What is the definition of a 'tax lot' as seen in realty listings in the state of Oregon?

Answer 1

Property in Oregon can be devided into seperate tax lots, but is one continuous piece when you look at it on the ground. Often these tax lots originate from how they were originally sold/given by the Federal government. For example, a homesteader may have settled 300 acres. They then decided to donate 50 acres for a town, and have the land surveyed and platted into blocks and roadways. Then each of these blocks was broken down into lots. Say you purchased two of these lots to put your house on. You would then have title to one physical piece of property, but two tax lots.

Other ways these tax lots happen: If you have rural property, you might have two tax lots - one for the house which is taxed at a higher rate as residential property, but the rest is taxed at a lower rate as timber or farm land (because you can't put houses on it and are subject to land use restrictions).

And another one: You purchase one lot, but then the city decides to vacate an alleyway or a road. The portion that is added to your legal property description will probably still retain the original tax lots.

Advantages to having multiple tax lots: If something is already legallys taxed as two entities, it makes it easier to be split and sold as two seperate pieces later.

But for most purposes, it's just a legal definition of how the property is described and doesn't impact the sale price (unless soemone wants to subdivide the property to sell smaller pieces).