The property taxes you pay are based on your property's assessed values as determined by the County Assessor. If you disagree with the Assessor's value, you can appeal that value to the Assessment Appeals Board. Assessment Appeals are filed with the Clerk of the Board.
Prior to filing a formal appeal, you are encouraged to talk to the staff at the County Assessor's Office (530) 538-7721. The Assessor's Office can explain to you your assessed value, answer questions you may have about the assessment, and review additional information you may have to support your appeal. Often a disputed assessment can be resolved prior to filing an appeal. If you cannot reach agreement with the Assessor's Office, you may obtain an Application for Changed Assessment from the Clerk of the Board's Office by calling 530-538-7631.
The Assessment Appeals Board is an independent entity, separate from the Assessor's Office. Appeals Boards can lower or raise a property's assessed value, remove penalties imposed by the Assessor's Office, and/or reverse a change in ownership or new construction assessment. The Assessment Appeals Board cannot reduce your property's assessed value based on what your neighbors are paying for their taxes, remove penalties and interest for late payment of taxes, reduce taxes based on ability to pay, fix the tax rate, levy taxes, change tax rates, grant or deny exemptions, extend filing periods or rehear an issue already ruled upon.
The State Board of Equalization has prepared a pamphlet which details the Assessment Appeals process. You can view that publication at http://www.boe.ca.gov/proptaxes/pdf/pub30.pdf.
You can also view a video developed by the State Board of Equalization to provide information to taxpayers reagrding the appeals process at the following link: http://www.boe.ca.gov/info/AssessmentVideo/AppealAssessmentIndex.html
Should you have any additional questions, please contact the Assessor's Office or the Clerk of the Board's Office at the numbers listed above, or email the Clerk's Office at kmoghannam@buttecounty.net