Tangible personal property tax — Sebastian, Florida

Sebastian business owners, contractors, self-employed agents and landlords who rent out furnished property owe Indian River County tangible personal property tax on equipment and furnishings they own on January 1.

The Indian River County Tax Collector defines three categories (Indian River County Tax Collector): businesses, taxed on furnishings, fixtures, signs, supplies, equipment and other personal property that could be used in a business; mobile home attachments, when the owner does not own the land the mobile home is sitting on, such as a carport, utility shed, Florida room or screened porch; and rental furnishings, meaning furnishings and appliances provided in the rental property. A shop on US 1, a charter captain's office near the Sebastian Inlet and a furnished rental off Indian River Drive can all fall inside those lines.

The Florida Department of Revenue sets the filing rule statewide: anyone who owns TPP on January 1 and who has a proprietorship, partnership, or corporation, or is a self-employed agent or a contractor, must file a return with the property appraiser by April 1, and property owners who lease, lend, or rent property must also file. Inventory and household goods are excluded, so a Sebastian homeowner's own furniture is not taxed, but the beds and appliances in a unit rented to guests are.

Home businesses are a common Sebastian case. The City of Sebastian approves home-based businesses through its Building Department at Sebastian City Hall, 1225 Main Street, charges a $50 application fee and limits the business to no more than 20% of the living area of the home. The city receipt is a separate local tax; it does not replace the county TPP return for the computers, tools or equipment the business owns.

Each timely TPP return filed with the Indian River County Property Appraiser is eligible for an exemption of up to $25,000 of assessed value, so a Sebastian business whose return lists $25,000 or less of assessed value owes no TPP tax on it.

Florida Statutes 196.183 states that each tangible personal property tax return is eligible for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of up to $25,000 of assessed value, and that a single return must be filed for each site in the county where the owner of tangible personal property transacts business. A contractor with a yard in Sebastian and an office in Vero Beach files two returns, each with its own exemption. Freestanding property such as vending machines, propane tanks or leased equipment placed at several Indian River County sites goes on one combined return.

For a small Sebastian business, filing once can end the paperwork. The statute waives the annual return for an owner whose listed value does not exceed the exemption, but only after the owner files an initial return on which the exemption is taken. The Department of Revenue adds that by February 1 of each year, the property appraiser notifies TPP owners whose filing was waived, and an owner whose property rises above $25,000 must file a return on time or be subject to penalties. The exemption does not apply in any year a taxpayer fails to timely file a return that is not waived.

The county roll shows how widespread the tax is. The Indian River County Property Appraiser lists Total Tangible Accounts: 9,889 on the 2025 certified tax roll (Indian River County Property Appraiser), a countywide figure.

Sebastian owners file Form DR-405 with the Indian River County Property Appraiser between January 1 and April 1, online or on the printed form, and the appraiser keeps a Sebastian office at 1921 US HWY 1.

The Indian River County Tax Collector says the return is filed with the Property Appraiser between January 1st and April 1st of each year, that failure to file or late filing is subject to penalties, and that return questions go to the Property Appraiser at (772) 226-1370 (Tax Collector). The April 1 date comes from Florida Statutes 193.062, which lists tangible personal property, April 1, in its filing schedule.

The Indian River County Property Appraiser posts the tools on one page (Property Appraiser TPP forms): a TPP Tax Return Form to print or file online, filing instructions, a sample of a completed return, a depreciation schedule, a leased equipment worksheet, a Filing Extension Request Form and an Account Status Change Form for a change in mailing address or closing of business. Its Sebastian Office at 1921 US HWY 1, phone (772) 226-1133, is open Monday to Friday, 8:00AM to 5:00PM.

Extra time is available for a Sebastian owner who asks early. Under Florida Statutes 193.063, the property appraiser shall grant an extension for the filing of a tangible personal property tax return for 30 days and may grant up to 15 additional days, and the request must arrive in time for the appraiser to act on it before the regular due date.

Indian River County applies the state penalties: 25 percent of the tax for a missing return, 5 percent a month up to 25 percent for a late one, and 15 percent on property left off.

The schedule is in Florida Statutes 193.072: for failure to file a return, 25 percent of the total tax levied against the property for each year that no return is filed; for late returns, 5 percent for each month or portion of a month, capped at 25 percent of the total tax; and for property unlisted on the return, 15 percent of the tax attributable to the omitted property. The penalties become a lien on the property. A late return also costs the $25,000 exemption for that year, which for a small Sebastian business can turn a zero bill into a real one.

Relief is possible but not automatic. The statute lets the property appraiser reduce or waive penalties for good cause shown, upon finding that the late filing was not intentional or made to evade taxes. A Sebastian owner who missed April 1 contacts the Indian River County Property Appraiser TPP line at (772) 226-1370 before the bill goes out in October.

Sebastian TPP bills are mailed in late October and fall due with real estate taxes, earn a 4 percent discount in November, and after April 1 draw a $10.00 fee and 1.5 percent monthly interest from the Indian River County Tax Collector.

The Indian River County Tax Collector says tangible taxes become due and payable at the same time as real estate taxes, that bills are mailed out in late October of each year, and that discounts are 4% if paid in November, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February, with gross taxes due in March. Owners with taxes of at least $100.00 may pay the next year's tax in installments, through the tax department at (772) 226-1343.

Unpaid accounts move quickly. On April 1st, a $10.00 collection fee is added to the gross tax, and interest begins to accrue at a rate of 1.5% per month until paid (Indian River County Tax Collector). In May the names of persons or businesses with unpaid tangible personal property taxes are advertised in the newspaper. A tax warrant follows, the Tax Collector petitions the Circuit Court to confirm it, and the Tax Collector is then empowered to seize and sell the personal property to pay the taxes.

Buyers inherit the risk. The Tax Collector warns that the lien attaches to the tangible personal property and survives the sale or transfer, so it is very important to verify that the tangible personal property taxes are paid prior to the purchase of a business, mobile home or rental property (Tax Collector). Anyone buying a Sebastian storefront business, a furnished rental near the Indian River Lagoon or a mobile home on a rented lot checks the account first.

Last verified: October 11, 2026, on the Indian River County Tax Collector and Property Appraiser websites.