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Disaster and Destroyed Property Tax Relief
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The Reassessment

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The most intensive requirement for a jurisdiction to apply to be a declared disaster area is the reassessment. Statute mandates that all damaged property within a declared disaster area must be reassessed, regardless of if it qualifies for disaster relief, is personal property, or is exempt.

When reassessing, “damaged” refers to damage that would change the assessed value. A property may be affected by the disaster, but if the reassessed value is unchanged then it is not considered damaged for property tax purposes. The only property not required to be reassessed by the assessor is utility property. Utility property is reassessed by the Department of Revenue as normal if the utilities apply for relief.

The reassessment should begin as soon as it is safe to do so and assessors should communicate with the jurisdiction’s emergency management personnel. The assessor’s office can inform them that a reassessment must take place for property tax relief so emergency management can inform the assessor when it is safe to begin the reassessment.

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Required Reassessment Information

Reassessment information must be submitted as part of the application to the Executive Council for the jurisdiction to apply to be a declared disaster area. The Property Tax Division recommends using the provided Reassessment Template for recording the reassessed values of damaged property. You can also find the spreadsheet in the Resources section. All damaged structures must be included on the worksheet, regardless if they qualify for disaster relief or not.

The following information must be listed for each damaged building:

  • Property identification number
  • Pre-disaster value of the property
  • Post-disaster value of the property
  • Classification of the building on the property
  • If the building is a homestead dwelling (house or garage on a homesteaded property)

Other Important Reassessment Information

  • The reassessed value is a dollar value, just like the assessed value set on January 2 is a dollar value.
    • Both the application to the executive council to be a declared disaster area and individual property tax relief is dependent on calculations using the specific reassessed value.
  • The reassessment is for structures only. Land values are not reassessed.
  • Damaged personal property that is not state assessed must also be reassessed by the assessor.
  • The reassessment value does not replace the assessed value in your property tax system. The reassessed value is solely used for determining eligibility for a declared disaster area and for disaster relief.
    • If the property owner does not rebuild before the following assessment year, the reassessed value could become the next year’s assessment value. For example, if a disaster occurred on December 1 and the property owner did not repair or rebuild, the reassessed value would likely be the new assessment value set on January 2 of the following assessment year.
  • Assessors may wish to communicate with their regional partners, their regional reps, or other organizations to help determine best practices for assessing damaged property.
  • Depending on the scope of the disaster, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may request that assessors help determine the level of damage done to property.
    • FEMA damage levels are not a substitute for reassessed values. They are descriptors of the amount of damage rather than actual values.
    • Assessors may assist by recording a FEMA damage level at the same time as recording the reassessed value to prevent making multiple trips to the same damaged property.
  • Geographic boundaries for the reassessment are based on the state of emergency declaration and its boundaries. For example, if a mayor declares a local emergency for their city, only damaged property within the city limits must be reassessed.