Please contact Bowmar Appraisal with any questions regarding your assessment.
What is an assessment?
An assessment is a value an assessor places on your property. This value determines what portion of the local property tax levy is covered by your property. The assessor of each taxation district determines the assessed value of all taxable property, except manufacturing property. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) annually assesses all manufacturing property in the state. Under state law, all non-agricultural assessments must be based on the property’s market value as of January 1.
Reassessment and Revaluation
State law recognizes that every municipality cannot be assessed exactly at market value each year. The law requires that each municipality is within 10% of market value once every five years. Assessed values are used to distribute the municipality’s tax burden among the individual property owners. The term reassessment, under state law (sec. 70.75, Wis. Stats.), means to redo the assessment roll completely, and a revaluation can complete this. A revaluation is done by the assessor when the property records are outdated or inaccurate, assessment uniformity is poor, a full revaluation hasn’t been done for 10 years, or reassessment is required under state law (sec. 70.75, Wis. Stats.). A full revaluation includes on-site inspections (interior and exterior), measuring and listing all buildings, taking photos, and sketching buildings.
Open Book
Open Book refers to a period before the Board of Review begins when the completed assessment roll is open for examination. This time is an opportunity to discuss your property value with the assessor and provide a reason for changing the value, if appropriate. The assessor must be present for at least two hours while the assessment roll is open. At Open Book, the assessor is allowed to make any changes that are necessary to perfect the assessment roll. When Open Book ends, any changes to the assessment roll (your property value) requires a formal process in front of the Board of Review or circuit court.
Board of Review (BOR)
Board of Review starts a minimum of seven days after the assessment roll is open for examination (Open Book).
If you disagree with your assessment, under state law (sec. 70.47, Wis. Stats.), you may appeal the assessment. The Board of Review is the first step in the appeal process. There is a local Board of Review for all property assessed by the local assessor. The Wisconsin Board of Assessors reviews manufacturing property assessed by the state assessors. A property owner cannot appeal to the circuit court under an action for certiorari or to DOR under state law (sec. 70.85, Wis. Stats.) unless he or she first appears before the Board of Review.
Requirements to appeal an assessment at the Board of Review
If you intend to file an objection, you must file a written or oral notice of intent to appeal with the BOR clerk at least 48 hours before the first scheduled BOR meeting.
- The Board of Review may waive the 48-hour notice deadline
- If it is shown good cause and the submitted written objection within the first two hours of the BOR’s first scheduled meeting, the Board of Review may waive the 48-hour notice requirement.
- The Board of Review may waive the requirement up to the end of the fifth day of the BOR session if the property owner submits proof of extraordinary circumstances for failing to meet the 48-hour notice and failing to appear during the first two hours of the first scheduled meeting.
You must file a completed written and signed form of objection to property assessment with the BOR clerk within the first two hours of the Board of Review’s first scheduled meeting.
- An objection should be filed in writing at least 48 hours before the BOR’s first meeting.
- You must object to the property’s total value.
- If an improved parcel, you cannot object to only the land value or only the improvement value.
- Objection forms are available from the local clerk.
Board of Review is responsible for raising and lowering any incorrect valuations and for correcting any errors in the roll.