How to Appeal Your Property Tax Assessment

Why assessments are often wrong

Assessors typically do not inspect every property. They use algorithms based on recent area sales, and those algorithms don't account for your specific property's condition, micro-location, or physical quirks. Things like a busy arterial road behind the house, a sloped lot, a dated HVAC system, or foundation issues that weren't visible from the street can meaningfully lower market value without showing up in the model.

The assessment may also be working off incorrect data in the assessor's records. Square footage, bedroom count, bathroom count, lot size. Any of these can be wrong. Errors in the record alone are automatic grounds for appeal.

How to check if your assessment is too high

Pull three to five comparable sales from your neighborhood using Zillow, Realtor.com, or your county assessor's public sales database. Look for homes of similar size, age, and condition that sold in the past six to twelve months.

Compare those sale prices to your assessed value. Keep in mind that assessed value in many counties is a percentage of market value, so check your county's assessment ratio first. You'll find it on the assessor's website. If your assessed value implies a market value higher than what your comps sold for, you have a case.

Also pull your property's record from the assessor's database and verify every field: square footage, lot size, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, year built, garage, basement. A single field error can mean thousands of dollars in excess tax.

The comparable sales method

The comparable sales argument is the most effective appeal strategy. The logic is straightforward: your assessed value implies a market value that exceeds what similar properties actually sold for, so the assessment is incorrect.

To build this argument, find three to five recent sales of properties comparable to yours in size, age, style, and neighborhood. Calculate the average sale price per square foot. Multiply by your home's square footage. If that number is materially lower than the value implied by your assessment, that gap is your appeal.

List each comp by address, sale date, and sale price in your appeal letter. The more closely the properties match yours, the stronger your case.

What to include in your appeal letter

A property tax appeal letter is a formal, factual document. It's not a financial hardship argument. Assessors and boards decide on market value, not ability to pay.

Include your property address and parcel or account number (found on your tax bill), your current assessed value and the value you believe is correct, the basis for your appeal (comparable sales, factual errors in the assessor's record, or both), a list of your comps with addresses, sale dates, and prices, and a direct request for a review or hearing.

Attach supporting documents: comp listings, your property record if it contains errors, and any independent appraisal you've had done.

Deadlines you can't miss

Every county has a fixed appeal deadline, typically 30 to 90 days from when your assessment notice was mailed. This deadline is hard. Most counties will not accept late appeals under any circumstances.

Check your notice for the deadline, and verify it on the county assessor's or board of review's website. Some counties allow informal review before the formal appeal deadline; starting informally can resolve the issue faster and with less paperwork.

If you miss the deadline, your next opportunity is the following tax year's assessment cycle.