Suspension of Acceptance of BLA's & Related Documents
- treasurer411
- 15 hours ago
- 2 min read
Suspension of Acceptance of BLA's and related documents from January 1st until Post-Tax Certification
Date: October 27, 2025
To: All Planning Departments, Surveying and Title Companies
From: Bill Spencer, Benton County Assessor
Ken Spencer, Benton County Treasurer
Subject: Reminder: Suspension of Boundary Line Adjustments and Related Documents from January 1st until Post-Tax Certification
We're writing to remind you that the Benton County Treasurer's Office will again suspend acceptance of Boundary Line Adjustments, Short Plats, Long Plats, Binding Site Plans, and Condominium Declarations starting January 1st until after taxes are certified for the new tax year.
As you may recall from last year, this suspension is necessary to comply with state law and protect the integrity of the property tax levy process. Here's why:
Under RCW 84.56.345, all property taxes must be paid in full before any boundary changes can be processed. At the same time, the Assessor's Office must finalize property tax levies by January 15th each year. To ensure these levies are accurate, we need property assessment data to remain unchanged during this period.
In the past, we accepted these documents during levy finalization, but we found this created significant risks for accuracy and compliance. The suspension we implemented last year solved these problems, and we're continuing it this year.
Once the Assessor's Office certifies the levies and the Treasurer's Office certifies taxes for the new year, we'll resume accepting documents. Any pending or new boundary adjustments will be processed according to the new tax year's requirements and rates.
When we're ready to resume acceptance of documents, we'll notify Benton County Planning, Benton County Building, and all local title companies. This information will also be updated on the Treasurer website: www.bentoncountytax.com.
Thanks for your understanding and cooperation. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our offices.
Sincerely,
Bill Spencer
Benton County Assessor
Ken Spencer
Benton County Treasurer
