Suffolk property owners can pay their real estate tax bills by drive-through the next two days.

Folks who owe tax and haven’t yet paid it can write a check and drop it off at a tent outside city hall on Market Street. The move was made to accommodate taxpayers who don’t want to seek limited parking and navigate through the construction work in order to pay their taxes inside city hall, treasurer Ron Williams said Monday.

“We set up an outside collection system to accommodate people so that they don’t have to come in if they have a check,” Williams said. “We’re able to allow people to just drop it off and then turn around and leave.”

The second half of the 2013 real estate bills is due Wednesday. The last week or so leading up to the deadline always draws an influx of taxpayers to city hall, Williams said.

But with parking severely restricted because of the construction work for the new municipal center, the treasurer’s office knew finding parking at city hall could be a hardship.

“We’ve gotten really positive feedback,” Williams said. “People really appreciate that they don’t have to look for a parking space and traipse through the construction-related activity.”

Folks who want to pay by another method or need to ask questions about their account still will have to go inside city hall to pay. Taxpayers arriving outside of business hours shouldn’t have trouble finding a parking space and can use the drop box outside city hall. There are also a number of ways to pay that do not involve heading to city hall:

• Pay by mail. Postmarks up to and including June 5 are accepted as on time.
• Pay at the treasurer’s office located inside the North Suffolk Library, 2000 Bennetts Creek Park Road, or use the drop box located there.
• Pay online using Mastercard, Visa, Discover or American Express by visiting www.suffolkva.us/trsr/. A convenience fee will be added to the total charge.
• Pay by telephone by calling 1-888-2PAYTAX (1-888-272-9829) and follow the instructions using jurisdiction code 1076. A convenience fee will be added to the total charge.

Taxes not paid by June 5 will incur a 10 percent penalty and 10 percent annual interest. Those who own property and did not receive a tax bill should email citytreasurer@suffolkva.us to inquire about their account.