FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How is my property value determined?
Property tax is an ad valorem tax--which means according to value-- based upon a person's wealth. Wealth is determined by the property a person owns. All real property and all personal property are taxable unless the property has been exempted by law. Real property is land and generally anything that is erected, growing or affixed to the land; and personal property is everything that can be owned that is not real estate. Property taxes are charged against the owner of the property on January 1, and against the property itself if the owner is not known. Property tax returns are to be filed between January 1 and April 1 with the county tax assessor's office. Fair Market Value Appraisal Procedures •COST APPROACH: The cost approach uses actual replacement cost of the building, less general depreciation, plus the value of the land. •MARKET APPROACH: The market approach involves analyzing sales of similar properties to predict the likely selling price of unsold properties. •INCOME APPROACH: The income approach is used for income-producing properties. It involves capitalizing the net income to arrive at a probable selling price for the property. Special Assessment Programs There are special assessment programs available to taxpayers. These special programs include: Equipment, Machinery, and Fixtures Tax assessors have access to any public records in order to discover such information.
Homestead, School, Disabled Veterans, and Preferential Agriculture: Property tax is one of the primary sources of revenue for Screven County. It is used to fund police and fire services, education, roads, bridges, water, parks, and other county services. The basis for property tax is the fair market value of the property, which is established on January 1 of each year. The tax is levied on the assessment value, which by law is established at 40 percent of fair market value. The amount of tax is determined by the millage rate. (One mill of tax is equal to $1 per $1,000 of assessed value.) We accept applications year round. Applications for the current year must be made prior to March 1 of the year the application is being sought. Once you have applied for an exemption, you do not need to reapply unless you move to another location. Special Exemptions: You may be eligible for conservation use or preferential agricultural assessment exemption if you are in good faith agricultural/forest production. This would include; producing plants, trees, fowl or animals, or the production of aquaculture, horticulture, floriculture, forestry, dairy, livestock, poultry and apiarian products. With both programs, you enter into a 10 year covenant with Screven County whereby you agree to continue your property in agricultural or forestry production. Agricultural preferential assessment generally provides a 25 percent advantage over fair market value. Conservation use can offer significant savings, in some cases greater than 50 percent of fair market value. Residential Transitional Exemption: If you live in an area that is in a transition form from residential to commercial use, and it is affecting the value of your property, you may apply for a residential transitional assessment covenant. This is also a 10-year covenant. For all three, apply between January 2 and April 1.
After the assessors establish a new value on a piece of property, the tax payer is sent a assessment notice. The assessment informs you of the new proposed valuation of your property. You have 45 days to appeal the new valuation if you feel its incorrect. The appeal must be filed in writing. Late appeals are invalid. Basis for appeal After you have given careful consideration to the value placed on your property and if you feel its incorrect, your appeal should be based on one of the following areas of appeal: •TAXABILITY: Is the property taxable or does it qualify for exempt status? •UNIFORMITY: Does the property value compare with the value of similar properties? •VALUE: Is the property value too high or too low? Appeals Process When you file an appeal, the Board of Tax Assessors reviews it and determines whether a change in the valuation is warranted. If no change is made, it will then go to the next level of appeal, the Board of Equalization. The Board of Equalization is a independent three-person board appointed by the Screven County Grand Jury. Its specific function is to hear unresolved appeals from taxpayers. After hearing both the assessors and the taxpayer's position, the Board of Equalization renders a decision on the valuation. If either side disagrees with the decision of the Board of Equalization, the taxpayer or the assessor may proceed to the next level of appeal, Screven County Superior Court.
The tax rate, or millage, is set annually. A tax rate of one mill represents a tax liability of one dollar per $1,000 of assessed value. Example: |