Property Tax appeal – Chester County, PA

How to appeal your property taxes in Chester county?  Homeowners, this is an Annual Appeal.  If you are looking to appeal taxes for your new construction home – it’s called Interim Appeal – pl review this blog article  However, if you feel the assessed value of your home is too high, and not uniform with similar surrounding properties, you can appeal your Assessment.  If home values have fallen, or if the Common Level Ratio (CLR) ratio has been reduced, it definitely makes sense to check the math, and figure out if appealing will lower your tax bills.  You never want to appeal and accidentally increase your tax bill – so please do the math before you decide to appeal your taxes.

The Time Frame

The Window to appeal in Chester County is May-Aug 1, The Assessment office does not accept the appeals throughout the year.  So you will have to wait for the next cycle. Once the appeal is granted- it applies to the next tax cycle.

Relation between Assessed value and Market value

How do you know if your property assessment is too high?  Every year, the county decides on a Common Level Ratio (CLR) which determines the relationship between the Market value and the Assessed value of a property.  Currently,  in February 2024, the Chester County CLR is 36%.  This simply means that if the assessed value of your property (building and land) is $100k, its fair market value is about $278k. (100/.36)  Once you know the fair market value, it is easy to calculate the assessed value and vice versa.  This is important to get right – of course, you do not want to appeal your Assessment if it is fair or low!  Chester County millage rates are available here, so it is easy to determine if you are paying too much tax relative to your neighbors, simply do the math. The office staff is very friendly, feel free to check out the FAQ section online – or call them if you have any questions or concerns. 

The Process

You have to fill out the Form Notice of Intention of Appeal  You can download it from the website, it is pretty easy to fill.  There is a $25 fee, and you are required to give 3 comparable sales or a recent appraisal.   The Form asks you for the current Market Value of your home.  Call or email me, and I can provide you with 3 comparable properties required for the appeal. No need to pay for an appraisal.  They will aslo need some pics of the home.  Mail the entire package to the Tax Assessment office, and they will call you for a hearing.   The panel of officers will ask you some questions and promise to get back to you with their decision.  Yes, don’t expect to get any answers at the meeting, the Tax Assessment office will inform you of your new Assessment by mail.

Hopefully you have a new Assessment and a lower tax bill! Congratulations!

Hope that was helpful. Don’t forget to avail yourself yourself of additional savings through the Homestead Tax relief.

If you did the settlement with my team, we have most likely sent the form in on your behalf.