Business Use & Personal Property

Business Use Process

Any accounts located within the corporate boundaries of the City of Ketchikan are required to file a declaration form and will be taxed based on the City of Ketchikan levy. Personal Property is not taxable if it is permanently located outside of the city limits of Ketchikan. However, if the property is actively used within the city limits of Ketchikan, it is taxable regardless of where the owner may live or the property may be stored.

Notifications to Personal Property owners who are required to file a return for the subsequent tax year are mailed in September. This notification contains all information required by the property owner to complete the filing as well as the directions to download the forms to complete the return. If requested, the Department will mail the property owner’s a paper copy of the return. Completed returns must be returned to the Department of Assessment by January 15th of the tax year.

Blank declaration forms are available below; also provided is a declaration form in Microsoft Excel format if you prefer:

• 2023 Business Personal Declaration Form (PDF)
• 2024 Business Personal Declaration Form (Excel)

Personal Property

A new exemption for personal property was adopted in 2012 by the City of Ketchikan. There is now a $25,000 exemption for business personal property which is deducted from the business’s total assessed value. Note that if your personal property is less than $25,000, this filing is still required. Failure to file this report is subject to a fee of $200 per borough code.

Type of Property

Individual business and personal property declaration information is confidential.

Assessed personal property includes but is not limited to office furniture, business machine and equipment, aircraft, heavy equipment, generators, and trade tools. Business inventory is exempt.

Property No Longer Exists

Entities which no longer have business/personal property within the City of Ketchikan or who are out of business, are expected to make that notation on their declaration and return it to the Department of Assessment so that the account can be inactivated. This provides us with information we need to update the business account with the new owne’s information or to cancel the account if the business is closing. This will also ensure that the final tax bill is sent to the appropriate person.

Ketchikan Gateway Borough (KGB) 4.45.190(a) Failure to file return; penalty

(a) If a taxpayer fails to file a return as provided in 4.45.170(a) by January 15 of the tax year and, as allowed under 4.45.180, the assessor prepares a valuation based upon information available or obtained by the assessor of the taxable property (also referred to as a "forced filing") the taxpayer shall be subject to a fee of two hundred dollars ($200) for the costs of the assessor’s preparation of the forced filing return. Upon formal request by the taxpayer, the assessor may grant an extension of up to 30 days to submit the return. The assessor shall notify the taxpayer of the fee as of the date of mailing of personal property assessment notices.

The KGB is responsible for administering the business personal property assessment and taxation program for the City of Ketchikan as mandated by state statutes.