Tulsa County property tax is calculated by taking a percentage of your property’s market value, called the assessed value, and multiplying it by the local millage rate. Assessment ratios for homes sit between 11% and 13.5%, and total millage rates run from roughly 90 to 141 mills depending on your city and school district.1Tulsa County Assessor. School District Tax Rates – 2025 The Tulsa County Assessor sets the value, the Tulsa County Treasurer sends the bill, and payment is due in two halves: at least half by December 31 and the rest by April 1.2Tulsa County Treasurer. Tax Information and Payments
How Your Bill Is Calculated
Every January 1, the Assessor places a fair cash value on your property, which under Oklahoma law means the price it would bring in a voluntary sale between a willing buyer and seller.3Justia. Oklahoma Code 68-2817 – Valuation and Assessment of Property – Fair Cash Value – Use Value Comparable sales, condition, and the highest and best use of the land during the preceding calendar year all feed into that figure.4Tulsa County Assessor. Tulsa County Assessor – Home
Only a slice of the fair cash value is actually taxed. The Oklahoma Constitution caps the real property assessment ratio between 11% and 13.5%, and each county locked its ratio in 1996. A $200,000 home at an 11% ratio has an assessed value of $22,000.
That assessed value then gets multiplied by the millage rate for your location. One mill equals one dollar per $1,000 of assessed value. A home inside Tulsa city limits in the Jenks school district faces roughly 141 mills; a property in the Mannford area in the Keystone school district sits closer to 91 mills.1Tulsa County Assessor. School District Tax Rates – 2025 The same $200,000 home at 11% and 134 mills generates an annual bill of $2,948.
Exemptions That Lower the Bill
None of the exemptions below apply automatically. You have to file the paperwork with the Assessor’s office, and most deadlines land on March 15.
Homestead Exemption
The homestead exemption reduces the assessed value of your primary residence by $1,000. File OTC Form 900 with the Tulsa County Assessor by March 15, or within 30 days of a deed transfer if you bought mid-year. Once approved, it continues each year without re-filing until ownership changes.5Justia. Oklahoma Code 68-2888 – Homestead, Rural and Urban
Senior Valuation Freeze
If the head of household is at least 65 as of January 1, owns and occupies the home, and has gross household income at or below the HUD median income estimate for Tulsa County, the fair cash value can be frozen so it cannot increase year to year. The HUD figure changes annually, so check with the Assessor’s office for the current threshold. File by March 15 or within 30 days of receiving a notice of valuation increase, whichever is later.6Oklahoma Tax Commission. 2026 Form 994 Application for Property Valuation Limitation and Additional Homestead Exemption
Additional Homestead Exemption
This is a separate benefit with a tighter income cap: gross household income from all sources cannot exceed $30,000. Gross household income here means income of every type received by everyone living in the home, including Social Security, pensions, and public assistance, though veterans’ disability compensation is excluded. Unlike the freeze, this one requires a new application every year by March 15.6Oklahoma Tax Commission. 2026 Form 994 Application for Property Valuation Limitation and Additional Homestead Exemption
100% Disabled Veteran Exemption
Veterans with a permanent, 100% service-connected disability rating can receive a full exemption on the fair cash value of their homestead. The disability must have resulted from military action, an accident during service, or a disease contracted while on active duty. Apply with a current benefits award letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs confirming the rating. The Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs can help you obtain the letter if you need one.7Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs. Veteran Benefits Information
Paying Your Tax Bill
Bills go out in November. You can look up your account by parcel number and pay online through the Tulsa County Treasurer’s website using a credit card or electronic check (expect a small processing fee), mail a check, or pay in person at the county building.
Two deadlines matter:
- At least half the total must be paid before January 1. First-half payments cannot be accepted after December 31. If you don’t pay at least half by then, the entire balance becomes delinquent immediately.
- The remaining half must be paid before April 1, or the unpaid portion becomes delinquent and starts accruing interest and fees.
Bills of $25 or less have to be paid in full before January 1; the split-payment option doesn’t apply to them.2Tulsa County Treasurer. Tax Information and Payments
What Happens If You Don’t Pay
Delinquent taxes accrue interest at 1.5% per month. That interest keeps growing until it equals 100% of the unpaid tax, then stops.8Justia. Oklahoma Code 68-2913 – Due Date of Ad Valorem Taxes A $3,000 delinquent balance would collect $540 in interest within the first year.
If taxes stay unpaid long enough, the Treasurer puts the property up for public auction. The resale begins the second Monday in June and continues daily until all listed properties are sold. The minimum bid is the lesser of two-thirds of the current assessed value or the total of taxes, interest, fees, and costs owed. You can redeem the property at any time before the auction starts by paying everything owed; once the auction begins, that window closes.
A narrow carve-out exists for homeowners who are 65 or older or totally disabled, live in a single-family home that isn’t rented, have gross income below the federal poverty guidelines, and own property worth no more than $180,000. They may qualify for an exemption from the resale process.9Tulsa County Treasurer. June Real Estate Auction FAQ
Challenging Your Valuation
If the Assessor’s number looks too high, you have 30 calendar days from the date on your Notice of Valuation to file an informal written protest. Even if your value didn’t change this year, you can still protest on or before the first Monday in April.10Tulsa County Assessor. Frequently Asked Questions
The protest has to be made on a form prescribed by the Oklahoma Tax Commission and include the facts supporting your disagreement. You can download the form, pick one up at the Assessor’s office, or call (918) 596-5100 to request one. Only the owner of record as of January 1 or their representative can file. The office will schedule an informal hearing, in person or by phone.
If the informal hearing doesn’t resolve things, you can escalate to the county Board of Equalization within 15 calendar days of the date the informal decision is mailed. Send one copy to the county clerk (who acts as the Board’s secretary) and one to the Assessor. The Board can take evidence, subpoena witnesses, and confirm, adjust, or correct the valuation. If you skip the hearing without giving advance notice, the county can assess preparation costs against you, and those have to be paid before you can appeal further to district court.11Oklahoma Tax Commission. 2026 Form 976 Formal Appeal County Board of Equalization
Protests that succeed usually come with evidence: recent comparable sales, an independent appraisal, photographs of condition issues, or documentation of errors in square footage or lot size. Simply disagreeing with the number rarely works.
Business Personal Property
If you run a business in Tulsa County, you also owe ad valorem tax on tangible personal property: equipment, machinery, furniture, fixtures, and other business assets. You report these on Oklahoma Tax Commission Form 901, listing each asset with cost and acquisition date. The assessment date is January 1, and the form is due no later than March 15.
Missing March 15 triggers a mandatory 10% penalty. If the rendition still isn’t filed by April 15, the penalty jumps to 20%. The form has to be postmarked by the deadline; metered mail stamped by the post office after March 15 still carries the penalty.12Oklahoma Tax Commission. 2026 Form 901 Business Personal Property Rendition Business personal property is assessed at a ratio between 10% and 15%.
A Note on Sales Tax
Property tax and sales tax are separate. On most purchases inside the City of Tulsa, the combined sales tax rate is 8.517%: 4.5% state, 0.367% county, and 3.65% city.13City of Tulsa. Sales Tax in Tulsa Other cities in Tulsa County, including Broken Arrow, Jenks, and Owasso, set their own municipal rates, so the total at the register depends on where you buy. The 0.367% county portion is the same countywide.