregon are frequently over-assessed. Here's how commercial assessments work, the deadline to challenge yours, and what it takes to win.
How commercial is assessed
Oregon taxes the lower of Real Market Value or the Measure 50 Maximum Assessed Value (which grows ~3%/year). Commercial appeals target RMV.
Taxed on the lesser of RMV or the ~3%/yr-growing Maximum Assessed Value.
Burden of proof
The property owner (or their authorized agent) bears the burden of proving the assessment exceeds market value. The assessor's value is presumed correct until rebutted with credible evidence.
Key to a Oregon commercial appeal: RMV vs Maximum Assessed Value
An appeal only cuts the bill if RMV is pushed below the Maximum Assessed Value — check the gap first. File with the County Board of Property Tax Appeals by Dec 31, then the Magistrate Division.
Oregon Filing Deadline & Where to File
File With
County Board of Property Tax Appeals (BOPTA)
Deadline
December 31 (or January 2 if Dec 31 falls on weekend)
Window Opens
After tax statements mailed (October)
Typical Duration
2–4 months (BOPTA); 6–12 months (Magistrate Division)
Oregon Measure 50 limits assessed value increases to 3%/year. Real Market Value can differ greatly from assessed. Appeal focuses on RMV. BOPTA hearings January–April.
How commercial value is proven
Income-producing commercial property is usually valued by capitalizing net operating income (NOI ÷ market cap rate). The strongest appeals come with a clean rent roll, a trailing-12-month operating statement, current vacancy, and market cap-rate support. Where the property is owner-occupied or special-purpose, the cost and sales-comparison approaches carry more weight.
Evidence that wins a commercial appeal
- Current rent roll and a trailing-12-month operating statement
- Actual vacancy and collection loss (vs the assessor's stabilized assumption)
- Market capitalization rate support for the property type and submarket
- Recent arm's-length sales of comparable commercial buildings
- Evidence of physical, functional, or economic obsolescence
- Any change in use, tenancy, or condition since the assessment date
How to appeal a commercial assessment in Oregon
- 1Pull the assessment — confirm the assessed value, the assessment ratio/class, and how the assessor derived it (income, cost, or sales).
- 2Build the valuation — capitalize actual net operating income and gather comparable sales to establish market value as of the assessment date.
- 3File before the deadline — submit to County Board of Property Tax Appeals (BOPTA) by December 31 (or January 2 if Dec 31 falls on weekend), with the authorization signed by someone able to bind the owning entity.
- 4Present at the hearing — commercial hearings are evidence-driven; a clean income approach and credible comps carry the day.
Think your Oregon commercial property is over-assessed?
We pull the assessment, build the income-approach case, and file the appeal. Fee: 20% of first-year savings — only if we win. Nothing upfront, and the reduction can hold for years.
Assessment ratios, class rates, and deadlines in Oregon are set by statute and can change year to year, and often vary by county or municipality. Verify current figures and dates with your county assessor or clerk of the board before filing. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. TaxedFairly is a product of WebLab LLC.