West County homeowners 62 and older can lock in their current property tax bills, preventing future increases driven by rising home values. But only if they apply or renew by June 30.

That's the deadline for St. Louis County's senior property tax freeze program. The application window opened Nov. 1, 2025, and the county requires renewal every year.

The program carries particular weight in Chesterfield and Wildwood, where median annual property tax bills top $5,900 and $6,000 respectively, according to Ownwell tax data updated in April. In Eureka, the median bill runs $4,892. Ballwin and Ellisville homeowners pay medians of $4,137 and $4,234. All exceed the countywide median of $3,176 and the national median of $2,400.

Who qualifies

According to the St. Louis County Revenue Department's website, applicants must:

• Be 62 years of age or older
• Own the property or have a legal or equitable interest in it
• Primarily reside in the property they're claiming
• Claim only one property

Applicants need proof of identity, age, and residence, plus their parcel identification number and a deed proving ownership.

The freeze covers real property taxes only. It does not apply to personal property, and seniors will still pay any increases in debt-service taxes, such as school bond levies.

How to apply

Seniors can apply or renew online at the county's portal or in person at three locations:

• Clayton: 41 S. Central Ave.
• North County: 715 Northwest Plaza Dr. (walk-in only)
• South County: 4554 Lemay Ferry Rd.

The county's Revenue Department warns against waiting until the final days. Phone wait times spike near the deadline, according to the department's website. Last year, the council extended the deadline into late July after seniors reported difficulty completing applications. No such extension has been announced this cycle.

How the program expanded

The St. Louis County Council first passed the freeze in October 2023 on a 4-2 vote, sponsored by Councilman Dennis Hancock. That initial version limited eligibility to homeowners 67 and older with properties valued under $550,000.

In July 2024, the council removed those restrictions to align with state law, dropping the age threshold to 62 and eliminating the home-value cap. Then in August 2025, the council voted to expand the program further, creating the opportunity for the freeze to cover a senior's entire tax bill rather than just a portion. An estimated 80,000 county seniors are now eligible under the expanded program, according to FOX 2.

Who's affected

St. Louis County is home to roughly 182,000 residents age 65 and older (the eligible population, starting at age 62, is likely larger). In Wildwood alone, more than 16% of the population falls into the 65-plus bracket, based on 2020 census figures.

During the 2025 application cycle, nearly 60,000 seniors had applied by late June, according to St. Louis Public Radio. The county has not released enrollment figures for the current 2026 cycle.

Dennis Ganahl, managing director and founder of the advocacy group MO Tax Relief Now, told St. Louis Public Radio in June 2025 that seniors face acute financial pressure. "Seniors lose almost 50% of their income from the time they retire to the time they pass," Ganahl said. He added that he had received roughly a thousand emails over three years from seniors living solely on Social Security.

Councilman Hancock, the program's original sponsor, told St. Louis Public Radio last year that the freeze helps seniors remain in their homes. He said people were struggling to get signed up and he wanted to give them every opportunity to do so.

St. Louis County's median effective property tax rate of 1.36% already exceeds both the state median of 1.25% and the national median of 1.02%. For a Wildwood senior on a fixed income with a $6,000 annual tax bill, the freeze locks that number in place regardless of future reassessments. The deadline is June 30, and applications require annual renewal.