2024 Assessment Notices
Notices will be mailed to property owners for the 2024 General Reassessment in March 2024. Pursuant to §58.1-3330 of the Code of Virginia, the 2024 levy shown on the 2024 Reassessment Notice is based on the 2023 tax rate. A public hearing on the 2024 Real Estate Tax Rate is scheduled by the Board of Supervisors in the Board Chambers beginning at 5:00 pm on May 28, 2024 at the County Administration building located at 16404 Courthouse Rd in Eastville, VA, 23347.
Northampton County property owners may email [email protected] to request a copy of a reassessment notice or property record card, change a mailing address, or submit any other request related to real estate assessments.
General Reassessment
The Code of Virginia, Chapter 32, provides the legal requirements for Real Property Taxation within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Article 5 of this chapter prescribes the cycles when real properties shall be assessed and reassessed. On September 13, 2011, under this article, the governing body of Northampton County voted to provide for the biennial assessment of real estate.
A reassessment is a mass appraisal process which values a large number of properties. Every other reassessment cycle involves a physical inspection of all properties in the county in order to verify measurements, physical condition, and any changes that may have occurred since the last physical reassessment. Three standard approaches to value are employed in the reassessment process. They include the Sales Comparison Approach, which incorporates analysis of arm's-length sales of comparable properties during a particular marketing time period; the Cost Approach, which values a building as new and subtracts depreciation, then adds its land value; and, the Income Approach, which places a value on an income producing stream based on an appropriate capitalization rate.
§ 58.1-3201 of the Code of Virginia establishes the basis for taxation of real property in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Reassessments are required to be made at 100% of fair market value. The definition of fair market value for purposes of a general reassessment as defined by the Code of Virginia is: "the price which a property will bring when it is offered for sale by one who desires, but is not obliged, to sell it, and is bought by one who is under no necessity of having it." Values stated are to be the most probable price in terms of cash, or in terms of financial arrangements equivalent to cash.
Reassessments must be fair and equitable among all. The uniformity of assessments is achieved through statistical testing and recognized standards of practice of the IAAO (International Association of Assessing Officers). It is of great importance for taxpayers in Northampton County to know that the Real Estate Division of the Office of the Commissioner of Revenue strives to ensure that all reassessments are fair, equitable, and uniformly distributed among all types of property within the county.
Appeal Information
You may file an Administrative Appeal with the Commissioner of Revenue on the basis the assessment is not uniform with similar properties. Property owners may mail, e-mail, or fax the Administrative Appeal Form to this office. After its review, a determination will be made.
In order to comply with Standard 2 of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), appraisals not specifically intended for the purpose of appealing assessment values cannot be accepted by the Commissioner of the Revenue or the Board of Equalization.
Appraisals submitted for assessment appeal must include the following:
The "Purpose of the Assignment" must be stated as "developing market value for the appeal of ad valorem tax valuation."
The “Intended User” must state “Northampton County, VA Office of the Commissioner of the Revenue - Real Estate Division, the Northampton County, VA Board of Equalization, and the Northampton County Board of Supervisors."
You may also appeal to the Board of Equalization (BOE), which is a three-member board appointed by the Judge of the Circuit Court of Northampton County. Northampton County's local Board of Equalization (BOE) is composed of three members, residents of the county, who are freeholders and broadly representative of the community's diversity. The BOE holds public hearings to hear grievances and make their determinations; the burden of proof is upon the taxpayer seeking relief to show that the property in question is valued at more than its fair market value. The BOE after hearing such petitions and by order, may increase, decrease or affirm the assessment.
Property owners have the right under §58.l-3331 to have at least 45 days prior to the hearing to review and obtain copies of all the assessment records pertaining to the assessing officer's determination of the fair market value concerning their property and to request that the Assessor make a physical examination of the subject property. These records are available at the Commissioner of the Revenue's Office located at 16404 Courthouse Road, Suite 127, Eastville, Virginia, Monday through Friday, between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm.
To appeal with the BOE, complete and mail the Board of Equalization Appeal Form to PO BOX 65, EASTVILLE, VA, 23347. Provide sufficient supporting documentation to prove why the property owner believes his or her property has been inaccurately assessed.
Upon receiving the application, the Board of Equalization Secretary will contact the property owner of the date and time of their appointment.
Additionally, you have the right to further appeal to the Circuit Court of Northampton County. Any or all of these levels of appeal processes are available to property owners.