Property Tax - Township of Severn

Property Tax

Property Tax Bills & Payments

Property tax bills are issued twice annually, in January and June:

The Interim Tax Bill is issued in January and, as per the Ontario Municipal Act, 2001, cannot exceed 50% of the total taxes billed in the prior tax year. The due dates for the Interim Bill are:

March 8^th and May 8^th

The Final Tax Bill issued in June is the Current Years Taxes less the Interim Tax Bill. The due dates for the Final Tax Bills are:

August 8^th and October 8^th

*On occasion, for specific properties, the installment due dates may differ from those shown above. Please check the due dates on your specific tax bill to be sure.

Current Tax Rates By-Law - 2018-34

A penalty is added to all past-due installments or parts thereof as follows:

1 ¼% added on the first working day following the due date
1 ¼% per month thereafter

Mailing of Tax Bills:

Under Section 343 (6) & (8) of the Ontario Municipal Act, 2001, the tax bill will be mailed to the taxpayer's residence or place of business or to the premises in respect of which the taxes are payable unless the taxpayer directs the treasurer in writing to send the bill to another address, in which case it shall be sent to that address.
Failure to receive the tax bill does not relieve the property owner from payment of taxes or liability for penalty on late payment.
Need to change your Mailing Address, please complete the following Change of Address Form: Change of Address Form

Payment of Taxes (and water) can be made in the following manner:

Municipal Office between 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Debit Machine payments are available. We do not accept credit cards or $100 bills.
Municipal Office through the use of the Drop Box – located at the front of the building.
At most Canadian Chartered Banks.
Telephone / On-Line Banking Payment Services are offered by the following banks: TD Canada Trust, CIBC, Bank of Montreal, Scotia Bank, Royal Bank, National Bank, Telpay and Credit Union.

Pre-Authorized Payment Withdrawals

Pre-Authorized Payment Plans are available for automatic withdrawal from your bank account with three options available:

Option #1 - Ten (1) monthly payments January to October on the last banking day of each month.

Option #2 - The regular tax installments at the regular due dates.

Option #3 - Monthly payments in an amount that is agreed upon by the owner and the Township of Severn. Payments are to be withdrawn on the last banking day of each month.

You can submit your request for pre-authorized payments on the prescribed form to the Tax Department.

Property Tax Appeals

Property assessments are prepared by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC).

MPAC is a not-for-profit corporation responsible for providing Ontario property owners, tenants, municipalities, and government and business stakeholders with consistent and accurate property assessments in accordance with the Assessment Act and related regulations.

Each municipality across Ontario uses MPAC's current value assessment and classification of properties to set municipal tax rates and collect property taxes.

If you believe that your property assessment is incorrect, please use the following methods to investigate:

Refer to the information sheet sent with the assessment notice
Visit the MPAC website
Call MPAC at 1-866-296-6722 (have your 19-digit roll number available when you call)

If you have determined that your assessed value is incorrect, you can request that MPAC review your assessment any time before March 31 through a Request for Reconsider.

You can also file an appeal with the Assessment Review Board, an independent tribunal of the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General.

Tax Incentive & Rebate Programs

Tax Incentive Programs Available for Farmland, Managed Forest and Conservation Land

Information for Conservation Land Exemption

Information for Managed Forest Assessment

Information for Farmland Assessment

Commercial and Industrial Buildings

A Rebate for Vacant Commercial or Industrial Units, please see the Property Tax Rebate for Vacant Commercial and Industrial Buildings document and application form for further information and to determine if your property qualifies for the rebate.

Registered Charities and Similar Organizations

Property Tax Rebates are available for Registered Charities and Similar Organizations; please see Simcoe County By-law 6104 for more information and to determine if your property qualifies. If your property qualifies for this rebate please complete the application form Application For Property Tax Rebate for Registered Charities and Similar Organizations.

Property Tax Certificates

A certified Tax Certificate provides the current tax status for a property. The cost of this service is $30.00. The certificate will not be processed until this payment is received.

Along with the payment, please provide:

The property address
The address where the certificate should be mailed to

And, in the case of a property sale:

Vendor's name
Purchaser's name
Purchaser's address (if different from the property address)
Closing date

To request a Tax Certificate, you may use one of the following methods.

By regular mail to:

Treasury Department
Township of Severn
P.O. Box 159
Orillia, ON L3V 6J3

In person at:

1024 Hurlwood Lane, Orillia, ON

When completed, the Tax Certificate will be mailed to the address specified (unless other arrangements are made with Treasury staff).

Tax Sales Properties

A tax sale process is initiated by the registration of a Tax Arrears Certificate in the land registry office. The municipality may register this certificate if taxes remain unpaid on vacant or improved land for three years prior to January 1st of any year. These time lines apply to both residential and non-residential classes of property. This process is in accordance with Part XI of the Municipal Act, S.O. 2001.

A Tax Arrears Certificate states that the property may be sold if taxes, penalties, interest, and reasonable costs incurred by the municipality are not paid within one year of registration of the certificate. Once a certificate has been registered, partial payments cannot be accepted.

In the event that the amount indicated ("cancellation price") is not paid before the expiry of the one-year redemption period, these properties can be disposed of by public tender. Advertisements are published in The Orillia Packet & Times and Ontario Gazette for four consecutive weeks. The sales are always subject to certain rules and follow procedures that have been established by legislation. At these sales, the minimum acceptable offer on a property is always the cancellation price, plus accumulated taxes, penalties and interest, HST where applicable, and the relevant land transfer tax.

Current Tax Sale Properties