Augusta County: 2024 Real Estate Reassessment Notices Mailed

Statements detailing the 2024 reassessed fair market value of land, building, and improvements to property have been mailed to Augusta County real estate owners. The reassessment, the first since 2019, reflects the current fair market value of each property, excluding any reduction for participation in a reduced tax program.

Residents should look for the notice which was mailed on February 20, 2024. If the reassessment notice is not received by March 6, please use one of the following options to learn your property’s 2024 reassessed value:

• Property owners can access the 2024 reassessed values online at www.AugustaCountyVA.gov/RealEstateDatabase

• Visit the Commissioner of the Revenue’s office to review the Reassessment Book.

The 2024 tax levy shown in the notice is at last year’s tax rate. This is not your 2024 tax amount. 

It is important to note that the tax rate for the 2024 reassessed value has not been set by the Board of Supervisors yet. The tax rates which will apply to this assessment are set annually by the Board of Supervisors. A public hearing on the tax rate will be advertised in the local newspaper and posted on the Augusta County website at www.AugustaCountyVA.gov/news. The public hearing will be scheduled for April, prior to the tax rates being set.

The Board setting the 2024 tax rates as part of the county’s budget process is the next step in determining what your actual levied tax will be. We urge residents to engage in the County’s budget process by doing the following:

• Sign up for e-notices about the budget process and tax information, www.AugustaCountyVA.gov/e-notices

• Follow the budget process on our webpage, www.AugustaCountyVA.gov/budget

• Participate in public hearings scheduled in April for setting the tax rate and approving the budget.

Reassessment Appeals Process

The reassessment notice shows the value of your property. Every effort has been made to reassess your property accurately and equitably, however, there are several ways to appeal the reassessment if you feel the reassessed value does not accurately:

• Represent the current fair market value of your property, or

• Use accurate property data and you believe there are errors, such as the acreage of the assessment, or

• Show consistency with similar properties in your area.

Property owners who wish to view and make copies of assessment records that were used in arriving at the assessed values of the land and any improvements may contact the Reassessment Office.

There are three ways to appeal:

Appeal to the Reassessment Office –  received no later than March 18, 2024

You may appeal your assessment informally in person or by mail, email, Zoom or phone.

In-Person Hearings will be conducted at the Augusta County Government Center in Verona, beginning March 6, 2024. Schedule an in-person hearing by calling (540)-245-5630.

Written Appeals should be submitted by mail (Augusta County Reassessment Office, P.O. Box 1789, Waynesboro, VA 22980); by email, [email protected]; or by online appeal form and include:

• Name

• Map number

• Record number

• Telephone number

• Reason for appeal

• Comparable sales, properties, and / or details for the assessment office to consider

You may complete this online form to start the appeal process with the Reassessment Office.

Appeal to the Board of Equalization – starts in June 2024

You are not required to present your appeal to the Reassessment Office in order to formally appeal to the Board of Equalization (BOE) or to the Circuit Court. For unresolved appeals by the reassessment office, Augusta County will convene the BOE to review cases starting in June. Cases will be reviewed by the BOE on dates to-be-determined and advertised in the paper. Owners with fewer than four residential units will receive a 45-day notice prior to their hearing date, per Virginia Code, though these owners can choose to waive the 45-day notice in order to schedule the hearing before that date.

After reviewing the in-person or written appeal, the BOE will determine whether to increase, decrease, or affirm the assessment. At this point in the appeal process, the BOE presumes that the reassessed value is correct, so the taxpayer or agent must present clear evidence that the assessment of the property is not uniform with the assessments of other similar properties or that the property is assessed in excess of its fair market value. Comparable sales data, property information, and details on incorrect property statistics should be presented for an appeal to the BOE.

Appeal to the Circuit Court

Appeals to the Circuit Court are a judicial procedure and filings are made to the Clerk of the Circuit Court. The owner/agent may appeal to the Circuit Court without first appealing to the Assessor or the BOE.

National and Regional Trends in Home Prices

Augusta County is not alone in seeing a jump in home valuation. At the end of January, home prices nationally were up 45% since March 2020, the early days of the pandemic.^** Higher home prices reflect higher demand with a continuing limited supply of homes on the market.

In February 2023, the cities of Staunton and Waynesboro released their average increases in valuation at 25.49% and 29.5%, respectively. The cities are on a two-year reassessment cycle. Augusta County is on a five-year reassessment cycle so increase in home values reflect market changes over the last five years.

Options for Tax Relief

Residents are encouraged to learn about programs to reduce tax liability.

• Augusta County offers tax relief for permanently disabled or elderly (65+) residents with limited income and assets.
• Augusta County residents who are veterans with 100% service-connected, total and permanent disability or the surviving spouse will receive a tax exemption on the home and up to 10 acres.

• The Land Use Program offers a deferment of real estate taxes and must meet agriculture, horticulture or forest requirements. All new applicants for the Land Use Program must apply before 5 pm on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.

Questions about these tax relief programs can be answered by the Commissioner of the Revenue’s office, [email protected] or  (540) 245-5647.

Questions?

Learn more about the reassessment process at www.AugustaCountyVA.gov/reassessment.

Questions about the reassessment process and appeals can be directed to the Reassessment Office – [email protected] or (540)-245-5630.

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