Property tax & vehicle registration deadlines pushed back by pandemic coming to an end

MASON CITY — Governor Reynolds’ proclamation pushing the deadlines back for paying property taxes that were due at the end of March and motor vehicle registrations has ended.

Cerro Gordo County Treasurer Pat Wright says the sections of the proclamation related to motor vehicle renewals and title transfers were not extended and expired earlier this week. “Everybody who has a motor vehicle that they did not renew, if you had a birth month of January through July, you have until August, so you do have an additional 30 days. The big one is if you purchased a vehicle between February 13th and March 15th of 2020, you have just until this week, Friday at midnight, and our office closes at 4:30, to get in here and register those cars.”

Wright says those people who have purchased a vehicle between February 13th and March 15th need to get their vehicle transferred before the end of the business day on Friday to avoid penalties. She says you can call or drop by the Treasurer’s Office for details on getting that done.  “You must get in here these last two days to get your car titled and registered. Come next week there will be a penalty on it. We do accept a postmark. Those you have to do inside of the office. We are open, we are all here ready to help you get those done.”

Property tax payments originally due at the end of March must be paid by Friday. Wright says they are encouraging people to pay online. use the Treasurer’s Office drop box located inside the courthouse, or the walk-up window in the courthouse parking lot. “You can go to the iowatreasurers.org website where you can make a payment for 25 cents. You can do an e-check, which is an automatic payment out of your checking account, for 25 cents. A postage stamp costs 55 cents. Driving here, I can’t imagine that most people could drive here for 25 cents.  If you feel like you need to come to the courthouse, we have two drop boxes. We have one in the hallway of the Treasurer’s Office. We have one in the back of the Treasurer’s Office towards the parking lot, and we can take your payment there.”

For more information in Cerro Gordo County, you can call the Treasurer’s Office at 641-421-3127. In other counties, you can call your county treasurer for further information.