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Washington funds itself very differently from Oregon, and property tax is where it shows. If you’re crossing the river to Vancouver, the most important thing to understand is that there’s no Measure 50 here — your home is taxed on what it’s actually worth, every year.
Oregon caps assessed-value growth at 3% a year and lets buyers inherit an older home’s low “compressed” value. Washington does neither. Clark County reassesses property at full market value annually, and your tax is calculated on that current value. There’s no cap to inherit and no compression to build up — if your home’s market value rises, your assessed value rises with it (subject to levy limits below).
What this means coming from Oregon: don’t expect the “tax base far below market value” effect that makes older Oregon homes cheap to hold. In Clark County, a $440,000 home is assessed near $440,000. The trade-off is the thing that brought you across the river in the first place — no state income tax — which for most retirees with real taxable income more than makes up for losing the Measure 50 cap.
| Feature | Clark County (WA) |
|---|---|
| Effective property-tax rate | Roughly 0.85–0.95% of market value |
| Assessment basis | Full market value, reassessed annually |
| Growth cap | No Measure 50–style cap; districts limited to ~1% annual levy growth |
| State school levy cap | Limited to $3.60 per $1,000 of value |
| Senior/disabled relief | Assessed-value freeze + levy exemption under an income limit (~$58K) |
Washington’s system limits how fast a taxing district’s total levy can grow (commonly about 1% a year plus new construction), which moderates bills somewhat even as values rise — but it is not a per-home assessed-value cap like Oregon’s.
Washington offers a genuine senior/disabled property-tax exemption — not a deferral loan like Oregon’s. Homeowners 61+ (or disabled) under a combined-disposable-income limit (around $58,000 in recent years, adjusted by county) can freeze the assessed value used for their taxes and have part of the levy exempted outright. If you qualify, it caps your property-tax exposure even as the market climbs. Many eligible owners never file for it — ask the Clark County Assessor whether you qualify.
On property tax alone, Oregon’s Measure 50 cap can make an older Oregon home cheaper to hold than a Clark County home of the same value. But property tax is rarely the deciding category across this border — income tax is. Washington’s zero income tax usually swamps the property-tax difference for retirees with meaningful taxable income. Put the categories together on the Vancouver vs. Portland tax guide, and compare against Oregon’s system on the Willamette Valley county tax guide.
Send us a listing — we’ll pull the assessed value, estimate the bill, and check whether you qualify for the senior freeze.
Get an exact property-tax estimateEffective rates are approximate and vary by tax district and year. Washington bills are based on annual market-value assessment subject to levy limits; the senior/disabled income threshold is adjusted periodically and by county. Verify with the Clark County Assessor. Not tax advice.