Gogebic County property tax records are available online through the BS&A Online portal and in person at the County Treasurer’s office in Bessemer. The online system lets you search by parcel number, owner name, or address to pull assessment values, taxable value, exemption status, the millage breakdown, and payment history for any parcel in the county. If you’d rather work with a person, the Treasurer’s office at 200 North Moore Street handles the same questions by phone, mail, or walk-in.
Searching Records on BS&A Online
The county’s records live on BS&A Online. Go to bsaonline.com and select Gogebic County from the list of jurisdictions.1BS&A Online. Gogebic County The site splits into a property search (assessment details and ownership) and a tax search (payment history and current balance), and both draw from the same parcel data.
The cleanest way in is the Parcel Identification Number. It sits on any previous tax bill, on the recorded deed, or on your closing packet. Owner-name and street-address searches work too, but the PIN removes the guesswork when two properties share a similar address or one owner holds several parcels.
Basic assessment information is generally free to view. Pulling a full tax history or a detailed statement usually triggers a small convenience fee paid by card through the portal, and the statements come back as PDF downloads, so allow pop-ups in your browser.
Getting Records From the Treasurer’s Office
The Gogebic County Treasurer’s office is at 200 North Moore Street in Bessemer, MI 49911, open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., including through lunch.2Gogebic County. One-Year Financial Hardship Policy Staff can look up your balance, confirm whether a payment posted, and print official statements.
For a mail request, send the parcel number, a short note describing what you need, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Phone inquiries at (888) 604-7888 work for quick balance checks; detailed ledgers or certified statements are better handled with a visit or a written request.3Gogebic County. Tax Payment Options Turnaround slows during the summer and winter collection peaks.
How to Read the Record
A Gogebic County tax record carries several Michigan-specific figures in one document. The ones that determine what you actually pay are the State Equalized Value, the Taxable Value, and the Principal Residence Exemption status.
State Equalized Value and Taxable Value
The State Equalized Value (SEV) equals 50% of the assessor’s estimate of market value. A home the assessor believes would sell for $160,000 carries an SEV near $80,000. The county’s Equalization Department runs annual sales studies across all nine local units to keep assessed values in line with actual sale prices.4Gogebic County. Equalization Office
The Taxable Value is the figure that drives the bill. Annual taxes equal Taxable Value multiplied by the total millage rate. Under Michigan’s Proposal A, a 1994 constitutional amendment, Taxable Value cannot rise year over year by more than 5% or the rate of inflation, whichever is less, as long as ownership doesn’t change.5Mt. Morris Township. Implementation of Proposal A Michigan Constitution Article IX Section 3 That cap usually opens a gap between SEV and Taxable Value over time, which works in the owner’s favor. When the property sells, though, Taxable Value “uncaps” and resets to the SEV in the year after the sale.6City of Southfield. Uncapping Residential Property Taxes Overview Buyers regularly miss this, budget from the seller’s older tax figure, and get a surprise the following March.
Principal Residence Exemption
The Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) appears as a percentage, usually 0% or 100%. A 100% PRE means the owner occupies the property as a primary residence and is exempt from the local school district’s operating millage.7Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 211.7cc That exemption takes a meaningful bite out of the annual bill. Buying a former rental or vacation home with 0% PRE means higher taxes until you file for the exemption with the local assessor. A 100% PRE on a property being marketed as an investment is a red flag that back taxes may be owed for years the exemption was claimed incorrectly.
Millage Breakdown and Payment Ledger
The record also itemizes every millage on the parcel: county operating, township, school debt, library, and any special assessments. Below that, a ledger shows past payments and any outstanding balance. Watch the delinquency line closely. Unpaid taxes in Michigan set off a foreclosure process that starts one year after taxes go delinquent and can end with loss of the property roughly two years after that.8Michigan Department of Treasury. Foreclosure Process Timelines
What the Deadlines and Delinquent Balance Mean
Whether the record shows a current balance, an unpaid installment, or a delinquent line, the dates behind those figures are fixed by state law:
- Summer taxes become a lien on July 1 and are due by September 14.
- Winter taxes become a lien on December 1 and are due by February 14.
- All taxes must be paid by February 28 (or the last day of February). Anything unpaid on March 1 is returned to the county treasurer as delinquent.
Those dates apply unless a local city charter says otherwise.9Michigan Department of Treasury. Frequently Asked Questions Once a bill turns delinquent on March 1, the county adds a 4% administration fee and charges 1% per month in non-compounding interest calculated from the original delinquency date. On a $2,000 delinquent balance, that’s an $80 fee up front plus $20 a month in interest. October brings another $15 fee. If the balance is still unpaid the following March 1, the property forfeits to the county treasurer, a $175 title search fee is added, and an extra half-percent monthly interest starts. Foreclosure proceedings follow in circuit court, including a show-cause hearing that gives the owner a final chance to pay.8Michigan Department of Treasury. Foreclosure Process Timelines
Some residents can push the summer deadline to April 30 with no penalty or interest. That covers seniors age 62 and older, veterans and their surviving spouses, individuals who are blind, and those permanently and totally disabled. The deferment must be filed each year with the local city or township treasurer.10Gogebic County. Property Tax Deferment The Treasurer’s office in Bessemer also maintains a one-year financial hardship policy for owners who can’t pay delinquent taxes and need a payment arrangement to avoid forfeiture.2Gogebic County. One-Year Financial Hardship Policy
Appealing an Assessment Shown on Your Record
If the SEV on your record looks too high next to what the property would actually sell for, you can challenge it. There are two stages, and missing the first one closes the door on the second.
Board of Review
Each local unit in Gogebic County convenes a March Board of Review. In 2026, appeal meetings begin on March 9 (the second Monday in March), though a local unit may shift the start to Tuesday or Wednesday of that same week. The Board must hold at least 12 hours of appeal sessions during the first week, including a minimum of 3 hours after 6 p.m. All work must wrap by April 6, 2026.11Michigan Department of Treasury. 2026 Boards of Review
Bring evidence: recent comparable sales, a private appraisal, photographs of the property’s condition, or documentation of structural issues that reduce market value. The Board will not hear appeals at its organizational meeting on March 3, so don’t plan to make your case that day.11Michigan Department of Treasury. 2026 Boards of Review
Michigan Tax Tribunal
If the Board of Review doesn’t lower the assessment enough, the next step is the Michigan Tax Tribunal. For residential and agricultural property, you must have first appeared before the Board of Review, and your petition to the Tribunal has to be filed by July 31 of the tax year at issue. There’s no filing fee if the property carries a Principal Residence Exemption of at least 50%; other fees vary based on the amount in dispute. Most residential cases go through the Small Claims Division, and its decisions are final, so bring solid comparable-sales data. The Equalization Department at (906) 663-4414 can walk you through how your assessment was calculated before you commit to the appeal.4Gogebic County. Equalization Office
Exemptions That Change What the Record Shows
A few relief programs change either the assessment or the exemption line on the record. Veterans rated 100% permanently and totally disabled by the VA, those receiving specially adapted housing assistance, or those rated individually unemployable are exempt from property taxes on their homestead, and an unremarried surviving spouse can continue the exemption. The application is Form 5107, filed with the local assessing department along with VA documentation before December 31 of the year the exemption is requested. Starting in 2026, once the exemption is granted it stays in place until the owner rescinds it or the assessor denies it, so annual refiling is no longer required. The Principal Residence Exemption, covered above, is filed with the local assessor whenever a property becomes your primary residence and stays with the record until you move or the use changes.