Appeals

Office Review – to the City Assessor’s Office

In accordance with the Municipal Code of Petersburg, the deadline to file a Review Application is March 1 of the year for which the assessment is made, or within thirty (30) days after the date of the notice of change in assessment. Before filing a Review Application please call the City Assessor’s Office and speak with a real estate appraiser: They will provide an explanation of the reassessment process and information regarding your property and the surrounding assessment neighborhood.

This is also a valuable opportunity for the property owner to confirm that the records of the City Assessor’s Office contain the correct improvement size and property characteristics of their property and comparable properties. Maintaining correct size and property characteristics on the City of Petersburg’s 15,000 parcels is an important and ongoing effort which is essential to providing fair and equitable assessments.

If there is still a concern about the equity and/or fairness of the assessment of your property you may make an application for a review: The Review of Assessment Application can be printed from the website, mailed to you or obtained from the City Assessor’s Office. Office Review Applications are received and processed following the mailing of Change in Assessment Notices. The completed application should be returned to the City Assessor’s Office. With your permission a real estate appraiser will make a detailed inspection (interior and exterior) to confirm the accuracy of the improvement size and property characteristics. Inaccuracies in data will be corrected immediately, the assessed value will be reviewed and adjustments to the assessed value will be made if necessary.

Following the mailing of "Change in Assessment Notices" in late January, the staff of the City Assessor’s Office continues processing changes in land, and completed new construction or alterations, through June 30. Property owners whose property assessments change as a result of changes during this period may appeal their property assessment within thirty days of the date of the Change of Assessment Notice using the Review of Supplemental Assessment or Land Assessment Application.

Board of Equalization

If you are still dissatisfied with the real estate assessment after you appealed to the City Assessor’s Office, or if you missed that deadline, you may wish to file an application to appeal to the Board of Equalization. This three-member Board of Petersburg property owners with real estate related backgrounds, are appointed by the Circuit Court Judge, and will hear your appeal to determine if an adjustment is warranted. The Board of Equalization Application can be printed from the website, mailed to you or obtained at the City Assessor’s in City Hall. In accordance with the Municipal Code of Petersburg appeals must be filed by April 1 of the year for which the assessment is made, or within 60 days after the date of the notice of change in assessment.

The Board of Equalization attends and participates in basic courses of instruction given by the Department of Taxation in accordance with the Code of Virginia § 58.1-206.

Circuit Court

Property owners dissatisfied with the outcome of the Board of Equalization, or those that have missed the deadline for the appeal to the City Assessor’s Office and the Board of Equalization, may appeal to the Circuit Court.  There is not an application provided for this appeal, as it requires legal filings typically executed by an attorney.  It is important to remember that if income and expense information requested by the City Assessor’s Office has not been provided prior to a court filing it cannot be admitted into evidence in accordance with the Code of Virginia § 58.1-3294.