Every five years each municipality in Connecticut conducts a revaluation of all real property. The City of Norwalk, Town of Darien, Town of New Canaan, Town of Weston, and Town of Wilton conducted revaluations this year, revaluing all real property as of October 1, 2023. A taxpayer looking to contest the assessment of real property in these municipalities must file an appeal with the Board of Assessment Appeals (BAA) no later than February 20, 2024. This is a HARD deadline. However, before taking this step, taxpayers must first navigate the bureaucratic web that is the municipal tax appeal process.

In the coming weeks, taxpayers can expect to receive a preliminary notice in the mail, advising the taxpayer of the fair market value of its property as of October 1, 2023. The municipalities assess all real property at 70% of the fair market value.

If a taxpayer is not satisfied with the preliminary valuation, the first step is to set up an “informal” meeting with the revaluation company. These informal meetings (usually held in December) are a necessary first step whereby a property owner can present evidence of fair market value, but do not usually yield the result a taxpayer is looking to achieve.

After the taxpayer has the informal meeting, the taxpayer will receive a final notice in the mail setting forth the final value of the property. If there is no change in the valuation after the informal meeting with the revaluation company, or the taxpayer is not satisfied with the change, the taxpayer has the option of filing an appeal to the Board of Assessment Appeals (BAA) by the February 20th deadline. If a taxpayer does not file an appeal with the BAA by the deadline, the taxpayer will be stuck with the final value of the property until the next October.

Connecticut law permits the BAA to deny any appeal without a hearing for a commercial property valued at $1,000,000 or more. Owners of commercial properties valued at $1,000,000 should expect their appeal to the BAA to be denied. However, filing an appeal to the BAA is a necessary step before the taxpayer can bring an appeal to the Superior Court.

Once the taxpayer receives a letter from the BAA either denying the appeal or reducing the fair market value, the taxpayer has two months to file an appeal in the Superior Court.

The experienced attorneys at Carmody’s Tax Assessment and Valuation Appeals group are available to discuss your concerns and assist with any real property tax revaluation informal meeting or appeals.

Please get in touch with your Carmody contact or one of the following attorneys:

Lindsay T. Reed
lreed@carmodylaw.com
203.252.2657

Gary S. Klein
gklein@carmodylaw.com
203.252.2696

Stephen J. Conover
sconover@carmodylaw.com
203.252.2668

This information is for educational purposes only to provide general information and a general understanding of the law. It does not constitute legal advice and does not establish any attorney-client relationship.