Oregon taxes assessed value, not what you paid. How Measure 50 works, how to look up any account, when the bill is due, how it is prorated at closing, and the 2026 relief programs.
Oregon does something most states do not. It taxes a number that is usually well below what your home is worth. The gap between assessed value and market value explains why two identical houses on the same street can carry very different tax bills, and it is the first thing a Bend buyer or seller should understand. Every rule below is from the Oregon Department of Revenue or Deschutes County.
Assessed value versus what you paid
Measure 50, passed in 1997, set every property's maximum assessed value and limited its growth to 3% per year, no matter what the market does. Your tax is charged on assessed value, which is the lower of that capped number and the real market value. Central Oregon prices have grown far faster than 3% a year for most of the time since, so on most homes the assessed value sits well below the market value. A long-held home carries decades of capped growth. A newly built home enters the rolls closer to market. That is why your bill and your neighbor's can differ on the same street.
Your purchase does not reset the assessed value to the price you paid. That is the part that surprises buyers from California and other states.
What Deschutes County owners actually pay
In the Oregon Department of Revenue's property tax statistics report for fiscal 2025-26, Deschutes County's average consolidated rate was $16.80 per $1,000 of assessed value. Because assessed value trails market value, that works out to an average effective rate of about 0.698% of real market value, which the report states as $6.98 per $1,000 of Measure 5 value. At that effective rate a home at Bend's ninety-day median sale price of $733,000, as of September 7, 2026, carries about $5,116 a year. Your exact rate depends on your tax code area, so two Bend addresses can differ.
Looking up an account
Every Deschutes County account is public on the county's DIAL lookup at dial.deschutes.org. Search by address, owner, or account number and you get the assessed value, the real market value, the tax code area, and the current bill. Before you write an offer, look up the house. Before you list, look up your own and the comps. The rate depends on your tax code area, which is the specific stack of city, school, fire, and bond levies where the home sits, so two Bend addresses can differ.
The calendar
Statements go out by October 25. Pay in full by November 15 and you get a 3% discount. Pay two-thirds by then and the discount is 2%. Otherwise the bill splits into thirds due November 15, February 15, and May 15. When November 15 falls on a weekend the deadline moves to the next business day, and for 2026 Deschutes County lists Monday, November 16 as the due date. Oregon's property tax year runs July 1 through June 30.
Buyer budgeting
Use the current bill from DIAL for the payment estimate, and know that it will grow on the capped schedule rather than jumping to your price. Your lender collects a prorated share at closing and then a monthly amount in escrow. Insurance is the other line in that payment, and it varies by address more than tax does here.
Seller prorations
At closing the escrow officer splits the current tax year to the day. If you have already paid the year in full, you get the buyer's share back on the settlement statement. If the year is unpaid, your share through closing comes out of your proceeds. Either way the tax picture is part of the net sheet we send with every offer.
Relief programs for 2026
Senior and disabled deferral. Oregon does not freeze taxes for seniors. It offers a deferral. The state pays the tax, places a lien on the home, and collects the balance with 6% annual interest when the home sells or transfers. For the 2026-27 tax year you qualify at age 62 or older, or if you are disabled and eligible for Social Security disability benefits, with household income under $70,000 and at least five full years owning and living in the home, per the Department of Revenue's program guide.
Disabled veteran exemption. For 2026 a qualifying veteran or surviving spouse can exempt $27,092 or $32,512 of assessed value, depending on the category. The amount rises 3% each year. Claims are filed with the county assessor on or before April 1 before the tax year.
Active-duty exemption. Set by formula under ORS 307.286, not by a published table: $60,000 of assessed value in the 2005-06 tax year, growing 3% a year since. The county assessor quotes the current-year figure when you file.
If you think the number is wrong
Appeals go to the county's Property Value Appeals Board. The petition is due by December 31, or the next business day. The appeal argues the real market value as of the assessment date, so recent comparable sales are the evidence that moves the board. If you bought the home for less than the county's market value, the closing statement is the first exhibit.
Who to call
Deschutes County Assessor, 541-388-6508, Deschutes Services Building, 1300 NW Wall Street, second floor, Bend.
Questions
How are property taxes calculated in Deschutes County?
The tax is the assessed value multiplied by the rate for the home's tax code area. Assessed value is the lower of the real market value and a maximum assessed value that Measure 50 caps at 3% growth per year. Both numbers and the rate are on the county's DIAL lookup for any address.
Will my taxes jump after I buy?
No. Oregon does not reset assessed value to your purchase price. The assessed value keeps growing on the 3% capped schedule, so the bill you see on DIAL before you buy is close to the bill you will get after.
How are property taxes handled at closing?
Escrow prorates the current July-through-June tax year to the closing day. The seller pays through closing, the buyer pays from closing on, and if the seller already paid the year in full the buyer's share is credited back on the settlement statement.
Are Bend property taxes high compared with other Oregon cities?
The rate depends on the tax code area, and the bill depends on how long the home has been held under the 3% cap, so a citywide ranking does not tell you much. Compare the actual bill on DIAL for the house you are considering with the bill on a comparable house wherever you are comparing.
Where do I look up a specific property's taxes?
The Deschutes County DIAL lookup at dial.deschutes.org. Search by address, owner, or account number for the assessed value, the market value, the tax code area, and the current bill.
Next step
When we run comps for a purchase or a sale, the tax picture comes with them. Value my home for a written valuation with a net sheet, or get listing alerts and look up each home on DIAL before you tour.
Matt RyanOwner & Principal Broker at Ryan Realty.
