Frequently Asked Questions

The Lowell Police Student Academy is run out of the STEM Academy: 

43 Highland St. 

Lowell, MA 01852

The camp runs Monday-Friday (excluding holidays). It begins promptly at 8am and finishes at 2 p.m. For more information please

Sign-ups for the Student Police Academy are in May. Sign-up dates and times will be posted on the LPD’s website and social media pages by April. For more information please

Yes. You can set up a future payment at any time prior to the bill due date.  The only bills not allowed for scheduled payments are excise tax bills.  You may use AutoPay to have them automatically paid on the due date.

Yes, although technically your debit card will be processed like a credit card, and you will not be asked to enter a pin number. The convenience fee is the same as credit cards, and it varies based upon the type of card, type of bill and payment amount. The exact convenience fee amount will be displayed during the payment process prior to submitting the payment.

Yes, we accept credit card payments in the office for tax bills and water bills only.  Convenience fees will apply the same as if paying online.

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The Lowell Veterans office has access to most Mass. DD214's. Please contact 978-674-1595 or elamarche@lowellma.gov for more information.

Real estate and personal property taxes are billed in four installments during the city’s fiscal year and are mailed out prior to the day the bill is issued.  The billing cycle is:

1^st Quarter:        Issued July 1^st 

                                Due August 1^st or first business day of the month

2^nd Quarter:       Issued October 1^st

                                Due November 1^st or first business day of the month

3^rd Quarter:        Issued January 1^st

                                Due February 1^st or first business day of the month

4^th Quarter:        Issued April 1^st

                                              Due May 1^st or first business day of the month

No.  Payment is considered made when received by the Treasurer’s Office.  There is a statement on the back of every tax bill stating this.  The city isn’t responsible for the delivery of the payment.  The taxpayer should make sure their payment arrives on time, and if paid online or by check, the correct balance is deducted from the bank account.

No.  Payments must be received on or by the due date.  Interest and fees are not waived for late payments.

Yes.  The city is responsible for sending out tax bills to all taxpayers.  Real estate and personal property bills are mailed quarterly to the assessed owner as of January 1^st starting July 1^st. Excise bills are mailed out to the owner and address that the Registry of Motor Vehicles has on file and provides to the city. The property or vehicle owner is required to make sure they receive the bill or contact the city to find out what taxes are due, and that those taxes are paid by the due date.

Yes.  The property owner is ultimately responsible for the taxes assessed on their property.   An agreement to hold taxes in escrow for their payment by a mortgage company doesn’t pass that responsibility to the mortgage company.  The mortgage company isn’t the property owner.

When a real estate or personal property tax is not paid by the due date interest will start accruing at an annual interest rate of 14% until the past due balance is paid in full.  After the May 1^st due date, a $30.00 demand fee will be placed on the bill, and a demand notice will be mailed out for any bill that remains unpaid.   Real estate taxes that are past due after May 1^st, and issued a demand notice, can be subject to the city placing a lien against the property.

If you receive a bill for a vehicle that you no longer own, it is still a valid bill. It will need to be paid, or you may contact the assessor's office for an abatement. If an abatement is granted, but does not bring the bill to zero, the balance due will need to be paid by the due date of the bill. If it isn't paid by the due date, you will run the risk of fees and interest being added to the bill.

It is also recommended that you should pay the bill first if you are unable to get an abatement by the due date.  Any abatement amount granted after payment will be refunded.  Waiting for an abatement runs the risk of fees and interest being added to the bill once it goes past due.  If the abatement does not reduce the past due bill to zero, any fees and interest added after the due date cannot be waived.

Your tax bill is based on the value of your property multiplied along with the current tax rate. For more information, please contact the Assessor's Office at 978-674-4200.

Yes there are convenience fees that are charged when paying online. When paying with an e-check for any bill it would be $0.40 per transaction. When paying with a credit/debit card fees can vary. Tax bills are subject to at least 2.95% of the total amount paid with a minimum of $1.00 per transaction. Water bills are subject to at least 3.5% of the total amount paid with a minimum of $3.95 per transaction.

You will receive an email notifying you of the rejection, and it will contain the reason why. Online payment for the bill can take up to 3 business days from the date of rejection to become available for online payment again. You will be responsible to make sure payment is received by the Treasurer's office by the due date even if your online payment is rejected. Any payments rejected after the due date of a bill are subject to late fees and/or interest.

Tax titles are created when the city files an Instrument of Taking with the Registry of Deeds to record a lien on a property, as dictated by Mass General Law.  It is placed on a property as a measure to claim that delinquent taxes are owed to the city which could possibly affect the sale or refinancing of a property.  The lien is removed once the tax title is paid in full, and a certificate of redemption is recorded at the Registry of Deeds.  If the tax title is not paid within one year of the placement of the lien, the City may file at Massachusetts Land Court to foreclose and take possession of the property.

1. Submit a Certificate of Redemption request to the City Tax Collector’s Office.
2. Bring Certificate of Redemption to the Registry of Deeds to record release of lien.

It is a document that proves a person has paid the required amount to reclaim a property in tax title. The document is picked up from the Treasurer/Tax Collector’s Office or received via mail. This document is needed to clear the lien caused by the City of Lowell’s Instrument of Taking which was filed against the property at the Registry of Deeds.

For our Office to process a Request for a Certificate of Redemption, the tax title account must be paid off in full. Requests can be made in-person at the Treasurer’s Office or via mail. Please be sure to include a copy of the Instrument of Taking with your request form.

Yes, the fee is $10.00 per certificate. Checks can be made payable to the City of Lowell. Cash payments can be made in-person during business hours. Debit/Credit card payments are not accepted. 

*Please note that processing time when paid with a personal check is longer as there is a waiting period to make sure the payment has cleared before a certificate can be issued. 

You will need to file this document with the Registry of Deeds to clear the lien from the property. It’s strongly recommended to file this document as soon as possible.

Yes, it costs $105.00 to record this document with the Middlesex North Registry of Deeds. The Registry of Deeds accepts exact cash or checks made payable to Middlesex North Registry of Deeds OR Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Personal checks are allowed. Below is their information:  

 Middlesex North Registry of Deeds 
370 Jackson Street, 1^st Floor 
Lowell, MA 01852 
Phone Number: 978-322-9000 

Recording Hours: Monday through Friday 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM