Assessment and Property Taxes

Collecting residential and non-residential property taxes is one of the various ways the City of Medicine Hat funds municipal services. Your property taxes fund services like:
  • Police and fire protection
  • Road maintenance and snow clearing
  • Parks and swimming pools
  • Public transit
  • Utility infrastructure (water, sewer, etc.)

Each year, City Council approves the total amount of money required to support City services. Other sources of revenue including license fees, user fees and provincial grants, are subtracted from this amount. The remaining balance is the amount the City must collect through property taxes. The total tax budget is then distributed amongst all property owners throughout the city.

Your property assessment is used to determine your share of the total taxes collected.

Assessment

brick house

Learn more about residential, non-residential, multi-family and supplementary property assessment.

row of houses with one appearing in red

Look up your assessment for free and see the assessment roll from previous years.

a man and woman looking at a computer

Learn what to do if you feel there has been an error with your assessment.

Important dates

Expand to view important assessment and taxation dates

February 28

Assessment Notices mailed

Assessors will be available to respond to questions or concerns with your Property Assessment

May 6

City Council sets tax rate

May 7

Assessment Complaint Deadline

All completed forms and complaint fees must be received by the Clerk of the Assessment Review Board

May 21

Property Tax Notices mailed

June 28

Property Taxes due

Last day to sign up for the Tax Instalment Payment Plan for 2024

Fall

Supplementary Assessment Notices mailed

All completed forms and complaint fees must be received by the Clerk of the Assessment Review Board

December 31

School Support Declaration deadline to be included on next year's tax notice

Assessment Forms

Non-residential Assessment Request for Information Packages (ARFI)
Requests FROM the Assessment Department 

Please download PDF form prior to completing.

Need Help Completing your ARFI?  

Completed ARFI examples are below.  If your ARFI type is not listed or you require assistance, please call 403-529-8114, ext. 2.

Assessment Detail Summary Request for Information - NEW for 2024

This request is to be completed when an assessed person is seeking current year assessment detail reports.

There will be no fee associated for this request and we will endeavor to complete your request within 7 days.

While this information is being made available to assist the City of Medicine Hat taxpayers, this request is NOT a proper request under Section 299 or 300 of the Municipal Government Act. An official 299 or 300 request can be made using the appropriate forms located below.

 Assessment Detail Request form

Owners of single-family residential properties do not need to fill out the form. Please contact the Assessment department at 403-529-8114 or email us.


Section 299 Request for Information 

If an assessed person asks to see or receive information on how the assessor prepared the assessment on that persons' own multi-family or non-residential property, they will need to complete the Section 299 Request Form.

If you are requiring an Assessment Detail Summary Report, rather than a comprehensive Section 299 Report, please use the form "Assessment Detail Summary" request found above.

There will be no fee associated for this request for the 2024 Tax Year.  However, please note, after the 2024 Tax Year, there will be a fee associated with this request.  

Section 299 Request form

Owners of single-family residential properties do not need to fill out the form. Please contact the Assessment department at 403-529-8114 or email us.

The municipality is not required to respond to a request for information under Section 299 when a complaint has been filed until the complaint has been heard and decided by the Assessment Review Board. MGA 299(3).

Section 300 - Request for Information 

If an assessed person asks to see or receive a summary of the assessment of any other assessed property, other than their own, they will need to complete the Section 300 Request Form. The fee for each property requested is $54.50.

All comparable accounts requested must be of a similar type, class and having comparable characteristics to the subject property.

Section 300 Request form

Agent Authorization 

This authorization form must be completed when an agent/representative is acting on behalf of the assessed property owner. The form allows a property manager to inform the City that they act as an agent for the owner or have appointed an agent (either individual or corporation) to act on their behalf. The form will also be used to determine who has the authority to act on behalf of a corporate owner, whether or not an outside agent has been appointed. 

2024 Agent Representative Authorization form

Assessment FAQs

Property Taxes

City Hall

Learn more about tax regulations, tax exemptions, and City of Medicine Hat processes.

a man using a calculator

Use your property assessment to estimate your taxes and see current and past tax rates.

a point of sale debit machine

Find information on paying your taxes, discount and penalty rates and the Seniors Property Tax Deferral program.

Current Tax Rates

Bylaw 4816 to set the 2024 tax rates was read a third time and passed by City Council on April 22, 2024.

2024 Tax RatesMunicipalEducationCypress ViewTotal Rate
(expressed in mills)
Single Family and Vacant Residential 6.7838 2.4940 0.1256 9.4034
Multi-Family 7.7542 2.4940 0.1256 10.3738
Farm Land 17.2889 2.4940 0.1256 19.9085
Non-Residential 16.1707 3.6122 0.1256 19.9085

Property Tax FAQs 

Property tax dollars and where they go

Property taxes piechartProvincial Education Tax: $26.9M

The City of Medicine Hat is legislated to collect and remit a fixed Education Tax amount from its property owners on behalf of the Province of Alberta. As it is set by the Province of Alberta, the City has no control over the amount of the Education Tax.

Cypress View Foundation Levy: $1.3M

The Cypress View Foundation Levy is used to fund accommodations and operations for seniors at the Teeoda Lodge using requisitions collected annually from the City, the Town of Redcliff and Cypress County.

Municipal Property Tax: $89.6M

The City uses property taxes to assist in funding the following services such as Police and Fire Protection, road maintenance and snow clearing, parks and swimming pools, public transit and neighborhood infrastructure.

 

Canadian loonie with a pie chart overlayed to show the breakdown of where tax dollars are spent

 

School declaration for tax purposes

The City of Medicine Hat is required by legislation to bill and collect taxes on behalf of the provincial government (Alberta Learning) and the Medicine Hat Catholic School District. While the City of Medicine Hat bills and collects school taxes, the municipality has no jurisdiction or control over school board budgets or operations.

School support status is reflected on your property tax and assessment notice and is shown as undeclared unless you file a declaration of school support. A change to school support does not take effect until the following calendar year.

To update your school declaration please:

  • Call Customer Service at 403-529-8111 to have a school declaration mailed to you
  • Email us to have a school declaration mailed to you
  • Complete the School Declaration Form below and return it to Customer Service at City Hall by mail or by faxing to 403-525-8696

School Support Declaration - Corporate   School Support Declaration - Residential

Manufactured homes

The owner/operator of a manufactured home community is required to complete a monthly reporting form for each month. The first section of the form is for ownership changes or location changes of existing designated manufactured homes for each month. The second section is for designated manufactured homes, which have moved in or out of the manufactured home community for each month. In the event there are no changes within the manufactured home community, the owner/operator is requested to forward a copy of each notice indicating no change.

The owner/operator of a manufactured home community shall provide the monthly reports by the 15th day of each month. Each monthly report shall include the information listed above covering the period from the tenth day of the previous month to the tenth day of the month in which the report is due.

A person who contravenes this request is guilty of an offence and liable upon summary conviction to pay a fine not less than $250 and not more than $10,000 as indicated in Bylaw #3365.

To complete the monthly reporting form, click the document below:

Property owner change of name or mailing address

It is the property owner's responsibility to keep the Land Titles record accurate, as the City of Medicine Hat source of property ownership and mailing address information for assessment notices and tax bills is each property's Certificate of Title as registered with the Province of Alberta Land Titles Office.

Under the Municipal Government Act Section 337, once mailed, a tax bill is considered to have been received after seven days.  Non-receipt of your property tax bill does not exempt you from late payment penalties.

Property owner name changes

All ownership changes to a title, including changes due to marriage, divorce, death, legal name change, spelling corrections or adding/removing an owner must be made in writing using the appropriate forms with the Province of Alberta Land Titles Office.

Changes made to your land title are received electronically by the City of Medicine Hat from the Province of Alberta Land Titles Office.

Province of Alberta Land Titles

Property owner mailing address changes

Mailing address changes must be made in writing with the Province of Alberta Land Titles Office using the Province's Notice of Change Address for Service form.

Changes made to your land title are received electronically by The City of Medicine Hat from the Province of Alberta Land Titles Office.

Province of Alberta Land Titles Office will not take change requests over the phone.

Manufactured Homes

As manufactures homes are not registered with the Province of Alberta Land Titles Office, submit your ownership and mailing address change information using a Manufactured Home Information form. Forms are also available from manufactured home park managers.