Assessor FAQs
Q. Why did my property taxes increase this year?
Your property tax is determined in part by the net taxable value of your property, which varies with fluctuations in the real estate market and any modifications you may have made to the property, in part by the revenue needs of state, city and county governments, and school districts, and exemptions to which you may be entitled. These are melded together by the Department of Taxation and Revenue into a combined tax rate, which after multiplication by the net taxable value of your property and application of a statutory limit on increases sets your property tax. Any of these factors can fluctuate and may result in a change in your tax. If you still have questions you can call or visit our offices for help.
For more information regarding property taxes please visit our website.
Q. Does the County Council superintend, manage or supervise the Assessor's Office?
No. The County Council has no superintending authority over the Assessor. The State Department of Taxation and Revenue has general supervision over the Assessor, who is elected and ultimately answers to the public.
Q. What does property valuation mean?
The valuation set for property by the County Assessor is based on the Assessor’s opinion of the market value of your property, which may include your residence, vacant land, commercial property, and other taxable property.
Q. How are the changes in the value of my property determined?
The Assessor is required by state law to determine and maintain the current and correct market value of property. This is best determined by sales of comparable property but may be determined by other means. For real property the office collects market data, inspects every property at least once every five years, monitors building permits, subscribes to aerial photography, and uses computer-assisted-mass-appraisal (CAMA) software to develop a value as of January 1 of each tax year. On our website you will find more detailed information as to how the net taxable value and the property tax are determined (See 7-36-15 NMSA 1978).
Q. When may exemptions be claimed?
Exemptions must be claimed between January 1st and thirty days after the date of mailing of the Notice of Value. Exemptions are removed if the property changes ownership and the new owner must apply by thirty days after the date of mailing of the Notice of Value in the next tax year. Notice of Value are usually mailed on or before April 1.
Q. Must a manufactured home be assessed with the County Assessor?
Yes. By state law, manufactured homes must be assessed for property taxes. The Assessor requires a copy of the manufactured home vehicle registration or the title, along with the manufactured home location. See our website for more information on manufactured homes.
Q. I am in the process of moving or selling my manufactured home. What is required for me to do so?
By state law, manufactured homeowners have to prepay taxes if they are going to sell or move their manufactured home to a new location. Current year taxes have to be paid before the manufactured home can be moved or the title is transferred to the new owner. See our website for more information on manufactured homes.
Q. Is there a limit on the increase of my property taxes?
Tax increases are constrained by an annual limitation of 3% in the full taxable value (see our website for a description of how this works) and to “yield control,” which applies to receipts from property taxes of certain tax entities, not to valuation. It places a cap on how much property tax local taxing agencies (tax entities) may receive. For example taxes assessed to retire voter approved bonded debt are not subject to yield control, but the overall total tax increases for the operational budgets of most local governments are subject to yield control.
Q. What is a Notice of Value?
The NOV is a notice of the net taxable value the Assessor has determined for a property based on the prior year's market, any other changes in the value of the property, and applicable exemptions. It calculates an estimated tax based on the previous year's tax rate.
Q. When will I receive my notice of value?
The Assessor is required to mail one Notice of Value for each assessed property by April 1 of each year.
Q. How does an appraiser value my property and why is the Assessor's valuation different from a fee appraisal?
The Assessor uses national standard techniques and systems to determine the current and correct market value of your property, which we denote by the term "Fair Market Value". The Assessor's valuation may differ from a value estimate from a fee appraiser. Many reasons may explain the difference. One is that the Assessor's "effective date of valuation" is a fixed time in the past January 1 of the current tax year. A fee appraiser values a property as of a recent inspection date, based on recent sales of nearby properties that have been adjusted to compensate for differences in property characteristics and other factors to make them "comparable" to the subject property. Starting from the Fair Market Value, the Assessor applies statutory exemptions and limitations to arrive at the net taxable value to which the tax rate will be applied. Also, the Assessor only inspects properties once every five years, and uses market data and mass appraisal techniques to determine new fair market values every year, which inevitably produces slightly different results than fee appraisal. We have ongoing quality control based on “sales ratio” studies – comparing the sales price of Los Alamos properties with our assessed values – and we can make adjustments based on those studies. Most years our overall sales ratio comes out about 0.98 (i.e., appraised values average about 2% under market). See our website for the annual Property Valuation and Maintenance Plan which gives a more detailed explanation of sales ratio studies.
Business Personal Property
The Assessor is required by state law to assess business equipment. Tangible personal property is property "that is used, produced, manufactured, held for sale, leased or maintained by a person for purposes of the person's profession, business or occupation; and for which the owner has claimed a deduction for federal income tax purposes during any federal income taxable year occurring in whole or in part during the twelve months immediately preceding the first day of the property tax year" (NMSA 7-36-8), and is not permanently affixed to or part of real estate
.
Q. When Must Business Personal Property be reported?
Businesses must report by the last day of February, each year.
Q. What Items should be reported?
- Office furniture and fixtures, file cabinets, books and bookcases, desks and decorative items
- Store equipment such as racks, shelves, shopping carts, equipment, typewriters, time clocks, and ATM's
- Restaurant equipment including tables, booths, chairs, drink dispensers, freezers appliances, sinks and cookware.
- Apartment, motel and hotel equipment including furniture, exercise equipment, appliances, lighting, and decorative items.
- Machinery and heavy equipment as well as shop tools, dental tools, drilling equipment, portable sheds, dumpsters
- forklifts, engraving machines, welding equipment and mortuary equipment.
- Electronic equipment, such as sound systems, alarm systems, musical instruments, fax machines, computers, camera
- Equipment, postage scales, vending machines, radios, televisions
- small tools, and video recorders
- Leased equipment is also assess able.
Exemptions
Under New Mexico Property Tax Law, NMSA 1978, chapter 7, there are two categories of individual property taxation exemptions and several categories of institutional and governmental exemptions. Individual exemptions are available for head of family and qualifying veterans. Institutional exemptions are available for governmental agencies, schools, service organizations (nonprofit), churches and special status exemptions.
Head of Family: If Property changes ownership after the 1st of the year, the exemption will be removed on January 1st of the following year and the new owner must apply by the last day of the 30-Day Protest Period to qualify for the new tax year.
Q. Who is eligible for the Head of Family Exemption and how is it applied?
The state statute on this read: As used in this section, Head of the Family means an individual New Mexico resident who is either married; widow or widower; Head of Household furnishing more than one half the cost of support of any related person; or a single person.
Those eligible for this exemption must apply for it only once to receive it in subsequent years. Only one family exemption per household is permitted, and it must be the property in which the owner resides in the state of New Mexico. The Head of Household exemption is currently capped at $2,000 and is applied to the net taxable value of the home.
Veteran Exemption: If property changes ownership after January 1st, the exemption will be removed on January 1st of the following year and the new owner must apply by the last day of the 30-Day Protest Period in order to qualify for that tax year (7-38-17 NMSA 1978).
Q. How is the Veteran Exemption status determined and how does it affect property taxes?
There are two Veteran's exemptions, one for all qualifying veterans and one for disabled veterans. The New Mexico Veteran's Service Commission determines all eligibility and issues certificates to all qualifying veterans. The certificates (original documents only) may be used to claim the New Mexico Property Tax Exemption. Once the exemption is claimed, it is retained for subsequent years without having to reapply. Veterans with certificates should apply for exemption with the Assessor. Veterans have until 30 days after the official mail date of their Notice of Value to apply. NOV's are mailed on or before April 1. Surviving spouses may receive the exemptions if they qualify with the New Mexico Veteran's Service Commission. For more information, call the Veterans Service Commission in Santa Fe at (505-827-6354 or 505-827-6374).
The veteran's exemption provides for a $10,000 exemption from property taxes on a home, applied to the net taxable value, and is subject to annual cost-of-living increases. The disabled veteran's exemption is the amount of the percentage of disability of the qualifying veteran, applied to the net taxable value. If more than one disabled veteran resides in the home the highest disability rating is the one applied.
APPEALS PROCESS: Protesting Assessment Values
Q. When can I protest my valuation as determined by the Assessor?
A property owner may protest the value of classification by the Assessor, the allocation of the value of the property, or denial of a claim for exemption by filing a petition with the Assessor no later than 30 days after the mailing of the Notice of Value. A taxpayer may file a letter of inquiry and the Assessor may elect to resolve the question without going through a formal protest.
Q. What is the protest process if I disagree with the Assessor's valuation?
To start the protest process in the County, you should:
- Fill out a protest form.
- Forms may be obtained through this website or by contacting the Assessor's Office.
- Mail in the form or bring it to the Assessor's Office in person. It is helpful if you provide them with a copy of your documentation; do not give them your original.
- A formal hearing with the Valuation Protest Board will be set.
- An informal meeting may be set with a field appraiser.
- If the dispute is not resolved satisfactorily at the Board hearing, you may make an official appeal to the Court of Appeals.
Q. May I review my records at the Assessor's Office for my protest?
Yes. You can also view most of your property’s information online .
https://eagleweb.losalamosnm.us/assessor/web/
Click on EagleWeb.
You may call or visit our office for help or information. 505 662-8030, 1000 Central Ave. Ste 210.
Q. How do I estimate my Property Taxes?
Fair Market Value
The most probable price in a competitive and open market, the buyer and seller acting prudently and knowledgeably and not affected by undue stimulus. Determined by analysis of sales prices in the previous calendar year, and adjusted to Jan 1 of the new calendar year.
Full Value
Fair market value adjusted to honor limitations on annual tax increases required for residential properties (3%, and 65 or disabled),
Taxable Value
Full Value times the tax ratio (1/3).
Net Taxable Value
Taxable Value minus exemptions (Head of family - $2000, Veteran ($10,000), Disabled Veteran - by percent of disability rating),
Tax Rates as of 2025 for Los Alamos County:
Residential 0.023737
Non-Residential 0.029207
Multiply the net taxable value by the tax rate.