Assessing

The mission of the City of Calais Assessor’s Office is to maintain fair and equitable assessed valuations and accurate ownership information that are the basis of the allocation of municipal property tax burden in accordance with state law. The Office maintains extensive information on all properties in Calais which is readily available for inspection or review by taxpayers and the public. Informational requests related to property taxes, tax policy or law, tax exemptions, etc. are processed as quickly as possible.

Contact:

Andrea Walton
Tax Assessor
Phone: 207-454-2521 ext. 1006
Email: assessor@calaismaine.org

Please make an appointment if you anticipate needing more than 15 minutes of time with the assessor.  If you do not have an appointment you may be asked to return on a different day.

Fiscal Year: July 1st – June 30th
Certified Assessment: 100%
FY 2022-23: Tax Rate: $17.00
Taxes Due: October 16, 2023
Interest: 8% as of October 17, 2023
Date of Tax Commitment: August 24, 2023

 

Change of Address

Please click the hyperlink above to use the fillable PDF Change of Address form to update any changes to your address for water/sewer or tax accounts. If this is for a real estate tax account, all deeded owners must sign the form.

Property Cards

Click the link above “Property Cards” to access 2023 property cards; these are listed by account number.

Documents

Parcel Viewer

Interactive Parcel Map

Parcel Viewer updated to April 1, 2019 Disclaimer: These maps are for assessment purposes only. The Tax Maps for the City of Calais are made available as a public service and reliance on any such information is at the user’s own risk. The City of Calais does not warrant the accuracy, reliability, completeness or timeliness of any information on the City’s web site and may not be liable for any losses caused by any person’s reliance on the information available on this web site. All copyrights and other rights to statutory text are reserved by the City of Calais.

Aerial Tax Maps

Aerial Tax Maps

Personal Property

Homestead Exemption

Eligibility requirements:

  • Must be a legal resident of the State of Maine
  • Must have owned a homestead property in Maine for at least the past 12 months
  • Must declare this homestead as your permanent place of residence and it must be the
    only property for which a homestead exemption is claimed (Summer camps, vacation homes and multiple residences do not qualify.
  • Must file an application with the Assessor on or before April 1

Homestead Exemption Application

Veterans Exemption

Eligibility requirements:

  • A veteran who served on active duty in the armed forces may apply for an exemption from property tax in the place where they reside provided:
  • They served during a recognized war period and have reached the age of 62 years or;
  • They served during a recognized war period and are receiving any form of pension or compensation from the United States Government for total disability, service-connected or non-service-connected, as a veteran; or
  • They were injured during active military service in the line of duty and are receiving 100% service connected disability from the United States Government; or
  • They were awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and have reached the age of 62 years; or
  • They were awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and are receiving any form of pension or compensation from the United States Government for total disability, service-connected or non-service-connected, as a veteran; or
  • They served during a recognized war period and received a grant as a paraplegic veteran for specially adapted housing units.
  • Un-remarried Widow, Widower or the Minor Child of a Veteran and Un-remarried Widowed Parent of a Veteran may also be eligible for this exemption.
  • Must file an application with the Assessor on or before April 1

Veterans Exemption Application

Widowed Spouse, Child, or Widowed Parent of a Veteran Exemption Application

Blind Exemption

Eligibility requirements:

Real estate property owners who have been determined to be blind by a licensed Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Osteopathy or Doctor of Optometry may be eligible for this exemption.

Blind Exemption Application

Property Tax and Rent Refund

Property tax and rent refund (circuit breaker) program has been repealed and replaced by a refundable “property tax fairness credit” that can be claimed on the maine individual income tax form.

The new credit will be available beginning in January 2014. Forms can be downloaded from Maine Revenue Services web site at http://www.maine.gov/revenue/forms. You may also call 207-624-7894 to request that a form be mailed to you. If you filed a Circuit Breaker application on or after August 1, 2012 a form will automatically be mailed to you at the end of 2013.

Tree Growth

Maine tax law allows for valuation as a special use category of property where land is valued according to rates established by the State rather than market value. A property owner who wishes to maintain acreage solely for commercial forest production may apply for the Tree Growth classification. Once enrolled, any development or change in use will most likely cause removal of that acreage with a substantial penalty being assessed against the property.

To apply, a landowner must:

  • have at least 10 forested acres
  • have a forest management and harvest plan
  • fill out an application to be filed with the Assessor’s Office file by April 1 in the year for which the classification is requested

If the landowner sells the property, the law requires that:

  1. a new application be filed by the new owner prior to harvesting; or
  2. a new application be filed within one year from the purchase date; or
  3. the property be withdrawn from the program.

Maine Law specifies that all parcels enrolled in the tree growth program are required to have a Forest Management and Harvest Plan prepared and subject to review and updated as needed by a Licensed Professional Forester at least every 10 years. Owners must certify that a written Forest Management and Harvest Plan has been prepared; submit a licensed professional forester’s signed statement as evidence of compliance when forester determines that land is being managed in accordance with recommendations included in the applicable plan. The previous language can be found in Bulletin #19 at the following web address:

http://www.maine.gov/revenue/forms/property/pubs/bull19text.htm.

It is the responsibility of the owner(s) to complete a new plan and file a new application and forest type map with the city every ten years. State Law requires assessors to give owners a 60 day notice when the re-file is due.

Failure to comply with any requirements of the law may result in removal of the land from the Tree Growth Tax Program. Upon removal, a substantial penalty will be assessed against the property.

Please note that if you, your spouse or business partner is actively or has recently been serving in the military, it is possible that filing deadlines and requirements may be tolled.

Maine Revenue Services For information on State law governing Property Tax Assessment

Tree Growth Application