The most direct ways to reduce your property tax bill are to apply for all available exemptions and appeal the assessment value of your property.
Appeals are due 45 days after the assessment notice is issued. The due date is printed on the top right-hand corner of your assessment notice as the “last day to file a written appeal.”
Property owners receive an annual notice of assessment from the county tax assessors each year between early April and late June. The annual notice of assessment states basic information about the property including the previous year and current year fair market values, deadline for appeal, and an estimated tax bill.
If the value of your property is reduced by the appeal, your property tax bill will also be reduced. In addition, regardless of whether the appeal results in a reduction a value or not, the final value from an appeal locks-in for two more tax years in most cases.
You will receive a temporary bill while the appeal is pending, which must be paid timely. Once your appeal is resolved, the tax commissioner will reconcile your account based on what was previously paid, and the total taxes due based on the final valuation.
It varies county to county, and depends on the volume of appeals filed in the county each year. Most appeals are completed within the tax year, but some can take 9-12 months. An appeal that continues to litigation in superior court can take an additional year or more to resolve.
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