Unpaid Balances

Past due (demand for payment) notices for past due payments are being sent beginning on September, 5, 2023.  
 
These notices are for the first installment (due July 1, 2023).  Demand for payment notices are being sent for real estate, sewer use, and business personal property taxes; notices for motor vehicles will be sent at a later date.  

Remember, the fiscal year begins on July 1; the first installment is due July 1, 2023 and is normally payable by August 1, 2023.  The second installment will be due January 1, 2024, and will be payable by February 1, 2024.  

The rates for the taxes that come due on July 1, 2023 were set on May 1, 2023.  New taxes are due July 1, 2023 (first installment) and January 1, 2024 (second installment).  

Paying Past Due Taxes


The tax collector's office makes every effort to show past due accounts, if any, on your billing statement.  Past due taxes must be paid in full before payment on current bills can be accepted.  Any payment you remit will be applied to past due taxes and interest charges first.


Past due notices are sent to taxpayers semiannually, usually in February and September, in addition to the semiannual tax billings, which are sent in June and December.  Past due notices, called Demand Notices, are being sent in September 2023 and March 2024, with a pay-by date of (anticipated) mid-March 2024 in order to avoid placement of a lien continuing certificate.   Additional charges accrue after liens are filed.   Taxpayers should call or go online to confirm what is currently owed.  

Motor Vehicle Taxes

If motor vehicle taxes remain unpaid, you will be unable to renew ANY vehicle, snowmobile, or vessel registrations with the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), per Connecticut General Statute 14-33.   Past due motor vehicle taxes must be paid in full in order to receive DMV tax clearance.  You also must pay an additional fee of $5 per vehicle, per year for a DMV release.


All outstanding vehicle taxes in your name, including taxes not yet delinquent, must be paid in full in order for a release to be issued.  If you must pay your past due motor vehicle taxes with a personal check, you will not receive a DMV clearance for 30 days. An ATM is available in the tax collector's office. 


Effective November 2015, the Department of Motor Vehicles discontinued use of the paper 'release' or stamp for tax clearance.  All motor vehicle tax clearances are now done electronically, overnight. 

If you pay your delinquent motor vehicle taxes online or over the telephone with a credit, debit or ATM card, YOU WILL NOT BE CLEARED IMMEDIATELY, AND WILL NEED TO ALLOW AT LEAST TWO ADDITIONAL BUSINESS DAYS FROM THE DAY YOU MAKE YOUR PAYMENT  UNTIL THE TIME YOUR CLEARANCE WILL BE RECEIVED BY THE DMV.   

If you make your payment online or over the telephone today, our office will not process your payment until the following business day.   Then, our office will submit  your clearance to the DMV overnight, and you will be cleared to register on the business day after we process the payment.   This is why you need to allow at least two additional business days from the day you make your payment if you are using a credit, debit or ATM card either online or over the telephone.    

 If you pay by E Check (ACH payment), you may need to wait up to several weeks for clearance.  We do not recommend using this method to pay delinquent motor vehicle taxes if you need to get a motor vehicle clearance for the DMV.   If you use this method, you must show proof that the payment has cleared your bank in order to receive clearance for the DMV. 

The fastest way to get cleared for DMV is to make your payment at the tax collector's office in person.   If you do this, you will be cleared overnight, and will be able to register the following business day.   Window hours:  Monday through Friday, 8:30 am - 4 pm.   No appointment is needed, and we do not close for lunch. 

 

If you want to be cleared for DMV IMMEDIATELY, and do not want to wait overnight, you may request an express DMV clearance for an additional non-refundable fee of $20, payable to the City of Norwalk.   Make this request at the time you are paying your delinquent motor vehicle taxes, at the tax collector's window.  This will done for you if time and staffing permit, and if the DMV system is accessible and functioning. 
 

Please note: The tax collector's window accepts checks, credit, debit, and ATM cards, and cash for tax payments.  View additional tax payment methods.


The best way to avoid having compliance issues with the DMV is to pay your vehicle taxes on time, when they are due.  


Personal Property Taxes

 CLICK on the following link to view the most recent delinquent business personal property levy from September 2022.  This was published in the Norwalk Hour on Sept. 14 and Sept. 15, 2022: 

https://www.norwalkct.org/DocumentCenter/View/28021/Delinquent-Business-Personal-Property-Levy-Notice-September-2022


If personal property taxes remain unpaid, the tax collector will execute a levy against your business property, goods and chattels in accordance with state statute.  We also file UCC-1 liens with the Connecticut Secretary of the State's office. 


You will not be reissued a health permit by the Health Department until your taxes are paid. In addition, you cannot receive a resident pass (beach sticker) unless your motor vehicle taxes are paid.


For More Information

If you have questions about what you owe, please contact the tax collector's office staff members by calling (203) 854-7731 or by fax at (203) 854-7770.