Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

AGO 1951 NO. 465 >

Rem. Rev. Stat. 11248, which imposes a lien for personal property taxes upon the insurance claim for property destroyed by fire, applies only to taxes which are delinquent and which are attributable to the item destroyed or have been made a lien upon the item destroyed.  Therefore, taxes not delinquent at the time of destruction, even though a lien upon the item destroyed, do not become a lien upon the insurance.  However, the construction placed upon the statute is not free from doubt, so a court test is suggested.