Resources for US County Assessors' Offices

When you invest in real estate or personal property, such as vehicles, you have to contact one of the US county assessors' offices in the state in which the property is located. Every county in the country is required to have and operate this office in accordance with state laws.

These offices are responsible for assessing the taxable value of property to determine the amount in taxes you must pay for each piece of property. The percentage of the taxable value that you must pay in taxes varies according to local, county and state laws. This amount is broken down into a unit called a millage. When voters vote for tax changes, they are voting on the millage amount for specific uses. For example, taxes collected for the school district or emergency services in which the property is located will be noted as a millage amount on the tax bill.

Once you get the assessment report in the mail, you should verify its accuracy immediately. If the report is incorrect, you must file an appeal. You will do this either at the county or state level, depending on laws in your area. The same is true of the tax bill.

Business.com has a plethora of information about US county assessors' offices to help you work with these offices.