Are You Ready for the Lancaster County Property Tax Reassessment?

Lancaster County Real Estate Podcast with Gretchen Karr

Lancaster County is currently undergoing a reassessment for all property values, and here’s what you need to know about it.

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Don’t shoot the messenger, but Lancaster County is undergoing a reassessment for all property values that will take effect on January 1st, 2018. The last time this happened was in 2005.

There is no precise way to predict what your upcoming taxes will be because the reassessment takes into consideration not only your new property assessment value, but also the upcoming tax millage rates for 2018 and 2019. That being said, you can use the 2016 and 2017 millage rates as a pretty good indicator—along with this new assessment value—of what your incoming taxes will be.

You have the right to appeal your reassessment.

The overall assessment timeline has some important dates you need to watch out for:

• March 2017. During this whole month, reassessment notices will be mailed out. Keep in mind that this is just a preliminary notice—it might not be the set value at the end.
• March 3rd to March 31st, 2017. During this time period, once you receive that preliminary notice, the Lancaster County Assessment Appeals Board is offering a free preliminary consultation if you dispute or have any questions about your preliminary value. They have a site set up at the Park City mall in Lancaster in the conference room of the meeting rooms in there. You can discuss your value with one of the officers present. They’re open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. No appointment is necessary.
• June 1st, 2017. On this day, final notices will be mailed out. This is the assessment value that will go into effect on January 1st, 2018. You have the right to appeal this assessment free of charge within 40 days from the date on the notice. You can still appeal after that 40-day limit, but they will charge you to do so. If you want to appeal this final notice, a hearing will be arranged and a date and time will be scheduled for you to appear before the board.

If you do decide to appeal, I suggest you visit their website and obtain the rules and regulations so you can be more knowledgeable about your appeal. Here are two other links I suggest you check out for more information on the subject:

• This one gives you more of a Q&A explanation of the property reassessment value of Lancaster County.
• This one lets you access the Lancaster County website. This will not only reveal more about the appeal process, but also give you information about accessing your current property assessment as well as the current millage rates for 2016 and 2017.

If you have any questions about this topic or are looking to buy or sell in the current market, feel free to contact me. I’d be glad to help!