Tag Archives: tax appeal

2025 Western Illinois Property Tax Appeals: What Commercial Property Owners Need to Know

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Illinois tax assessments for 2024 will be published shortly, which means it’s time to review your property tax assessment if you own commercial property in Illinois, particularly around the Quad Cities Area (QCA). Illinois properties are assessed at 33.33% of the assessor’s estimate of the market value of your property as of January 1st of the assessment year. For 2025 tax payments, this means the value as of January 1st, 2024. No consideration is given to external factors that change the property value after this date.Two businesspeople discuss tax appeals for an Illinois property assessment.

The Illinois Department of Revenue provides guidelines for property tax appeals’, and it’s important to understand the process and any deadlines. If you think your property is over-assessed, you have the right to appeal, and it’s best to start early. Typically, an increase in the assessed value will be published in a local newspaper. In some cases, you’ll receive an individual notice in the mail.

Considering a Tax Appeal?

If you’re considering an appeal, the process starts at the local level. Your local County Assessor’s site will often list the specific steps for an appeal. The general process typically follows these steps:

  1. Obtain the assessed valuation of your property.
  2. Determine the fair market value of your property, ideally through recent comparable sales or a professional appraisal.
  3. Discuss the assessment with your township or multi-township assessor. If they still have the assessment books for that year, they may be able to correct any errors without a formal appeal.
  4. Determine the basis for your formal appeal, such as a higher market value assessment or incorrect property data.
  5. File a written appeal with your County Board of Review using the appropriate form (typically PTAX-230 for Non-Farm Assessment Complaints).
  6. For Rock Island County, check their Board of Review for deadlines and appeal procedures.
  7. Present evidence of unfair assessment to the Board of Review at a hearing. This may include property record cards, comparable sales data, photographs, and appraisal documentation.
  8. If dissatisfied with the Board of Review’s decision, you can appeal in writing to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB) or file a tax objection complaint with the circuit court.

For more detailed guidance on how to handle property tax appeals, you might also find our previous post about the Rock Island County Property Tax Appeals helpful. It covers a detailed step-by-step approach.

Act Now: Don’t Wait to Review Your Assessment

If you suspect your commercial property assessment is inaccurate, start gathering your documentation now. Each county has its own appeal deadlines, and missing these critical dates can result in paying higher taxes than necessary. For any questions, assistance with an appraisal, or guidance through the appeal process, please Contact Us at (563) 355-6606 or email info@royrfisher.com. For more information on our property tax appeal services, visit our Commercial Real Estate Services page, and let us help you ensure your property is fairly assessed for the 2025 tax year.

It is time to review your property tax assessment in Iowa!

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Iowa properties can be reassessed each year, at of the assessor’s opinion of the market value of your property, so it is a good idea to check assessments annually. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Revenue reviews sales data, and can apply equalizers to assessments, separate from the Assessor’s work, which is another reason why you should review your tax assessment.

Notably, the assessed value is as of January 1, 2021. This will allow for consideration of any Covid-19 related impacts on property values.

Iowa tax assessments for 2020 will be out on April 2nd, but it is best to obtain the assessor information relevant to your assessment well before then. Each county has its own assessment office, and several cities, including Davenport, Clinton and Dubuque have separate assessment offices. They all have websites where you can access the property record card.

Has your assessment changed in the past couple years? Even if it hasn’t changed, if you believe the value is wrong, obtain a copy of the property record card. These are available are online for the assessor’s offices (Scott County and the City of Davenport use the same on-line system).

Review the information on the Property Record Card and be sure the land size and building size information are correct. Check the year built to be sure that is correct. If there are any errors, ask the assessor to update the information and revalue the property. Be sure the card recognizes any other changes to the property in the recent past, especially any buildings that have been removed.

If the value is too high, you can protest the assessment at the County Board of Review. The Scott County Assessor’s site lists Five Steps to An Appeal on their website, which should be applicable in other jurisdictions.

If you are unable to obtain an adjustment prior to the April 2nd date, you will need to file an appeal to the Board of Review. This is generally an informal process. Information on filing a property tax appeal can be found here. Similar information is available on other county websites. The taxpayer may ask the board to act on their appeal without a hearing. You may also request a hearing. With the Covid-19 rules, these hearings may be virtual.

Evidence supporting your opinion of value is needed whether or not you have a hearing. This can include sales of similar properties in the recent past, a recent appraisal for refinancing purposes, or an appraisal specifically requested for the appeal. Remember the date of the assessed value is January 1, 2021. The sales or appraisals need to be before, or shortly after, this date.

If you are still not satisfied with the assessment, an appeal can be filed with District Court or the State Appeal Board.

If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

A Guide to Iowa Property Tax Appeals