April 2, 2025

“Oklahoma’s weather is always changing and over the last six months, we had tornadoes in November, and March wildfires destroyed more than 400 homes and businesses in Oklahoma County.  For the hundreds of impacted residents, the Oklahoma County Assessor’s Office has the legal ability to reduce property taxes by approximately $356,000 after these unexpected tragedies,” said Oklahoma County Assessor Larry Stein.

The Oklahoma County Assessor’s Office sent out our field appraisers as soon as possible to evaluate the latest damage.  The wildfires were fueled by extremely high winds that caused embers to hopscotch all over—the only pattern of damage was created by the random winds.

The final count was 24 Oklahoma County properties that were damaged or destroyed by the March 2025 wildfires.  The properties impacted had a value of MORE THAN $11 Million and suffered $6.5 Million in damage.  This reduction in value means those property owners will have a combined estimated property tax savings of $40,211.

November’s late-in-the-season tornadoes and storms impacted more than 386 properties resulting in $44 Million of damage.  Those property owners saved $316,000 in reduced property taxes after the storm. 

“What is always amazing is how Oklahomans are aware of these events.  Miraculously there wasn’t any loss of lives in these two latest natural disasters and injuries were limited.

“What happens next when storms or wildfires destroy homes and businesses?  The Assessor’s Office reports the damage that is documented to the County Board of Tax Roll Corrections (TRC).  When the property value is reduced, the property taxes on the real property may also be reduced. The land will still have a value and create a property tax obligation for the owner,” Stein said.

Oklahoma County Treasurer Butch Freeman’s Office will take all the information from the TRC. The treasurer’s office will reduce or refund property taxes due to damage caused by the storm or fire.

“Before legislative changes suggested by assessors, there was no provision to reduce property value after natural disasters during the current year.  The legislature approved the changes after wildfires in Central Oklahoma in April of 2010.  Just like this Spring’s wildfires, those in 2010 hopscotched across the county destroying more than 100 homes and injuring more than 30 people.  Without this legislative change in Title 68 of State Statutes, homeowners would have suffered the loss of their home and have been required to pay the entire year’s property taxes on a home that was no longer there,” Stein said.

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