March 19, 2021
St. Charles County, Missouri – As required by state law, the St. Charles County Assessor will mail approximately 42,500 personal property assessment forms for 2021 by March 26 to taxpayers who failed to respond to the initial January mailing. Personal property assessments must be filed with the Assessor every year. Forms were due by March 1. Late filing penalties will be applied on May 1.
“Completion of the form provides the opportunity to appeal the value if necessary and assures a fair and equitable distribution of taxes,” says Scott Shipman, St. Charles County Assessor. “When citizens do not declare their personal property, the tax rate for everyone in the county is impacted.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, taxpayers are strongly encouraged to file personal property using contactless methods: online, by mail, or in the drive-through drop box in front of the County Administration Building at 201 N. Second Street in St. Charles. Those who have questions or did not receive a form to declare their personal property may contact the Personal Property Department at 636-949-7420.
Ways to File
- Online – Individual personal property owners have the option to file online after receiving the assessment form in the mail. The e-filing website, account number, and unique secure access code for the individual personal property owner are printed in a purple box on the top third of the form. The e-filing website also will be available through the Assessor’s website, sccmo.org/Assessor. Those who filed online in previous years should note that the unique access code changes each year.
The Assessor website also has blank and fillable individual and business personal property forms available. - Mail – Complete the form and send to: St. Charles County Assessor, 201 N. Second Street, Room 141, St. Charles, MO 63301.
- Drop Box – Completed assessment forms must be submitted in the blue-labeled “County” drive-through drop box in front of the County Administration Building at 201 N. Second Street in St. Charles.
- In Person – Again, taxpayers are strongly encouraged to file personal property through contactless methods due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those who wish to file in person can do so at the Assessor’s service windows at the County Administration Building, 201 N. Second Street in St. Charles, 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday–Friday, excluding holidays. Forms also may be submitted in the indoor drop box located on the first floor of the Administration Building. Visitors will need to undergo a COVID-19 health screening upon entering the building and register for the Assessor’s queue through the QLess kiosk in the lobby, through the QLess app on their mobile device, or through the QLess link available at sccmo.org/Assessor or sccmo.org/QLess. Monitors in the lobby and a text notification on a mobile device will update those in the queue, and visitors will be alerted visually and audibly through the monitor or their mobile device when it is their turn to approach the windows. Staff at the security desk in the lobby are available to assist with QLess registration.
Taxpayers who do not file a personal property assessment each year find themselves at or contacting the Assessor’s Office during the end-of-the-year rush, mainly for three reasons:
- Residents did not receive a tax bill because their personal property declaration form was not returned to the Assessor.
- New residents are not familiar with the personal property declaration requirement and do not contact the Assessor’s Office to be added to the tax rolls.
- Residents experience difficulties renewing or registering license plates due to incorrect information reported on their personal property declaration.
“Our staff are available by phone and by email at persprop@sccmo.org to answer any questions and help with the personal property assessment filing process,” Shipman says.