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Vermont Property Tax Appraisals – Do I Need to Respond to a Request for Information Sent by the Town Assessor or Listers?

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Daytime view of the Department of Taxes sign outside the Vermont State House in MontpelierThe City of Burlington, Vermont plans to reappraise all property in the spring of 2020 and recently mailed every property owner in the city a letter asking for information relating to their property.
 
Vermont reappraisals typically take place on a five- to seven-year cycle, either on a town-wide basis or among grouped properties, such as lakefront homes. Prior to these reassessments or reappraisals, the assessor or listers mail questionnaires to property owners asking for details about their properties. The assessor and listers then use the information provided by these requests to reappraise and reassess properties in the municipality.

 

Do I have to respond to a Vermont tax questionnaire?

No. A Vermont property owner has no obligation to respond to tax questionnaires sent by assessors or listers. Your response is voluntary. You may want to respond to clarify any errors which might affect the assessment, such as correcting the acreage of your land or the number of bedrooms in a home.

Do I lose my right to appeal if I don’t respond to a Vermont tax questionnaire?

Even if you do not respond to the tax information letter, you can still address any issues with the assessment when issued. If a property is over-assessed, you will have the opportunity to challenge the assessment to the assessor or listers after the Grand List (the record of all the municipal assessments) is issued, usually in May. At that time you can provide the information necessary to correct the assessment.

How do I appeal a Vermont tax assessment?

You can file an appeal if an assessment is not corrected to your satisfaction. You must follow appeal deadlines once the assessment is issued. A grievance may be filed with the assessor or listers within the stated deadlines and then appealed if the assessment is still not correct.
 
MSK Attorneys has extensive experience in filing tax assessment appeals in Burlington and throughout Vermont. If you have concerns about your tax assessment, reappraisal or any possible appeal, please contact us online or call us at 1-802-861-7000.