How your Grimes property tax bill actually works, and who gets what.

The Grimes city levy

For the current fiscal year, the City of Grimes levy is roughly $10.70 per $1,000 of taxable valuation. That is only the city's slice. The city itself notes it receives about 30 percent of a resident's total property tax, so do not mistake the city rate for your whole bill.

Polk or Dallas, depending on your address

Grimes straddles a county line. Most of the city is in Polk County and the west side is in Dallas County. Your total consolidated tax rate, and where you pay, follows your county of residence, so two Grimes homes of the same value can have slightly different bills. For the full consolidated rate on a specific parcel, check your county:

• Polk County: the Polk County Assessor and Treasurer publish assessments and consolidated rates.
• Dallas County: the Dallas County Assessor and Treasurer do the same for the west side.

How the taxable value is set

Iowa taxes are based on your assessed value adjusted by a statewide rollback (a percentage that reduces taxable value, set each year), then multiplied by the consolidated levy. If you think your assessment is off, both county assessors have a protest window in the spring. Check your county assessor's site for the current-year dates.

Common questions

What is the property tax rate in Grimes, Iowa?

The City of Grimes levy is about $10.70 per $1,000 of taxable value, but that is only the city's share, roughly 30% of a total bill that also includes county and school levies. Check your county for the full consolidated rate on a specific address.

Do Grimes homeowners pay Polk or Dallas County taxes?

It depends on which side of the city line you live on. Most of Grimes is in Polk County; the west side is in Dallas County. You pay through your county of residence.