When the Fulton County tax assessment notices are mailed out at the end of May many taxpayers will want to file a protest or an appeal regarding the appraised value of their real property. If you are one of these taxpayers, your chances for a winning appeal will increase when you have basic knowledge about the process.
Deadline for Filing of Appeal
You have the right to file an appeal if and when you disagree with the appraised values of your real property, as reflected on the Fulton County tax assessment notice. Keep in mind that you have a limited time in which to file your appeal – just 45 days after the assessment notice date.
Failure to submit your appeal within the 45-day window of appeal will result in the assessment notice being considered as final. Emphasis must be made on the rule that tax bills (i.e., the final property tax payable) cannot be appealed.
The bottom line: If you want to reduce your property taxes, your best bet is to challenge the Fulton County tax assessment notice within the appeal period.
Process for Filing an Appeal
While filing the assessment appeal can be done on a do-it-yourself basis, you are well-advised to hire an experienced tax consultant with a comprehensive knowledge of the Fulton County tax assessment appeal process. You will have a champion for your cause - the tax consultant will handle the documents, make reminders about the deadlines, and represent your case during the hearing, among other things.
You will, however, benefit from your basic knowledge of the assessment appeal process. You must be patient, too, as the appeal process can extend for 3 to 9 months, or longer.
You must file a letter of appeal. Your letter should contain information regarding the property (e.g., property identification code) as well as the reasons for your appeal, such as value and uniformity, or errors made by the appraisers in determining its appraised value.
Fulton County receives and processes your letter of appeal; you may receive a letter of acknowledgement from the county regarding its receipt and the placement of your property under an appeal status. A staff appraiser will be assigned to review your property and its disputed value.
Note: You will still be required to pay property tax albeit on a temporary and discounted basis. When your Fulton County tax assessment is under appeal, you may receive a temporary tax bill with an automatic discount of at least 15 percent.
Your appeal will be subjected to a Board of Assessors’ review. During the review, a staff appraiser will review the value assigned to your property by studying your property’s characteristics and visiting it again.
After the review, you should receive either of two types of letter from the Board of Assessors. First, a “No Change Letter” that indicates the Board of Assessors stands by its appraised value. Your appeal will then be automatically forwarded to the next step (i.e., the Board of Equalization or the Superior Court).
Second, a “30 Day Letter” indicates that the Board of Assessors has revised their opinion about your property’s appraised value and has offered another listed value. You can either accept or reject the value listed on the letter.
Do you have more questions about the Fulton County tax assessment appeals process? Call an experienced tax consultant as soon as possible!
