Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 679 By: Deevers
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to ad valorem taxation; creating the
7 Property Tax Transparency Act; providing short title;
8 stating purpose; defining terms; prescribing annual
8 assessment statement; prescribing information
9 included on property tax bill; requiring certain
9 entities to provide certain report; requiring the
10 mailing of bill; authorizing property owners to
10 access certain information; authorizing protest of
11 valuation; requiring assessors to maintain online
11 platform; requiring annual audit; requiring the State
12 Auditor and Inspector to enforce the provisions of
12 act; providing fine for certain violation; allocating
13 fine collections; providing for misdemeanor for
13 certain violation; requiring State Auditor and
14 Inspector to prepare annual report; providing for
14 noncodification; providing for codification;
15 providing an effective date; and declaring an
15 emergency.
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18 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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19 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law not to be
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20 codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows:
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21 This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Property Tax
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22 Transparency Act".
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23 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law not to be
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24 codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows:
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Req. No. 1354 Page 1
1 The purpose of this act is to ensure full transparency in
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2 property tax assessments and billing by mandating detailed reporting
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3 of:
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4 1. Fair cash value with the methodology used for determination;
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5 2. Assessment ratios;
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6 3. Exemptions;
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7 4. Property taxes; and
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8 5. A breakdown of how property tax revenues are allocated and
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9 spent.
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10 The act further requires that a copy of the property tax bill is
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11 sent directly to property owners, even if the property is in escrow
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12 and the bank is responsible for payment.
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13 SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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14 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 2802.3 of Title 68, unless there
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15 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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16 A. As used in this act:
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17 1. "Fair cash value" means the estimated market value of a
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18 property as determined by the county tax assessor using standardized
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19 methodologies pursuant to Section 2817 of Title 68 of the Oklahoma
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20 Statutes;
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21 2. "Assessment ratio" means the percentage of the fair cash
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22 value that is subject to taxation, as established by state law or
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23 local regulations pursuant to Section 8 of Article X of the Oklahoma
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24 Constitution;
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Req. No. 1354 Page 2
1 3. "Exemptions" means reductions in taxable value granted based
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2 on eligibility criteria including, but not limited to, age, income,
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3 and property use;
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4 4. "Property tax bill" means a document detailing the property
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5 taxes owed, including how the total was calculated, and sent to the
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6 property owner; and
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7 5. "Escrow" means a financial arrangement where a third party
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8 holds funds on behalf of property owners to pay property taxes and
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9 other obligations.
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10 B. County tax assessors shall include in the annual assessment
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11 statement:
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12 1. The fair cash value of the property; and
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13 2. A detailed explanation of the methodology used to determine
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14 the fair cash value, including:
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15 a. comparable sales data, including addresses and sale
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16 prices of similar properties,
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17 b. adjustments made for property-specific factors such as
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18 size, age, condition, and location, and
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19 c. any other considerations affecting valuation, such as
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20 zoning changes, recent improvements, or market trends.
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21 C. The assessment ratio applied to calculate the taxable value
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22 of the property shall be clearly stated, along with a citation to
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23 the legal authority setting the ratio.
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1 D. A detailed list of all exemptions or abatements applied must
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2 be provided, including:
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3 a. the type of exemption,
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4 b. the dollar value of each exemption, and
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5 c. the basis or criteria for eligibility.
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6 E. The total property taxes owed shall be calculated and
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7 presented, with a clear breakdown showing:
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8 1. The taxable value of the property after applying the
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9 assessment ratio and exemptions;
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10 2. The tax rates for each taxing entity including, but not
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11 limited to, schools, municipalities, special districts; and
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12 3. The dollar amount allocated to each taxing entity.
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13 F. Each property tax bill shall include a breakdown of how the
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14 tax contributions of the owner are spent, expressed as a percentage
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15 of the total taxes collected. The breakdown shall include
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16 categories such as:
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17 1. Public education;
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18 2. Public safety, including, but not limited to, police
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19 departments, fire departments, and emergency services;
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20 3. Infrastructure and transportation;
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21 4. Administrative and operational costs;
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22 5. Debt servicing; and
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23 6. Any other significant expenditure categories specific to the
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24 taxing entities.
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1 G. Taxing entities receiving property tax revenues shall
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2 provide detailed annual expenditure reports to the county tax
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3 assessor, ensuring accurate and up-to-date allocation data for
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4 inclusion in property tax bills.
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5 H. A copy of the property tax bill shall be sent directly to
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6 the mailing address of the property owner, regardless of whether the
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7 property is in escrow or the bank is responsible for payment with
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8 designation if the property tax is paid via escrow or not. If a
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9 property tax bill is sent to an escrow holder, it shall include a
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10 statement that a copy of the bill has also been sent to the property
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11 owner.
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12 I. Property owners shall have the right to access and review
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13 all records and data used in determining the fair cash value of
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14 their property.
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15 J. Property owners may formally contest the fair cash value of
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16 their property by requesting a review, during which the county tax
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17 assessor must provide justification and supporting documentation for
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18 the valuation.
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19 K. County tax assessors shall maintain an online platform where
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20 property owners can access their assessment, fair cash value
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21 determination, assessment ratio, exemptions, and tax liability. The
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22 platform shall include a searchable database allowing property
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23 owners to locate detailed information about their property and
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24 download relevant reports.
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Req. No. 1354 Page 5
1 L. Independent third-party audits shall be conducted annually
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2 to verify the accuracy and fairness of property tax assessments and
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3 billing processes. Audit findings must be published on the online
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4 platform of the county within thirty (30) days of completion.
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5 M. The enforcement of this act shall be the responsibility of
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6 the State Auditor and Inspector, in collaboration with the relevant
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7 county authorities. The State Auditor and Inspector shall oversee
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8 compliance with the reporting and transparency requirements. County
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9 governments shall assist by identifying and reporting violations at
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10 the local level.
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11 N. Failure to provide a copy of the property tax bill to
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12 property owners shall result in a fine not to exceed One Thousand
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13 Dollars ($1,000.00) per violation. Fines shall be collected by the
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14 State Treasurer and shall be allocated as follows:
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15 1. Fifty percent (50%) to the State Auditor and Inspector;
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16 2. Twenty-five percent (25%) to the county fund of the county
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17 where the violation occurred; and
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18 3. Twenty-five percent (25%) to the municipality where the
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19 violation occurred. If the violation did not occur in a
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20 municipality, then the portion provided by this paragraph shall be
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21 allocated to the county fund of the county where the violation
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22 occurred.
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23 O. Knowingly providing inaccurate information in property
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24 assessments, tax bills, or expenditure breakdowns shall be treated
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Req. No. 1354 Page 6
1 as a misdemeanor punishable under applicable state laws. Fines for
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2 false or misleading reporting shall be collected by the State
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3 Treasurer and distributed using the same allocation percentages
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4 provided in subsection N of this section.
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5 P. The State Auditor and Inspector shall prepare an annual
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6 report detailing:
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7 1. The number and nature of violations;
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8 2. Total fines collected and their allocation; and
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9 3. Recommendations for improving enforcement and compliance
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10 with this act.
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11 SECTION 4. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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12 SECTION 5. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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13 of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
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14 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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15 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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17 60-1-1354 QD 1/19/2025 5:41:13 AM
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Req. No. 1354 Page 7Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.