Sedgwick Property Tax: Rates, Exemptions & Appeal (2026)

Direct answer: Sedgwick County’s 2026 real-property informal appeal deadline was March 31, 2026: notices began arriving March 1, and the appeal must be filed within 30 days of the mailed date. If you missed it, your next 2026 value challenge is a Payment Under Protest filed with your tax payment by the first-half/full-payment deadline; because December 20, 2026 is a Sunday and Sedgwick’s calendar extends weekend deadlines, treat Monday, December 21, 2026 as the practical next deadline. File spring appeals with the Sedgwick County Appraiser’s Office online through SmartFile, by email to ApprHear@sedgwick.gov, by mail/fax, or in person at 271 W. 3rd St. N., Suite 501, Wichita, KS 67202. (sedgwickcounty.org)

How assessments work in Sedgwick County

Sedgwick County is on an annual reassessment cycle. For 2026, the appraisal date is January 1, 2026, real-property value notices were mailed beginning March 1, informal real-property appeal meetings began March 17, the real-property informal appeal deadline was March 31, appeal-result letters were scheduled by May 20, and values were certified to the County Clerk on June 1. (sedgwickcounty.org)

The Sedgwick County Appraiser’s Office, led in the 2026 report by County Appraiser Deanna Aspedon, AAS, RMA, sets the fair-market value; it does not set tax rates, collect taxes, or decide your tax bill. The office says it physically inspects each property at least every six years, lists significant changes, and updates appraisals annually using professional standards and statistical analysis. (sedgwickcounty.org)

For most owner-occupied homes, Sedgwick County uses both the sales comparison and cost approaches. Its 2026 explanation is unusually important: the county looked for five sales within July 1, 2024 through December 31, 2025, scores them for comparability, time-adjusts sale prices to the January 1 valuation date, and may rely more on cost when comparable sales are weak. For 2026, the county also says improved residential properties generally received a 95% override of either the cost estimate or market/sales estimate, depending on which was the better indicator. (sedgwickcounty.org)

For taxes, Kansas residential property is assessed at 11.5% of appraised value. Your bill is: appraised value × 11.5% × local mill levy, with one mill equal to $1 per $1,000 of assessed value. Sedgwick County’s latest certified 2025 Wichita tax unit 6702 levy was 112.809 mills: City of Wichita 32.340, USD 259 51.402, and state/county 29.067. (sedgwickcounty.org)

Whether you should appeal

Appeal if your January 1, 2026 market value is too high or your home is being valued unequally compared with similar Sedgwick County homes. Do not appeal only because your tax bill is high; the appraiser cannot change city, school, state, fire, or other levies.

Start with three local checks:

1. Pull your property record card and value notice from Sedgwick County’s online property appraisal search. Confirm living area, basement finish, garage, condition, quality, additions, outbuildings, and whether a permit or reinspection changed the record.
2. Ask for or review comparable sales. Sedgwick says its comparable sales report lists up to five sold properties and gives each a comparability score. County guidance says 0–50 is excellent, 51–100 is good, and over 100 is weaker evidence.
3. Compare against the 2026 market context. Sedgwick reported about 186,791 residential parcels for 2026; 88% increased, 12% decreased, and the median residential increase was 10.8%, excluding new construction and use changes. That does not prove your value is right, but it tells you a 2026 increase by itself is not unusual locally. (sedgwickcounty.org)

I found no official published median dollar reduction for Sedgwick residential appeals. The county does link an Appraiser Appeals Dashboard, and a June 2025 Board of County Commissioners record reported that roughly 30% of 5,653 residential appeals saw a value adjustment; use that as context, not a promise. (sedgwickcounty.org)

Step-by-step how to file

1. Choose your appeal path. Kansas lets you challenge value only once per tax year. The better path is the spring Informal/Equalization Appeal from the valuation notice. If you miss that, use Payment Under Protest (PUP) when paying taxes. (sedgwickcounty.org)

2. Use the correct form. For the spring appeal, the official form is the appeal form on the back of your Sedgwick County Value Notice. If a representative who is not an owner, immediate relative, or attorney will appear for you, use the Declaration of Representative form. For PUP, use the Kansas BOTA Payment Under Protest Application / PR Appeal Form with Instructions (Step 1: county informal); BOTA specifically says this form is filed with the county treasurer, not with BOTA, to start the PUP process. (sedgwickcounty.org)

3. File with Sedgwick County. If you still have your original value notice, it includes an appeal code for the online appeal. Sedgwick also accepts appeals/documentation by email: ApprHear@sedgwick.gov, mail: 271 W. 3rd St. N., Suite 501, Wichita, KS 67202-1212, fax: 316-660-9284, or in person at the same 271 W. 3rd address. For commercial appeals, the county lists ApprCom@sedgwick.gov. Include the property address, AIN, or another property identifier in the subject line. (sedgwickcounty.org)

4. Submit evidence at least three business days before the meeting. Sedgwick recommends comparable sales, a recent independent appraisal, your purchase contract or closing statement, actual construction costs, photos of damage, repair estimates, and inspection reports. Videos are not accepted because of file-saving restrictions. (sedgwickcounty.org)

5. Fees. Sedgwick County’s informal appeal is not listed as having a filing fee. If you later go to BOTA, state filing-fee rules say single-family residential property and farmsteads are exempt in both Regular Division valuation appeals and Small Claims/Expedited Hearings valuation appeals. (bota.kansas.gov)

What happens after

For Sedgwick’s county-level appeal, you receive a Notice of Appeal typically about 10 days before the appointment. The hearing is a telephone or in-person meeting with an appraiser, not a courtroom trial. The county says phone appeals are reviewed the same as in-person appeals; for in-person appointments, go to 271 W. 3rd St. N., Wichita. (sedgwickcounty.org)

After the meeting, Sedgwick mails a decision letter showing either a value change or no change. If you disagree, a single-family homeowner generally must go next to the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals (BOTA) Small Claims and Expedited Hearings Division before the full BOTA. The BOTA Small Claims hearing is informal, usually heard by one hearing officer, may be conducted by teleconference or video conference, and no transcript is kept. Kansas law says the Small Claims hearing should be conducted within 60 days after filing unless the taxpayer waives that period, and the decision should be rendered within 30 days after the hearing concludes. (ksrevenue.gov)

For a BOTA appeal after the county informal result, file within 30 days from the mailing date of the informal meeting results. The EQ appeal form is normally included with the county results letter; BOTA says Equalization appeal forms are provided with the county hearing-results letter. (ksrevenue.gov)

One useful Kansas-specific option: instead of immediately appealing the informal result to BOTA, you may file a third-party fee-simple appraisal with the county appraiser within 60 days of the informal-result mailing date, if the appraisal reflects the January 1 value for the year under appeal. The county appraiser then has 15 days to review it and mail a supplemental final determination. (ksrevenue.gov)

Local tips

Use the county’s own comp logic against the value. A strong Sedgwick appeal explains why the county’s five comps are weak: different school district/market area, much larger finished basement, newer condition, superior quality, remodeled kitchen, better lot, or comparability scores above 100.

Bring a number. Do not just say “too high.” Say: “The county value is $315,000; based on these three lower adjusted sales and $18,000 of documented foundation work, I believe January 1 market value is $285,000.”

Worked Wichita example: Suppose your 2026 value is $315,000, but you prove $295,000. A $20,000 reduction lowers residential assessed value by $2,300 ($20,000 × 11.5%). Using the latest certified Wichita total levy of 112.809 mills, annual tax savings would be about $259 ($2,300 × 0.112809). If the final 2026 levy differs, your real savings will change.

Check relief programs separately from appeals. Kansas’s Homestead refund programs are state income-tax refund claims, not appraisal appeals. For 2025 claims filed in 2026, KDOR lists K-40H Homestead, K-40PT low-income senior property-tax relief, and K-40SVR for seniors/disabled veterans or surviving spouses, with different income rules. Kansas also exempts the first $75,000 of residential appraised value from the statewide school finance levy for tax year 2024 and later, reducing the bill by up to $172.50 where the statewide 20-mill levy applies. (ksrevenue.gov)

Sedgwick County Property Tax Rate

County portion only: Sedgwick County Government 2027 adopted budget lists an estimated property tax rate of 26.842 mills; Sedgwick County Fire District 1 is listed separately at an estimated 16.754 mills. A parcel's total bill can include other taxing districts and may vary by location.

Source: https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/communications/news-releases/board-of-county-commissioners-approves-2027-budgets/

When Are Property Taxes Due in Sedgwick County?

Real estate tax statements are mailed in November; the first half, or the full amount, is due by December 20, and the second half is due May 10 of the following year. Taxpayers may pay the full amount or first half by December 20 and the second half by May 10; Sedgwick County also says partial payments may be made unless the real estate has been chosen for foreclosure sale, and a Treasurer-approved prepayment agreement may allow monthly prepayments with a minimum monthly payment of $20 for 10 months.

This is not the same as the assessment appeal deadline above. The appeal deadline is your window to contest your assessed value; the payment due date is when the resulting tax bill must be paid. Missing one does not affect the other, but missing either has real consequences — one forfeits your right to appeal for the year, the other can trigger penalties and interest.

Source: https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/treasurer/frequently-asked-questions/

Property Tax Exemptions in Sedgwick County

• Kansas Homestead Refund Program (Form K-40H) — Kansas residents who owned and occupied a Kansas home during the claim year, meet the household-income and home-value limits, and also meet one qualifying condition such as age 55 or older for the entire year, blind or totally and permanently disabled for the entire year, having a qualifying dependent child, disabled veteran status, or qualifying surviving-spouse status.. Refund is a percentage of general property tax paid, based on household income; maximum refund is $700 for the current KDOR-published 2025 claim information. Yes, annual refund claim through Kansas Department of Revenue using Form K-40H/WebFile or paper. Apply by April 15 annual state tax-calendar deadline; latest published 2025 KDOR homeowner booklet says to file after 2025-12-31 and no later than 2026-04-15.. (Source: https://www.ksrevenue.gov/perstaxtypeshs.html)
• Kansas Property Tax Relief for Low Income Seniors / SAFESR (Form K-40PT) — Kansas residents age 65 or older for the entire claim year who owned and occupied a Kansas home, meet the household-income limit, and whose home does not exceed the KDOR-published value cap.. Refund is 75% of property taxes actually and timely paid on real or personal property used as the claimant's principal residence, subject to KDOR qualifications. Yes, annual refund claim through Kansas Department of Revenue using Form K-40PT/WebFile or paper. Apply by April 15 annual state tax-calendar deadline; latest published 2025 KDOR homeowner booklet says to file after 2025-12-31 and no later than 2026-04-15.. (Source: https://www.ksrevenue.gov/perstaxtypeshs.html)
• Kansas Property Tax Relief Claim for Seniors and Disabled Veterans (Form K-40SVR) — Kansas residents who owned and occupied the same homestead in the claim year and base year, meet household-income and base-year home-value limits, and are age 65 or older for the entire base year, a disabled veteran for the entire base year, or a qualifying surviving spouse.. Refund is the difference between the claimant's homestead ad valorem tax amount for the base year and the claimant's homestead ad valorem tax amount for the current tax year, subject to KDOR qualifications. Yes, annual refund claim through Kansas Department of Revenue using Form K-40SVR/WebFile or paper. Apply by April 15 annual state tax-calendar deadline; KDOR's example states a 2026 claim year K-40SVR is filed January 1, 2027 through April 15, 2027.. (Source: https://www.ksrevenue.gov/perstaxtypeshs.html)

How to Look Up Your Property Record in Sedgwick County

You can look up your property's official record at https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/propertytax/disclaimer.aspx?returnURL=/propertytax/default.aspx. Sedgwick County's official application shows property appraisal information, real property specials, taxes billed, taxes due, payment history, and online payment options for property in Sedgwick County, Kansas.