Washington Trade Group Loses Covid-19 Property Tax Relief Claim

King County hotel owners and taxpayers aren’t entitled to property tax relief for the years state-mandated Covid-19 closures affected its businesses because the pandemic wasn’t a natural disaster, a Washington appeals court ruled in a class action.

Since 2020, states have been dealing with how to treat similar claims for years where Covid-19 kept commercial businesses from operating.

Under a state law provision incorporated after the 1981 Mount St. Helens eruption, property owners can seek tax relief when a natural disaster reduces the property’s value by more than 20%. The Washington Court of Appeals, Division One affirmed Monday that related ...