Butler County Treasurer

Glossary of Tax Bill Terms

Parcel Number: An alphanumeric string that uniquely identifies a parcel record related to the real estate plat books that are maintained by the County Engineer’s Office. There are approximately 160,000 parcels in Butler County.

• Real Estate: Letter followed by 13 numbers. A RID or TIF parcel has a letter followed by 13 numbers and 1 letter.
• Manufactured Home: Letter followed by 7 numbers

Taxing District: The taxing district in which the parcel is located. There are 66 separate districts in Butler County.

Parcel Location: Address/location of the property.

Owner Name: Owner of the property. “ETAL” will be listed if there are multiple owner names. This means “and others”.

Legal Description: Geographical description that identifies a property’s precise location and boundaries.

100% Appraised Value: The fair market value of a property (land and building). The value is determined by the County Auditor. Their office is required to do a reappraisal once every six years and a value update in the third year following the reappraisal.

• Note: If you do not agree with the appraised value, you can file an appeal with the Auditor’s Office from January 1 to March 31 each year and have your case heard through the Board of Revision (BOR). Appeal Forms are available on the Auditor’s website.

35% Taxable Value: In Ohio, property taxes are calculated on the assessed value or 35% of the appraised value of the property.

Special Assessments: Special assessments include such items as street paving, weed removal, curb repair, etc. Special assessments can be levied by a city, village, township, or county office.

Homestead Reduction in Value:

The exemption allows qualifying seniors and disabled Ohioans to reduce their property tax burden by shielding up to $25,000 of the market value of their home from taxation. (This amount is now tied to inflation and is $26,200 for the 2023 tax year.) The savings varies by taxing district but averages around $360 per year across Butler County.  The exemption is limited to the “homestead,” which Ohio law defines as an owner’s dwelling, including up to one acre of adjacent land.

Qualifying Ohio Veterans may shield up to $50,000 of the market value of their home from taxation. (This amount is now tied to inflation and is $52,300 for the 2023 tax year.) The savings averages around $700 per year.  

CAUV Value: An owner of land devoted exclusively to agricultural use may request that his land be valued on the basis of its agricultural use rather than its true market value by filing an application with the County Auditor and renewing that application each year. The CAUV Value on the tax bill reflects the appraised value of the land under CAUV. If land previously taxed under CAUV no longer meets the requirements of the program, a portion of the accumulated tax savings on the converted land must be recouped.

• Note: For eligibility requirements, please contact the Auditor’s Office.

Gross Rate, Reduction Factor, and Effective Tax Rate:

• The Gross Tax Rate is the millage assigned when the tax levies were originally passed.
• As property values change, a levy cannot generate more or less revenue than when it was originally passed. The taxing district collects the same amount of revenue that was voted regardless of increased property values, except for added value from new construction. Because of this, there is a Reduction Factor that is established by the state and applied to the Gross Tax Rate.
• The Effective Tax Rate is then multiplied by the Taxable Value to produce the taxes due prior to applicable deductions.

Non-Business Credit Factor:  The Non-Business Credit (formerly known as the 10% Rollback) is a tax reduction for residential and agricultural parcels. The credit applies only to tax levies passed or in existence prior to the November 2013 election.

Owner Occupancy Credit Factor: The Owner-Occupancy Credit (formerly known as the 2.5% Rollback) is a tax reduction for owner-occupied residential homes. The credit applies only to tax levies passed or in existence prior to the November 2013 election.

• Note: Please contact the Auditor’s Office to find out if you qualify or visit their website to obtain an application.

Acres: Size of the parcel

Class: Classification assigned by the Auditor’s Office (Agricultural, Residential, Commercial, Industrial)

Code: Land Use Code assigned by the Auditor’s Office

Calculation of Taxes: This section details the tax calculation for the year and any reductions. This area also includes the addition of any CAUV, Recoupments, and Special Assessments. In this section, ‘Payments’ reflects payments applied to the parcel and ‘Other Credits’ reflects payments that have been applied to the taxpayer’s escrow account. The escrow monies will be posted to the parcel closer to the tax due date.

Annual Tax Distribution: Breakdown of the tax distribution/allocation for the tax year.

Backer: The tax bill backer contains a lot of useful information, including notices required by the state.