CLAYTON, Mo.—In the two weeks since St. Louis County began taking applications for a senior property tax freeze, approximately 17,000 have come in, County Executive Sam Page said Wednesday.

Implementation of the program, which applies to homeowners 62 and older, was delayed while the Page administration and County Council members haggled over budget line items to pay for the cost of computer software and staffing to make it function.

What You Need To Know

  • St. Louis County is accepting applications for a 2025 property tax freeze for homeowners who will turn 62 by the end of 2024

  • Applicants will need to prove their age and that the property in question is their primary residence. There is no cap on the property's vallue, but it cannot be owned by an LLC or a corporation

  • The county is taking applications online or in person at the administration building in Clayton (41 South Central--by appointment only), Northwest Crossing (715 Northwest Plaza Drive, St. Ann), South County (4554 Lemay Ferry Rd.) and West County (70 Clarkson Wilson Center)

  • The county will not accept mailed or dropped off documents due to privacy concerns
  • The application window for similar programs in the city of St. Louis and St. Charles County has already closed for 2024 eligibility

The end result is a program that allows people who will turn 62 by the end of 2024 to apply by June 30 for a freeze that will apply to their 2025 property tax rate. Applicants have to prove their age and ownership of the property as a primary residence. 

Page said three-fourths of the applicants have done it online, where they can also track progress through the process. 

“You can load the application up in about five minutes online. It’s pretty fast. It will take longer than that if you go to do this in person and you have to wait in line, but most seniors, if they wait for half an hour or a little longer, they’re happy to get enrolled in this program. There’s a lot of excitement about it in the community; people have been talking about it for a long time.”

People can apply in person at the St. Louis County Administration Building in Clayton, or at the county’s three satellite offices. Appointments are required for applicants coming to the Clayton location.

The county will not accept mailed or dropped off documents. Sensitive documents will instead be scanned on-site and returned for data security and privacy reasons.

The application window for similar programs in the city of St. Louis and St. Charles County has closed for 2024.