Feb. 12 is deadline to mail appeals of assessments
Homeowners who recently received a property assessment notice from the state Department of Assessments and Taxation and wish to dispute the department's estimate must postmark their appeal form by Feb. 12.
About 620,000 assessment notices were mailed Dec. 29. The Feb. 12 deadline to file an appeal is for those property owners who received notices, said Ron W. Wineholt, director of the state Department of Assessments and Taxation. For more information, visit the department's Web site: www.dat.state.md.us.
"For the property owners that were reassessed for Jan. 1 the only way to have the assessment adjusted is to file an appeal by Feb. 12," Wineholt said. "If they file a petition after Feb. 12, it would not be effective, if successful, until the next tax cycle in July 2002."
After the appeal is filed, the first step becomes an informal hearing with a state assessor in a local field office. The hearing is an opportunity for the homeowner to present evidence that the department's estimate of the property is inaccurate. It takes about 15 minutes.
Appeals can be filed on three occasions: upon receipt of an assessment notice (once every three years); at the property owner's discretion; and upon purchase of property between Jan. 1 and June 30.
