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Why did I get a bill (or late notice)?
Whether or not you receive a bill - and what is charged on that bill - depends on the type of property you own and what is on that property. The average homeowner will receive a bill for both the solid waste and stormwater fees.
The solid waste fee is being charged to the following types of residential premises:
- Single-family detached homes
- Townhomes
- Duplexes, Triplexes, Quadplexes
- Mobile Homes (less than four on one parcel)
The stormwater fee is being charged to developed residential and non-residential properties, regardless of proximity to physical drainage structures, other municipalities, or natural waterways.
The bills are related to a property and its owner. The city is not responsible for enforcing or interpreting the terms of a rental or lease agreement.
All 2009 billing information is based on property data as of December 31, 2008. Charges may remain outstanding on parcels (Real Estate Numbers) that existed in 2008 but have since been deleted from the active property record.
LATE NOTICES were mailed on October 13, 2009, to all accounts unpaid and past due as of October 8. If you believe you received a late notice in error, or if you just purchased your property and would like to remove any amounts unpaid by the previous owner, please call 630-CITY (2489) or e-mail 630CITY@coj.net to file a report.
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How did you determine what I owe?
First, we used information from the Property Appraiser to figure out your property type:
- Single-family detached house*
- Duplex*
- Triplex*
- Quadplex*
- Townhouse*
- Condominium
- Apartments ("multi-family")
- Mobile Home*
- Mobile Home Park
- Non-residential (commercial, industrial, etc.)
- Special Case (circumstances unique to all other descriptions)
The solid waste fee is a flat rate being billed to certain residential properties that did not previously pay for service, indicated in the list above by an asterisk *. It is charged per residence (dwelling unit) on a property based on the Property Appraiser's records and field research.
The stormwater fee is calculated based on the amount of impervious area on a property and the property type, also predicated on information obtained from the Property Appraiser.
How the Stormwater Fee is Determined
2009 City Fee Chart by Property Type (PDF11k)
The 2009 bill may include a Past Due Amount. The Past Due Amount shown on the bill is the total of unpaid stormwater and/or solid waste fees, plus any late fees that may have accrued since the property was last billed.
Late payment penalties were not assessed on Past Due Amounts for month of July. Penalties resumed on all unpaid balances on August 1.
If you have purchased a property and been billed a Past Due amount, please call 630-CITY (2489).
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How do I pay my bill?
Bill payment may be made either by mail or at one of the Tax Collector's branch offices.
Checks should be made payable to the City of Jacksonville and mailed to:
City of Jacksonville
231 E. Forsyth St., Room 130
Jacksonville, FL 32202
Please include your Account Number on your check or if using an Auto BillPay service. Your Account Number may be found on your bill - it is the property's ten-digit Real Estate number preceded by "CF."
If you do not pay your bill or submit an application before the posted deadline, you may be subject to late payment penalties.
We cannot accept credit card payments.
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What if there's an error on my bill?
It is important to keep in mind that the 2009 bill reflects charges for the whole year, January through December. The 2008 bill was only for part of that year.
You may call 630-CITY (2489) to speak with a customer service representative about the error. Typically, errors will involve either the property type designation or, in the case of the stormwater fee, the amount of impervious area.
We recommend that property owners first check what the Property Appraiser's Office reports as existing on the property. That information is the baseline for the city fee billing.
Click here to access applications for Property Adjustment.
If your bill contains a Past Due Amount, that is the total of all unpaid stormwater and/or solid waste fees, plus any late fees that may have accrued since the property was last billed. If you would like information about each charge that comprises the Past Due Amount, please call 630-CITY.
If you have purchased a property and been billed a Past Due Amount, please call 630-CITY (2489).
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What happens if I don't pay the fee(s)?
Late fees of 1% per month will start to accrue on each unpaid fee on the first of the month immediately following the bill due date. For example, if your bill shows a due date of July 31, late payment penalties would be assessed on August 1.
Late fees will not accrue on unpaid accounts if applications are received before July 31, 2009. It is the property owners' responsibility to ensure that applications are received on time. Customers with unpaid accounts will be re-billed following the application decision. Late payment penalties will begin to accrue on the first of the month following the new bill due date.
Continued failure to pay may result referral to a collections agency or a lien on the property with unpaid fees. While the lien cannot result in foreclosure, it will continue to accrue interest, and will have to be paid in full prior to the transfer of title/ownership.
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Is there any way to get my fee(s) discounted or reduced?
Possibly. There are different scenarios for each fee - visit the Adjustments, Exemptions and Credits page to learn more.
The following conditions are not considered when assessing a property's fee charge, and are therefore not valid reasons for seeking a fee reduction or adjustment:
- Properties on private roads
- Properties with no drainage structures nearby or that drain to natural waterways
- Properties served by sewer/septic/piped water/well
- Properties that have a large amount of undeveloped or unimproved area
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I received a bill but I don't own the property (anymore). What do I do?
Bills were mailed to the mailing address of the owner on file with the Property Appraiser as of May 8, 2009. Please call 630-CITY (2489) or email 630CITY@coj.net and request that the bill be mailed to the current owner.
If you are a renter, we suggest you contact the owner of your property to alert him or her to the bill.
If you have purchased a property and been billed a Past Due Amount, please call 630-CITY (2489).
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Can I change the bill's mailling address?
Yes. The default mailing address is the one on file with the Property Appraiser for the first listed owner of record. You may call 630-CITY (2489) or send an e-mail to change only the address for the city fee bills. Changing this address WILL NOT change the address on file with the Property Appraiser, therefore, we will not add a separate mailing address for small corrections to information such as a misspelled street or owner name.
Note: we will only accept requests to change a bill's mailing address from the property owner or a legal representative of the owner. The owner is responsible for payment of the fee(s).
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I'm in the process of selling my property. Do I have to pay the whole bill?
We suggest that the buyer and seller discuss any outstanding fees as part of the closing.
If you have purchased a property and been billed a Past Due Amount, please call 630-CITY (2489).
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Why did I get a bill for a property that doesn't exist in Property Appraiser's records anymore?
The fees charged in one year are based on property data from the previous year. So, the 2008 fees were based on 2007 data, and the 2009 fees are based on 2008 data.
We recognize that a property owner may merge a parcel with another; that action, however, does not eliminate the fees charged to the parcel that is "deleted."
For example:
In 2007, John Doe purchased two parcels, Parcel A and Parcel B; each had one home on it. In May 2008, Mr. Doe received two fee bills - one for each individual parcel.
However, Mr. Doe merged Parcel A with Parcel B in April 2008, and kept both houses. When he received the 2008, bill, he only owned one whole parcel - Parcel B - so he only paid the Parcel B's bill. Because the 2008 fees were based on 2007 data, the Parcel A bill also should have been paid.
The merge of the two parcels would not be reflected until the 2009 bill cycle, which is based on actions taken in 2008. So, in 2009, Mr. Doe will receive another bill with only a Past Due amount for the one house on the old Parcel A, and a bill for Parcel B with no Past Due Amounts and a charge for two houses.
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I just bought a property and it has a past due balance. Do I have to pay it?
If the Past Due Amount was not addressed during closing, please call 630-CITY (2489) to request an amended bill.
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My house is unoccupied (vacant). Do I still have to pay?
The stormwater fee is based on impervious area; occupancy of a property is irrelevant.
However, the solid waste fee may be adjusted for periods when a residence is unoccupied. Click here to learn more about the Solid Waste Fee Unoccupied Residence Adjustment.
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I'm in the process of foreclosure/bankruptcy. What do I do?
We strongly suggest that property owners consult with their lender/mortgage holder or an attorney for guidance pertaining to payment of the fees. Previous owners of charged properties may still be liable for payment of any unpaid fees incurred during the time when they owned the property.
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Why did you bill me for having multiple residences on my property when I only have one?
We based our data on information obtained from the Property Appraiser's office. Research your property using the Property Appraiser's property search site or call 630-2020 for information.
The most common "second" residences reported on a property are garage apartments (particularly on older/historic homes) or mobile homes.
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My property address is in Jacksonville Beach/Neptune Beach/Atlantic Beach/Baldwin. Why did I get a bill?
We did not rely solely on a property address to determine who receives a bill, as we discovered some properties that are physically located within the city limits have addresses other than Jacksonville.
We used a combination of aerial mapping, Property Appraiser data, and the taxing district assigned to a property to determine which properties are subject to the Jacksonville city fees.
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