Washington wildfire victims granted temporary tax relief

OLYMPIA – Malden-area residents and other Washington residents rebuilding homes damaged or destroyed by wildfires last September are in for some tax breaks this year.

Senator Mark Schoesler (R-Ritzville) sponsored the bipartisan legislation providing temporary property-tax relief for these residents, and Governor Jay Inslee signed it May 3.

State residents who lost their home to wildfire between Sept. 1 and Sept. 19, 2020, will be exempt from paying property taxes on the full value of the original structure for three years, if the home is being rebuilt or physically improved, according to Senate Bill 5454.

The measure passed the Senate 49-0 March 9, and the House approved it 97-1 on April 11.

Almost 300 homes, including over 120 residences in or near the Whitman County towns of Malden and Pine City were destroyed by the September wildfires last year.

“I’m pleased this bill has been signed into law because it will help those people across the state who lost their homes in the terrible wildfires last Labor Day,” Schoesler said, adding homeowners lost nearly everything; many without insurance.

"This bill offers them temporary tax relief to help ease their financial burden as they try to rebuild their homes and their lives."

Statewide, 298 homes were lost in the September wildfires. In all, more than 700 structures were lost. More than 600,000 acres burned in Washington during the two weeks after Labor Day.