Property tax increases still capped at 4% — at least for now

DOUGLAS — The Wyoming State Board of Equalization agreed last week to certify the adjusted property values until the case is settled in court – which is good news for homeowners trying to pay their property taxes this year.

The board and Gov. Mark Gordon agreed to the terms of the agreement, which will be in place until the court case is settled after a state district court judge in Laramie approved the motion. The court battle stems from a law passed during the legislative session in 2024 which capped property tax increases at 4%.

The State Board of Equalization’s purpose is to review and adjust property tax assessments after appeals from county boards of equalization. Its job is to ensure assessments are applied uniformly across counties so no single tax base is overvalued or undervalued. The board is constitutionally required to certify that these values have been equalized, and with the new 4% cap, it has been unable to certify the assessments because some properties that would have been valued at more than a 4% increase are now undervalued.

In June, Gordon sued the board, saying that it was required to certify the assessments, while the board argues it’s constitutionally not able to certify them with the current cap in place.

That left a problem for Wyoming counties. Budgets are made using an estimated property tax revenue. Not knowing whether the board can certify the cap leaves a large discrepancy in every county budget.

“Every property, every residential property and residential land, not vacant land – it has to have a house on it – (is) capped at 4% currently,” Converse County Assessor Dixie Huxtable said. “In other words, the market may be raising your value 10% a year, but for tax purposes, I cap it at 4%. That’s the one that the State Board of Equalization says is unconstitutional, or at least results in unconstitutional values that are non-uniform.”

Last week, Gordon and the board came to the temporary agreement. The property tax estimates will remain the same as they were in April.

“So for 2026, taxpayers will see basically no change from what we sent out in April,” Huxtable said.