A typical homeowner in Prescott, Arizona pays a combined property tax rate of about $6.16 per $100 of assessed value for FY 2024/25, assuming the parcel sits inside the City of Prescott and Prescott Unified School District No. 1.1Yavapai County. Yavapai County Jurisdictions FY 2024/25 Tax Rates That figure stacks levies from Yavapai County, Yavapai College, the City of Prescott, the school district, and several special districts. Change the school district or drop a fire or library overlay, and the total moves. The rate also only tells half the story: Arizona taxes 10 percent of a home’s value, not the full value, and uses two different valuations depending on which part of the levy is being calculated.
What Makes Up the $6.16 Rate
Arizona divides every levy into primary taxes, which fund day-to-day operations, and secondary taxes, which pay for voter-approved bonds and special districts.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 42-17151 – County, Municipal, Community College and School Tax Levy Primary levy growth is capped at two percent per year by the state constitution; secondary levies tied to voter-approved debt are not.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Constitution Article 9, Section 19 – Limitation on Annual Increases in Local Ad Valorem Tax Levies
For a Prescott home inside PUSD No. 1, the FY 2024/25 rates per $100 of assessed value are:1Yavapai County. Yavapai County Jurisdictions FY 2024/25 Tax Rates
- Yavapai County general fund (primary): $1.6443
- Yavapai College operations (primary): $1.4956
- City of Prescott general fund (primary): $0.2423
- Prescott Unified School District (primary): $2.2812
- Prescott Unified bond debt (secondary): $0.0665
- Yavapai County fire district contribution (secondary): $0.0805
- Yavapai County Free Library District (secondary): $0.1346
- Flood Control District (secondary): $0.1674
- Mountain Institute JTED (secondary): $0.0500
The primary rates add up to about $5.66, the secondary rates to about $0.50, and the two together come to roughly $6.16 per $100. Two neighbors in different Tax Area Codes can see noticeably different totals even on identical homes, because the mix of overlapping districts isn’t uniform across the city. The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors sets the final rates each year once every jurisdiction submits its budget.
Turning the Rate Into a Dollar Amount
Arizona uses two valuations on every property. The Full Cash Value reflects open-market worth and is the base for secondary taxes. The Limited Property Value, used for primary taxes, cannot rise more than five percent in a year and cannot exceed the Full Cash Value.4Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 42-13301 – Limited Property Value In a hot market, your Full Cash Value can jump 15 percent while the Limited Property Value crawls up five.
Neither value is taxed in full. For an owner-occupied home (Class 3), the state applies a 10 percent assessment ratio.5Arizona Department of Revenue. Arizona Property Taxation – Classification of Property Rentals and non-primary residences also get 10 percent; commercial and industrial sit higher.
Worked example for a Prescott home with a Limited Property Value of $350,000:
- Assessed value: $350,000 × 10% = $35,000
- Primary tax: $35,000 ÷ 100 × $5.6634 ≈ $1,982
- Secondary tax: calculated the same way against Full Cash Value using the secondary rate
Any exemption you qualify for comes off the assessed value before the rate is applied.
When Property Taxes Are Due in Yavapai County
The annual bill splits into two installments. The first half is due October 1 and becomes delinquent after 5:00 p.m. on November 1. The second half is due March 1 and becomes delinquent after 5:00 p.m. on May 1.6Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 42-18052 – Due Dates and Times; Delinquency You can also pay the full year with the first installment. Once a payment goes delinquent, interest runs at 16 percent per year, prorated monthly from the first of the month.7Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 42-18053 – Interest on Delinquent Taxes; Exceptions; Waiver
The Yavapai County Treasurer takes payments online, by phone, by mail, and in person. The online processor charges $0.40 per e-check, one percent for debit cards, or 2.19 percent for credit cards, each with a $1.25 minimum.8Yavapai County. Treasurers Office Mailed checks and in-person payments carry no fee. If a mortgage escrow pays your taxes, the lender collects a monthly share with your payment and remits to the county on your behalf, but the obligation still sits with the property.
Checking and Appealing Your Valuation
The Yavapai County Assessor mails a Notice of Value by March 1. Two fields are worth confirming first: the Assessor’s Parcel Number and the four-digit Tax Area Code, which identifies the exact mix of taxing districts on your parcel.9Yavapai County Treasurer. How to Read Your Property Tax Notice and Frequently Asked Questions After that, check the property record itself: square footage, lot size, year built, pool, garage. Errors in those fields push the value up or down directly.
If you think the valuation or classification is wrong, you file a Petition for Review with the Assessor within 60 days of the notice’s mailing date, with your own opinion of value and supporting evidence.10Yavapai County. Appeals and Petitions The Assessor must decide by August 15. If the ruling isn’t what you wanted, you have 25 days to escalate to the Yavapai County Board of Equalization, which must decide by October 15. You can also skip the administrative route and file directly in Arizona Tax Court, so long as you file on or before December 15 of the valuation year.11Arizona Department of Revenue. Property Tax Appeals A pending appeal does not pause your payment obligation. All taxes must still be paid before they go delinquent.
Strong appeals rest on concrete evidence: a recent appraisal, comparable sales showing overvaluation, or proof that the Assessor’s record contains a factual error. General disagreement with the number rarely wins.
Exemptions That Lower the Bill
Senior Valuation Protection
Arizona’s Senior Valuation Protection program freezes the Limited Property Value on a primary residence for three years. It freezes the taxable value, not the rate, so your bill can still move if rates change. Qualifying requires at least one owner on title age 65 or older, two years of residency in the home, and total income across all owners below roughly $47,712 for one owner or $59,640 for two or more, averaged over the prior three years. You reapply every three years.
Widow, Widower, Disability, and Veteran Exemptions
Arizona offers a property tax exemption of up to $4,188 off assessed value for widows, widowers, and persons with a total and permanent disability, provided the property’s total assessment does not exceed $28,459.12Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 42-11111 – Exemption for Property; Widows and Widowers; Persons With a Total and Permanent Disability; Veterans With a Disability Veterans with a service-connected or non-service-connected disability also receive up to $4,188, adjusted by disability rating.
Income limits apply. Household income from all sources cannot exceed $34,901 without minor children in the home, or $41,870 with a child under 18 or a child with a total and permanent disability.12Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 42-11111 – Exemption for Property; Widows and Widowers; Persons With a Total and Permanent Disability; Veterans With a Disability These dollar thresholds are adjusted periodically. Confirm current numbers with the Yavapai County Assessor when you apply.
What Happens If You Don’t Pay
The 16 percent delinquent interest is only the first stage. If taxes stay unpaid for more than two years, the county can offer the debt at an annual tax lien auction. Investors bid for the right to pay your delinquent taxes and collect interest from you. Bidding opens at 16 percent and works downward in one-percent increments.
You can redeem the lien at any time by paying the full amount owed plus interest at the winning bid rate. If you fail to redeem within three years of the sale date, the lien holder can file to foreclose in Superior Court after giving you at least 30 days’ written notice by certified mail. If the court upholds the sale, the treasurer issues a deed transferring the property to the lien holder. A tax bill of a few thousand dollars can end in the loss of the home. If you have a mortgage, unpaid property taxes typically count as a default under the loan, and most lenders will pay the delinquent taxes themselves and add the amount to your escrow, though they aren’t required to.