The deadline to appeal your property assessment value is Tuesday, April 3rd.   Assessment appeal forms must be mailed or filed with the county auditor by that date.

What are grounds for an appeal?

• Inaccuracies on your property record (You have one bath, not two. You have a carport, not a garage. Your house’s square footage is incorrect.)
• You have evidence that properties similar to your own have sold for less than the assessment value of your property.
• The assessment value of your property is higher than the assessment value of similar properties in your neighborhood.

The assessment value of your property affects the taxes you will be responsible for next year.  It is not possible to appeal your taxes only your assessment value.  Dates for appealing and forms are available here or with the Director of Equalization’s office at 1029 N River St, Hot Springs.

The Freeze on Assessments Program prevents the homeowner’s property from increasing in value, for tax purposes. This means that as the value of the home increases, the homeowner will pay tax on the former (lower) value. Property is defined as the house, garage, and the lot upon which it sits, or one acre, whichever is less.

To qualify:

• you must be 65 year of age or older, or disabled
• you must own the home or have retained a life estate in the property
• your federal gross income plus any income not included in that figure (this includes Social Security Payments) must be lower than:
  • $27,697.78 for single member household (2018 value, values change every year)
  • $34,622.21 for multiple member household  (2018 value, values change every year)
• The full and true market value of the property must be less than $190,122.74 unless the applicant has received the assessment freeze in a preceding year on that property.

Form: Assessment Freeze for the Elderly & Disabled

Forms should be turned in to the Fall River County Treasurer on or before April 1st. The assessment freeze must be applied for yearly. Questions concerning applications and income should be directed to the Treasurer at 605-745-5145.

The attached document is from the IAAO (International Association of Assessing Officers).  This information sheet answers questions such as:

• How is Your Property Value Estimated?
• What Causes Property Values to Change?
• What are the Grounds for an Appeal?
• What is the Role of Taxing Authorities?

There is also general information of what to expect during an appeal process.

See document here.

The 2018 Assessment Notices for Fall River County were mailed out April 28th. Property owners need to verify that all of the information on the assessment notice is correct, such as the legal description, number of acres, owner’s name, and address. Another thing to verify is the property classification. If we have made any changes in class such as owner occupied, AG, non-AG, commercial; this assessment notice is your official notification of such changes.  Anyone who does not receive their notice within the next week, or finds information that needs to be corrected, should contact the Equalization Office at 745-5136.

By law, all counties in South Dakota must demonstrate to the Department of Revenue each year that the assessed values are between 85% and 100% of fair market value based on the sales of properties in the county.

***REMEMBER*** You will always see some kind of change in your value EVERY year, as properties depreciate or as sales fluctuate. These annual changes should be minimal now that reassessment has occurred. The only time you will see a significant change in your value will be the addition or removal of structures.

The Department of Equalization is responsible for assessing and valuing property in a fair and equitable manner. If a property owner feels that their assessed value is greater than market value, please contact the Equalization Office so the property can be reviewed. You will find information on the appeal process at the bottom of your assessment notice. This year’s appeal deadline is March 15, 2018 for the three LOCAL BOARDS (Argentine Township, Provo Township, and City of Oelrichs), and April 3, 2018 for the rest of the County. REMEMBER, you cannot appeal your tax bill. Taxes are billed a year behind. You must appeal in March if you do not agree with your assessed VALUE. Anyone having questions regarding the assessment process can find additional information on our website – fallriver.sdcounties.org or you can contact the Equalization Office at 745-5136.

We have included a Building Notification Form, the green sheet, with the Assessment Notice. Please use this form if you have made changes to any structures on your property. You may also come into the DOE office, call or go online to complete this form.

The Fall River County Commissioner meeting for Tuesday February 20th has been rescheduled due to inclement weather. The Commissioner Meeting will now take place on Tuesday, February 27th.  The Fall River County Courthouse offices will open at 10 AM on Tuesday (Feb 20th). Further updates as the situation changes.