The Appeal Process

Note also that three things may happen on appeal:
1) the assessed value may be raised;
2) it may be lowered;
3) it may remain the same

Should a property owner disagree with their assessment, they are entitled to an appeal. All appeals should begin with the township assessor of the township in which the property is located. A review of the property record card is important to ensure that all of the features of the property have been reported correctly. These include square footage, number of plumbing fixtures, finished or unfinished attics and basements, etc. Any discrepancy of these objective portions of the assessment may be handled at that time. If, however, there are subjective aspects of assessment that need to be appealed, a Form 130 should be filed with the County Assessor for further review.

A summary of the various levels of appeal are as follows:
County Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals (PTABOA) Within 45 days of the date on the Notice of Assessment, file the appropriate Form (130 R\A for residential or agricultural real property, Form 130 C\I for commercial or industrial real property) with the County Assessor’s Office where the property is located. Information required to complete the form includes: the physical characteristics of the property in question, facts relevant to your appeal and the reason you believe the assessment is in error.

State Board of Tax Commissioners
If you disagree with the Notice of Assessment from the PTABOA, you may file an appeal (Form 131 Petition to the State Board of Tax Commissioners) with the State. This form must be filed with the County Assessor within 30 days of the PTABOA Final Determination. Along with the Form 131, you must submit a copy of the appeal documents filed with the County Board of Review and a copy of their determination.

The following forms may be necessary:
Correction of Errors
If an objective discrepancy exists that requires correction, this form is filed with the County Auditor. If the error encompasses multiple years, this form may be used to correct up to (3) years. Once the correction is made you may file a Form 17T to apply for a refund of property tax, if one is due.

Petition to the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals (PTABOA):
To appeal an assessment notice, the taxpayer must file a Form 130 with the County Assessor within 45 days of receipt of the Form 11 (tax notice) from the Township Assessor. If the Form 130 is filed by May 10th, the petition will be reviewed for that calendar year.

Petition to the State Board of Tax Commissioners:
A determination will be sent to the taxpayer and the Township Assessor by the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals (PTABOA). Either party may request a review by the State Board of Tax Commissioners by filing a Form 131 within 30 days of receipt of the determination

Forms may be obtained at the County Assessor’s Office or you may download them directly yourself. See our Forms page listed in the side menu of this page.