General Facts

Below is a list of our most "Frequently Asked Questions" concerning:

• Property Information (specific questions about parcels, online databases, ordering data)
• Property Tax exemptions and reductions
• Property Tax billing and histories
• Other Departments (Commissioners, Planning and Zoning, Recorder's documents)
• Motor Vehicles

If none of the information below answers your question, then please click here to e-mail us!

Property Information
Note: more in-depth answers concerning property appraisal are located in our "Property Appraisal FAQ".

Who do I contact with questions about my property's appraised value or maps?
You've come to the right place: the Ada County Assessor's Office website. Please feel free to browse our menu (to the left), especially the Appraisal and Land Records sections.

If none of these pages answer your questions, then feel free to e-mail our webmaster by clicking here.

Do you have data available online?
Yes. Please click here to learn about our new Online Mapping System!

Is the ownership of property public information? If so, how can you find the information?
The ownership of property is public information, but privacy concerns keep us from posting owner names on the internet. If you need ownership information on one or two parcels please call our office at 287-7200. If your research is more extensive, please come into our office and help yourself to the infromation at our public terminals.

Why won't your search engine search for addresses, names, subdivisions, etc?
The search engine "indexes" our webpages -- that is, it looks at every word on every page of our website. It then stores this information, so that when a search is conducted, it takes a look at it's index of compiled words. Any matching words are generated as a "search result".
To search for information on a specific parcel or address, please click here to visit our new Online Mapping System!

Who do I contact with questions about obtaining a mailing list?
The law prohibits us from providing mailing lists. When we provide data, the recipient signs an affidavit that the list will not be used for mailing.

Property Tax Exemptions and Reductions
Note: more in-depth answers concerning property appraisal are located in our "Property Appraisal FAQ".

Who do I contact with questions about property tax reductions and exemptions?
Our office. Please click on one of the links under the "ADMINISTRATION" menu to the left.

What is a HOMESTEAD exemption?
We are frequently asked whether a person must file under the Homestead Act to protect his or her home from creditors or a judgment.  According to Idaho Code 55-1001 through 55-1005, a person does not need to file under Idaho Homestead provisions to protect his or her homestead if the home is occupied as a principle residence.
 
Homestead is defined as "the dwelling house or mobile home in which the owner resides or intends to reside, with appurtenant buildings, and the land on which the same are situated.."  The exemption amount shall not exceed the lesser of the total net value of the lands, mobile home and improvements, or $50,000. 
 
If the property meets the definition of homestead, then it is automatically protected.  If a person owns unimproved or improved land that is not yet occupied as a homestead, then the owner must file a declaration of homestead, stating that he or she intends to make the premises his or her principle residence and include a legal description and an estimate of the cash value.  If a person owns land that is not yet occupied as a homestead, but also owns another parcel on which the owner presently resides, the owner must execute a "declaration of abandonment" (55-1004(4)).  This prevents a person from claiming two homesteads at the same time.

Property Tax billing and histories

Who do I contact with questions about property tax amounts?
The Ada County Treasurer's Office (contact information above).

Other Departments

Who do I contact with questions about Planning and Zoning?

Ada County Development Services. Contact information:

200 West Front Street
Ada County Courthouse - 2nd Floor
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 287-7900
FAX: (208) 287-7909
Hours: M-F, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Who do I contact with questions about accessing Recorder's documents?

The Ada County Clerk/Auditor/Recorder's Office. Contact information:

200 West Front Street
Ada County Courthouse - 1st Floor
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 287-6840
Hours: M-F, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Who do I contact with questions about the Commissioners' Hearing Schedule?

The Ada County Commissioners Office. Contact information:

200 West Front Street
Ada County Courthouse - 3rd Floor
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 287-7000
FAX: (208) 287-7009
Hours: M-F, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Motor Vehicles

Who do I contact with questions about Motor Vehicle Licensing?

The Ada County Motor Vehicle Licensing Division has it's own section on our website as well. You can find it in the menu to the left. Contact information:

7190 Barrister
Boise, ID 83704
(208) 377-6520
FAX: (208) 377-6760
Hours: M-F, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.