Allegheny County Assessment Information

Allegheny County Assessment Information

Should I Appeal My Tax Assessment?

Historical information is supplied by
Allegheny County.

2002-2025 Allegheny County Revaluation Program. Allegheny County has instituted a re-assessment in 2012 for all properties. For assessment purposes, it appears things have changed again. Currently a ‘Homeowner’ has 2 options 1 option for evidence when appealing their assessment. You can No Longer obtain a 2012 Base Year RETROSPECTIVE appraisal for an assessment appeal. You need a Current Appraisal and ask for the CLR (Common Level Ratio) be applied. IT IS RECOMMENDED AN APPRAISAL BE OBTAINED THAT WOULD INDICATE CURRENT MARKET VALUE. **OCTOBER 1, 2024 LAST DAY TO FILE ASSESSMENT APPEAL FOR 2025** With a current value appraisal by a Certified Appraiser along with the drop in the CLR (Common Level Ratio) in Allegheny County to 52.7%, many homeowners who purchased a home within the last 5 years may have a very good chance to lower their Real Estate taxes by appealing your assessment. But you have to act quickly to take advantage of this drop due to Allegheny County changing the rules on property owners. Applications for assessment appeals will only be taken for a 2 month period not the historic 3 month period and the timeline has changed as well. What use to be January 1 to Mach 31 is now August 1 to October 1. Start Here For Allegheny County Assessment Appeal Information Appeal forms are Available Online. More detailed information and appeal instructions. Allegheny County property search Hearing Preparation Resources Tips for YOUR Assessment Appeal Hearings Allegheny County Property Valuation for Tax Purposes Many of the forms including postponement, withdrawal, special appeal, authorization of representative, late and interim appeals can be found Available Online For On-Line Property Tax payment put in your address and proceed to the TAX INFO Tab eBill / ePay “Extraordinary circumstances” may make you eligible for a but You Must File This Form First. TAX ABATEMENT’S AND EXEMPTIONS To find out all the possible abatement’s and exemptions available from Allegheny County (including senior citizens, new construction, additions and more) click on Allegheny Assessment Abatement’s and Exemptions. With a current value appraisal by a Certified Appraiser along with the drop in the CLR (Common Level Ratio) in Allegheny County to 52.7%, many homeowners who purchased a home within the last 5 years may have a very good chance to lower their Real Estate taxes by appealing your assessment. But you have to act quickly to take advantage of this drop due to Allegheny County changing the rules on property owners. Applications for assessment appeals will only be taken for a 2 month period not the historic 3 month period and the timeline has changed as well. What use to be January 1 to Mach 31 is now August 1 to October 1. FYI: MAJOR DATA FLAW FOUND IN CERTAIN STYLE HOMES WITHIN Allegheny COUNTY ASSESSMENT PROCESS AND COULD UNNECESSARILY RAISE YOUR ASSESSMENT AND TAXES and/or give the Taxing Bodies an Unfair Advantage!! To read more, click on major data flaw in Allegheny County assessment process. In 1/30/2012 and still holds true today: Doug Hill, executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP), said though many counties recognize they should do a reassessment, they’re waiting for the right time, when property values stabilize, to do one. “Instability in the housing market makes timing a delicate issue,” he said. “Several counties that started in the process in 2007 halted because the recession was going to throw off results too much.” That is supported by the findings of the joint Legislative Budget and Finance Committee that studied property valuation and assessment and released a report in 2010. Due to the current County valuation process, it is recommended that a homeowner acquire an appraisal for either base year or current value.  As indicated by the County Treasurer, it is recommended an appraisal be prepared by a Certified Appraiser for the best chance of winning an appeal. This will give a homeowner the most accurate valuation on their property. “The best way to win an assessment appeal hearing is with a certified appraisal. ” — John Weinstein, Allegheny County Treasurer – Source: KDKA Apr.26, 2002 6:06 pm According to Allegheny County Office of Property Assessment, all residential appeals will have a 14 day window and commercial appeals a 30-day window. These dates are usually from when the notice is mailed which lessens the time period for the property owner. Generally, an appraiser may not have enough time to complete a report within this time frame due to previous commitments to other clients. This is why it is advisable if you are going to appeal your property assessment in the upcoming year to have the appraisal completed well enough in advance. This way you will have the documentation available at your hearing. Allegheny County is getting ready for assessment appeal hearings for 2025. The County has put together an information page called Tips For Assessment Appeal Hearings for 2025 with additional assessment appeal hearing information available here online as well.

These tips include such things as arrival and what to bring, how to get in-depth property data on your house (there may be errors which could affect your assessment value), what type of evidence is needed to prove a 2025 value and what to do if you can’t attend a scheduled hearing.

Tax appeal hearings for the present tax year have already started. Remember to contact your appraiser prior to receiving your hearing notice to give both you and the appraiser ample time to have all documentation ready and available for your scheduled hearing time and date.

AS always, we here at Bostedo Appraisal Services would be pleased to perform a Certified Appraisal on your property. Simply click on the ORDER APPRAISAL link or call us with the information available under the CONTACT US link.

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For up to date information see above.

The following information although the names have changed still holds true. The process of the current assessment remains the same.

Allegheny COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION
2001 REVALUATION PROGRAM

How Is Property Valued?

Allegheny COUNTY REVALUATION PROGRAM

Allegheny County has completed a major project to revalue close to 580,000 properties in the Southwestern portion of Pennsylvania. In 1997 a Common Pleas Court ruling determined that current assessments were not uniform and therefore inequitable. The county wide revaluation program required that all Allegheny County properties be assessed at their fair market value.

WHO CONDUCTED THE PROGRAM?

In 1998, the Allegheny County Board of Property Assessment, Appeals and Review hired Sabre Systems and Service, a division of Manatron, Inc., to perform the county wide reassessment. Sabre Systems is one of the nation’s largest mass appraisal firms and has appraised more than 11 million parcels in 15 states to date. The company permanently employs a team of professional appraisers, skilled technicians, and experienced project managers. In addition, the company hired and trained over 200 local employees, including many Allegheny County residents, to conduct the revaluation.

DATA COLLECTION

Before properties could be assessed, basic property information was collected on each parcel. A pre-assessment form was mailed to every homeowner to ascertain additional information on each property along with data collectors, hired and trained to visit each property in Allegheny County.

MARKET VALUE

Definition Of Market Value: The most probable price which a property should bring in a competitive and open market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale, the buyer and seller, each acting prudently, knowledgeably and assuming the price is not affected by undue stimulus. Implicit in this definition is the consummation of a sale as of a specified date and the passing of title from seller to buyer under conditions whereby: (1) buyer and seller are typically motivated; (2) both parties are well informed or well advised, and each acting in what he considers his own best interest; (3) a reasonable time is allowed for exposure in the open market; (4) payment is made in terms of cash in U.S. dollars or in terms of financial arrangements comparable thereto; (5) the price represents the normal consideration for the property sold unaffected by special or creative financing or sales concessions granted by anyone associated with the sale. (FNMA 1004B 6-93)

Generally, Buyers and sellers create the market and determine what the market value of properties are in any given neighborhood. The appraiser, in turn, studies the market and collects information about properties to make a fair estimation of value using the closest and most similar recent sales that are available. The assessor should follow the same guidelines as the appraiser to ascertain a fair market value for any property being assessed.

Market value can change for many reasons. The most obvious is that the property itself changes: a new room is added to the existing house or maybe a new detached garage is built.

The most frequent cause of a change in value is a change in the market conditions. If an area’s major industry closes, property values can decrease. As declining neighborhoods with good housing are discovered by new home buyers, prices gradually rise. A shortage of good housing in a desirable neighborhood can send prices to extremely high levels. In a recession, larger homes may stay on the market for a long time, but more affordable homes are in demand, so their prices tend to increase. In a stable neighborhood, with no extraordinary pressure from the market, inflation may increase property value while depreciation may decrease those same values.

These are just a few examples of factors that have a direct effort on market value. Every property, no matter how big or small, is constantly influenced by changing market conditions.

VALUATION OF PROPERTY

The assessment/appraisal of all Allegheny County properties has been a massive effort involving a team of skilled technicians and staff appraisers. Using current technology and computer programs, they analyzed the various factors that affect property values. Such factors as location, size, age, style, number of bedrooms and baths, garages, and construction quality affect market value. The appraisers establish values based on this data, calculate replacement costs less depreciation, and estimate current market values based on recent sales within each neighborhood. Commercial and industrial appraisers analyze the potential income and expense to estimate the value of real estate (not the business) in addition to estimating the replacement cost. All properties are now be assessed/appraised at fair market value.

HOW YOUR PROPERTY IS APPRAISED

To determine the market value of any property, an appraiser must know what properties similar to it are selling for, what it would cost to replace it, what rental income it may generate, and how much it may cost to operate and keep it in repair. Using this information, the appraiser arrives at a property’s market value using up to three different methods to determine it.

Market Data Approach or Sales Comparison Approach

Cost Approach

Income Capitalization Approach

CERTIFIED APPRAISAL REVIEW

The final step in the valuation process requires that appraisers who are designated by the State of Pennsylvania as Certified Pennsylvania Evaluators (CPE) review each property value. The CPE’s help establish the final appraised values to ensure that they are consistent with the value of similar properties. If you are interested in finding out what standards a CPE falls under, click on the Standards Of Professional Conduct for a Certified Pennsylvania Evaluator (CPE).

PROPERTY OWNER NOTIFICATION

A notice containing the new property value was sent to each property owner between late August and late November. The notice provided instructions for the owner on how to contact company personnel to discuss the property value.

INFORMAL REVIEW MEETINGS

After the value notices were mailed, Sabre Systems provided a call-in service for property owners to schedule appointments to discuss the values with the Sabre staff. During this time, Sabre Systems established satellite offices at convenient locations throughout Allegheny County in order to conduct these informal reviews. Any property owner who believed the new value was not accurate was able to schedule an appointment for an informal review and discuss the issue with the Sabre staff. Any property owner who is not satisfied with the results of the informal review, or any other property owner who believes their assessed market value to be incorrect, may file an appeal with the Allegheny County Board of Property Assessment Appeals and Review after the issuance of the notice of assessment change in mid-January 2001 and before the June 1, 2001 filing deadline. The County Board hearings are scheduled to begin shortly after this time.

FINAL RESULT

The final result of the revaluation program is a fair market value on all properties at the same point in time.

HELPFUL ADDRESSES & NUMBERS

Administrative Offices 311 County Office Building 542 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Phone: (412)350-4600 Fax: (412)350-4602 E-Mail: info.paarr@county.Allegheny.pa.us

PUBLIC INFORMATION LINE (412) 350-4600 Operators available Monday – Friday 8:30 A.M. – 4:30 P.M. INFORMATIONAL MESSAGES AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY

For added convenience, the Office of Property Assessments has set up an information desk in the lobby of the County Office Building, 542 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh PA. It will be staffed Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The person(s) staffing the information desk will be able to provide assistance in obtaining, completing and accepting forms for property assessment appeals, Act 42, Act 50, Act 77 and Act 202.