Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find owner names on the website?

For privacy reasons, owner names will not be displayed on the website. You will need to contact the Ada County Assessor's Office at (208) 287-7262 or visit our office located at 200 W. Front St., Boise, Idaho where our friendly front counter staff will be happy to assist you.

Where can I obtain a legal description?

Legal descriptions will be provided upon request. Please contact our office at the address provided in the response to the previous question.

How current is your data?

Our data is updated approximately once per week. Maps are updated as appropriate.

Why do you allow searches for property based on years in the future?

Our property tax system designed and developed by Ada County Information technology seperates parcels based on year. A parcel existing in 2004 will have completely different valuation, characteristics and general information than the same parcel in 2005. Furthermore, new parcels created are placed into the next year. So for example, if the current year is 2005, newly created parcels are placed into the year 2006. Also these new parcels will not have any parcel valuation history or valuation break down. The reason for this is that these values have not been finalized.

Why do new houses show an assessed value lower than the current market value?

During the first year of occupancy, homes are assessed on a pro-rated basis for the time of occupancy during the first year. In the year following first occupancy, and thereafter, properties are assessed at market value (generally within 10% of selling price). Idaho Code requires the Assessor to value properties as of January 1st each year. In times of escalating sale prices, a January 1st value may be less than what a property would currently sell for.