Why Assessments Change

Assessments may change for a variety of reasons. The most common reasons for assessment changes are reassessment by a township assessor, equalization by the Supervisor of Assessments, or equalization by the Board of Review.

Reassessment by a township assessor may occur because new construction or remodeling has taken place, because there is damage to the building(s) due to storms, fire, etc., because a reassessment of a particular area has taken place, because there has been a change in the property's value, etc.

Any reassessment by a township assessor that results in an assessment change is always accompanied by two things

1. an assessment change notice mailed to the owner
2. notice published in a newspaper. A property owner can appeal these assessment changes to the Board of Review.

The time to appeal an assessment or reassessment to the Board of Review is when notice of an assessment change is received in the mail or assessment change publications are noted in the newspaper. Notices are sent to all property owners to alert them of an assessment change when a change (either up or down) has been made in the assessment placed upon their property. If a property owner waits until tax bills are issued to complain about an increased assessment it is too late to appeal the assessment for that year.

Equalization by the Supervisor of Assessments is generally the result of a sales ratio study and/or three (3) year median level of assessments report showing assessments in a particular area to be above or below the 33 1/3% level mandated by statute. Equalization by the Supervisor of Assessments is always accompanied by a notice in a local newspaper stating that equalization has occurred and giving the factors applied. If necessary, the equalized assessment can be appealed to the Board of Review.

Again, the time to appeal a change in assessment due to equalization by the Supervisor of Assessments is when the notice of equalization is published. If a property owner waits until tax bills are issued to complain about an assessment increase, it will be too late to appeal the assessment increase for that year.

Equalization by the Board of Review is generally the result of a three-year median level of assessments report showing the levels of assessment to be above or below the 33 1/3% level mandated by law. Equalization by the Board of Review is preceded by notices published in local newspapers expressing the Board of Review's intent to equalize, the proposed township factors, and the date and time of a meeting at which taxpayers may object to the application of the factor to their property. After this meeting, a notice of equalization by the Board of Review stating the township factors to be used is published, and individual notices are mailed to every property owner whose assessment was changed by the equalization. Board of Review equalization takes place in the last thirty (30) days of the annual Board of Review session.

Objections to the application of the equalization factor may be stated to the Board of  Review at the public meeting held for that purpose or to the Board of Review within thirty (30) days after publication of their intent to equalize. If a property owner misses the public meeting held for objections to equalization or the thirty (30) days in which to file from the publication of the Board of Review's intent to equalize, equalization by the Board of Review can be appealed to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board. This must be done within thirty (30) days of the mailing date of the notice of Board of Review equalization.