Tax Collector

 
  The Tax Collector's Office at City Hall, Room 105 (first floor) is open for in-person payments Monday through Friday, 9 am - 3 pm.  You do not need an appointment! 
 
   Please come in through the main entrance, and check in at the security station.  1. You must be wearing a mask or face covering over your nose and mouth.  2. You will be asked to present identification for contact tracing purposes.  3. You will have your temperature taken. Then, you can proceed to our office.  This is subject to staff availability and COVID 19 restrictions.  Please follow physical distancing recommendations and remain six feet from others. 

Office hours for telephone and email inquiries, and all other business: Monday through Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm.

  Some members of our staff may be working remotely due to COVID 19 directives. You can reach us by email or by phone at (203) 854 7731.  Remember, you can still pay on line, over the phone or by mail, even when our office is closed.
 
  Tax bills for the January 1, 2021 installment were mailed the week of December 21.  If you did not receive your bill, you can download a copy from this website. The bills were printed as of December 8, 2020, so if you paid after that time, you would still have received a bill from us in the mail. 

    UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2021 WOULD HAVE BEEN THE LAST DAY TO PAY THE SECOND INSTALLMENT WITHOUT PENALTY.   HOWEVER,  MOST, BUT NOT ALL, NORWALK TAXPAYERS  HAD UNTIL  THURSDAY APRIL 1, 2021 to pay their second installment.   This is in accordance with an executive order from the Governor of the State of Connecticut, and local directives from Mayor Harry Rilling and the Norwalk Common Council, related to the COVID 19 pandemic. 
   Our second installment tax bills were already printed as of December 8, and the executive order from the Governor was not issued until December 16.  If in doubt about your own bill, please email or call our office.

  You may still pay online - over the phone - or by mail at any time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Details are below.

  Interest on the first installment is charged at the rate of 15% on payments made  during the month of April, 2021.  The minimum interest charge is $2 on each bill.  Interest is calculated at 1.5% per month from the due date of July 1, 2020.  A portion of a month is considered the equivalent of a full month, so interest is charged for ten months - July 2020 through April 2021.  This is per state law, and there are no exceptions.  

  SECOND INSTALLMENT PAYMENTS RECEIVED APRIL 2 AND LATER, including payments POSTMARKED APRIL 2 and later, incur 6% INTEREST, as interest reverts back to the January 1 due date.   Payments postmarked on or before April 1 are considered on time.  Payments received April 2 or later with NO POSTMARK are LATE and subject to interest. 

    Tax Collector's Hours for in-person transactions:   Monday through Friday, from 9 am - 3 pm.  No appointment is needed - first come, first served.   Please check this website for future updates, as this schedule may change, subject to staff availability.  Our staff is working subject to COVID 19 restrictions.   Tax Collector's office hours for telephone and email inquiries:  Monday through Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. 

Tax Collector's Office
 
 Our staff has been available for in-person payments since March, 2020.  We were formerly located outside the main entrance of City Hall.  Our location changed due to the onset of winter weather.  We first relocated inside the City Hall Lobby, and then moved back to our office, effective January 4, 2021.  

  We accept check, money order, and credit, debit and ATM card payments. If payment is being made in our office, we accept cash.  Transactions are processed, and receipts provided immediately.   There is no 'drop box'  and we do not accept "drop off" payments.  All customers must wear a mask or face covering that covers the nose and mouth.   Please keep six feet away from others who may be waiting, and adhere to physical distancing directives.  And, if you aren't feeling well, please use a different option for making your payment.

The service of paying your property tax bill in person at one of 11 local bank branches was ONLY UNTIL FEBRUARY 1, 2021.  We anticipate being able to offer this service once again in June 2021.  Our arrangement with the local banks ended as of February 1. 

  Please note that many city offices operate on different schedules.  Please call ahead, or visit their home pages.  The Customer Service Division has a window open to the public in the City Hall lobby, as does the Parks and Recreation Department.  Please check with the individual departments for more details.

  If you are staying close to home due to COVID-19 concerns, there are still options for making your tax payment - right from your home.  You may pay by mail, or on line or over the telephone using a debit, credit or ATM card, or (recommended) by using  an "E check" (ACH payment).  

   Make your check payable to "City of Norwalk Tax Collector" and mail to:
   Tax Collector, City of Norwalk   125 East Avenue  Norwalk  CT  06851.
   
 
    You may pay online at:    https://www.invoicecloud.com/cityofnorwalkct

    You may  call 1-203-318-9523  to pay by phone.  You may use a debit, credit, or ATM card to pay on line, or over the phone.  You may also pay online using an electronic check  ("E check" / ACH payment).  The non refundable fee for using an E Check is only $0.95.  Fees for paying by card are higher: the non refundable fee for using a credit card is an additional 2.95%, paid to the service provider, Invoice Cloud.  These services are available at any time, 24/7.   Our website updates paid property tax information daily during this crisis.

   If you need to look up your tax payment history for income tax purposes, we
 maintain five years of payment history on line on the website, above.

   In April 2020, in response to the COVID 19 epidemic, the City of Norwalk Common Council, at the request of Mayor Harry Rilling, voted to extend the grace period for payment of property taxes that normally would have been payable by August 1 and February 1.  There were a few important caveats:

   1. If your real estate taxes were escrowed, and paid on your behalf by a mortgage institution or bank, your mortgage institution or bank was not eligible for the extended grace periods, and was obliged to pay by February 1.  This directive was per the State of Connecticut. 

   2. If you are a landlord, you were expected to pass along to your tenants similar forbearance.  The State of Connecticut asked you to fill out this application and return it to the tax collector by July 1, 2020:    https://www.norwalkct.org/DocumentCenter/View/15847/COVID-19-Deferral-Form-M-COVID19-Fillable-from-OPM

   On June 1, 2020, our office mailed instructions, and application forms, to property owners identified by the Assessor's office as potential landlords.  The email address covidtaxext@norwalkct.org is dedicated to administering this program.  A copy of the instructions for landlords can be found here:    https://www.norwalkct.org/DocumentCenter/View/16953/COVID-19-landlord-application-cover-letter-w-color-TO-POST

  3. If you were not a landlord, as long as your real estate taxes were not escrowed (see #1 above), you  automatically  qualified for the extended grace period with no further action on your part.

      For current, fact-based updates on Covid-19 (Coronavirus),  please visit the Norwalk Department of Health's home page or the banner / link at the top of this website  or www.norwalkct.org/coronavirus 

       Tax Collector's Office Location:  Room 105, on the first floor (ground level) of Norwalk City Hall, 125 East Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06851.   Come in through the main entrance.   Room 105 is at the end of the hallway, on the right.   The Assessor's office is directly across the hall:  Room 106.
       Main telephone number: (203) 854-7731            Facsimile:  (203) 854-7770

    Tax bills for the July 1, 2020 installment were mailed beginning June 18, 2020.       

    Past due statements were sent in November 2020.  Due to the extended grace period which ended October 1, 2020, we were not able to send past due statements sooner.  (They are normally sent in September.)  
    You can look up what you owe by clicking the "E-Tax Bill Lookup" on this page under Quick Links (to your right) ,  or also in the blue margin to your left. 
             Taxes may be paid by mail;  in person at city hall; on line (with a credit card, debit card, or E Check)
                 or over the telephone.   

    The easiest and most convenient way to pay your tax bill  is on line or over the phone with an "E Check" (electronic check / ACH payment).   There is a modest fee of $0.95 for using an E Check.  This is an efficient, cost effective, and reliable method of making your payment.  Eliminate the anxiety and delay of mailing your payment.   No check writing - no trip to the mailbox - no paper - pay at any time, from anywhere!
           For more information on the new operating budget, please go to the Management & Budgets
            home page:    https://www.norwalkct.org/941/Budgets

         A link to next year's budget will be posted here when it is available.  

         Liens:  Lien continuing certificates ('tax liens')  for the 2018 grand list were filed on March 12, 2020. 

         Tax Sale:  The last tax sale was held July 23, 2018.  The six month redemption period expired on January 23, 2019.  Deeds were recorded on January 24, 2019. 

        Our next tax sale is scheduled for Monday, August 16, 2021.   More information will follow.  Please check back here for updates.   

       Tax Collector Staff   


 		  

   In case of inclement weather, please check the city website, or call ahead.  If City Hall is open, our office is expected to be open, but in extreme weather, please call ahead to be sure. 
 
   Pre-COVID 19 Office Hours : Monday through Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm.  We do not close for lunch. 

   Location: Room 105, on the first floor (ground level) of Norwalk City Hall.   

   Mailing address: Tax Collector, 125 East Avenue  Room 105, Norwalk,  CT  06851

   Tel: (203) 854 - 7731   Facsimile:  (203) 854 - 7770

 Responsibilities: The tax collector's office is responsible for the billing and collection of property taxes and other charges that comprise approximately 90% of the city's operating revenue. The office operates under the authority of the Connecticut General Statutes. 
 
 Taxes and charges collected include:
  • Real estate taxes
  • Motor vehicle taxes
  • Business personal property taxes
  • Sewer use fees
  • Sewer assessment fees, IPP fees, and other city charges 
Tax Collector's Office Staff:

Lisa Biagiarelli, CCMC, Esq., Tax Collector
Al C. Palumbo, Jr., CCMC, Assistant Tax Collector
Cynthia D. Haith, CCMC, Delinquent Tax Collector
Jeanette Lopez, CCMC, Supervisor of Data Records  (* Jeanette habla espanol)
     Escrow account maintenance; adjusted bills / certificates of correction; refunds
Hollie Rapp, CCMC, Senior Cashier
      Transmittals, deposits, on line, IVR & ACH payment posting, cashiering
Cathy Petrini, CCMC,  Tax Administrative Aide
     Accounts receivable; refunds; bank branch collection processing & reconciliations
Charise Bronson Haith,  Tax Administrative Aide
    Cashiering; payroll garnishment; customer service; DMV issues; lien releases; recordkeeping

- position currently vacant  - Cashier / Clerk
      Cashiering; customer service; posting and recordkeeping 

Click for  2018 Tax Sale List 

​                                          Tax Sale Boards May 2018
tax sale board 

​                                   Tax Sale Boards July 20,  2018
taxsale2018

     The tax sale was held July 23, 2018.  We collected in excess of $5 million through the 2018 tax sale.

Other information: 

  • Tax Collector's Legal Notice, June 2020
  • Tax Collector's Legal Notice, January 2021