Paying Your Property Tax in Cherokee County
Taxes are due every October 1 and are delinquent after December 31st. Payment may be made as follows:

(a) You may come to the Revenue Commissioner’s Office, located at the Cherokee County Administrative Building, 260 Cedar Bluff Rd. Suite 102, Centre, AL 35960 and make payment in person by cash, check, money order, VISA or MasterCard.

(b) You may pay by mail with check or money order to:

Dustin St. Clair
Cherokee County Revenue Commissioner
260 Cedar Bluff Rd., Suite 102
Centre, AL 35960
(256) 927-5527 FAX (256) 927-5528

(c) Pay property tax online. This gives you the ability to pay your property taxes at your convenience, anytime day or night; the convenience of paying from your home, work or anywhere that you have access to the internet. The online option gives you the opportunity to pay your taxes securely using either a credit card, debit card, or a check. A 2.75% convenience plus $.30 transaction fee will be applied to all card transactions and a $2 fee applied to all ACH transactions. This is not a fee charged by the Revenue Commissioner’s Office, it is charged by website vendor as a convenience fee.

To pay your property taxes online, CLICK HERE.

Property Tax Timeline
View IMPORTANT PROPERTY TAX COLLECTION DATES

Online Property Tax Map/Appraisal Information
You may access Cherokee County Alabama real property data, including parcel maps, through https://isv.kcsgis.com/al.cherokee_revenue/ . This web site maintains appraisal information that is current as of the previous October 1st. Property tax payments are maintained more frequently. To use KCS:

• Go to https://isv.kcsgis.com/al.cherokee_revenue/ .
• You can search by Owner, Parcel, Address and other options.
• You will be presented with a list of properties to choose from. Each one is a link that will pull up detailed info on that parcel. Detailed information on all improvements, including year built, square footage, etc is available here.

How Taxes are Collected
Property (Ad Valorem) taxes apply to real and/or business personal property.

• Real property includes land and improvements (An improvement is anything that adds value to real property such as a house, swimming pool, garage, barn etc).
• Business personal property refers to items that are used in any business and are movable or not permanently fixed to the land.
• Taxes are collected one year in “Arrears” – or, as the title of property stood as of October 1 of previous year.
• Courtesy tax notices are usually mailed before October 1 due date. Should you receive a notice and your Mortgage Company is to pay your tax you should forward the notice to the Mortgage company.
• If you received a tax notice “In Care” of you, the previous owner held title as of October 1 of previous year. Your name will be listed first on next year’s notice. If you purchased property in the middle of tax year, contact closing attorney as to how your closing was handled and who is responsible for taxes.
• Taxes are not pro-rated. Total amount of taxes must be received before account can be posted.
• Real Estate taxes become delinquent January 1. Interest accrues at 1% per month. Additional delinquent charges are added after January 1.
• If your mortgage company has paid taxes and you receive a delinquent notice, contact mortgage company immediately verify parcel ID number and amounts they show as paid. Verify with Revenue Commission office payment being received and posted.
• If an over-payment was made, a refund will be issued to the original payer of taxes.

Adding or Removing Improvements
The law requires that owners, or their agents, must come to the Revenue Commissioner’s Office, no later than December 31st, to sign a new assessment officially reporting any improvements or any removal of structures or features from their property completed on or before October 1st of that year. Examples of assessed improvements would include new additions, swimming pools, extensive repairs, remodeling, or renovations; adding a fireplace, extra bath, patio, deck, carport, garage, etc. However such things as re-roofing, minor repairs and painting, (normal maintenance type items), would not require a reassessment.

Steps to Follow When Purchasing Real Property

1. Record your deed in the Probate Office. Many new property owners often rely on the title company, or other representative to properly record their deed. However, the final responsibility is still yours, as the owner, to see that deeds are recorded and assessed. A new deed would require a new assessment.
2. File an assessment return with the Property Assessment Division of the Revenue Commission Office. Present your recorded deed for assistance in completing your assessment return. Remember to file this assessment promptly after you receive your recorded deed to avoid increased customer traffic that occurs between October 1st – December 31st. Failure to file an Assessment Return with the Property Assessment Division can generate a penalty.
3. 3. To claim homestead, property must be owner occupied, single family dwelling, and must be claimed when assessing the property. You should contact this office for information regarding additional exemption entitlements. (256-927-5527). Additional information on property tax exemptions are listed below.
4. You may contact the Revenue Commissioner’s Office to make sure your taxes are current. On real property (land & improvements), the buyer can be held liable for any unpaid taxes. The buyer is liable for the entire year’s taxes, even if that person bought the property during the year and taxes were prorated with the seller at the time of closing. You are responsible for taxes on all property owned, regardless of how the tax bill is listed.
5. If necessary, the Revenue Commissioner’s Office has a form letter that you can provide to your mortgage company stating your estimated taxes.
6. Report any change of address to Cherokee County Revenue Commissioner, 260 Cedar Bluff Rd., Suite 102, Centre, AL 35960.
7. Property Taxes are due October 1st of each year and become delinquent January 1st. Make your tax bill payment to Dustin St. Clair, Revenue Commissioner.

Homestead Exemptions
View information about Homestead Exemptions