221 South Mooney Boulevard - Room 102-E Visalia, California 93291 Phone (559) 636-5100 FAX (559) 737-4468 Office Hours: 8 AM - 5 PM Monday - Friday (Closed on Holidays) To be in compliance with the mandated forty (40) hour employee furlough requirement implemented by the Tulare County Board of Supervisors the Assessor Division of the Assessor/Clerk-Recorder's Office will be closed on the following five (5) days: Monday - Wednesday, November 23rd, 24th & 25th 2009 (note that on Thursday & Friday, November 26th & 27th the office will also be closed due to the holidays); and Tuesday & Wednesday, December 22nd & 23rd 2009 (note that on Thursday & Friday, December 24th & 25th the office will also be closed due to the holidays); NEWS RELEASES May 15, 2009 The Tulare County Assessor Greg Hardcastle said in the wake of a general decline in real estate values in recent years, some property owners may benefit from requesting a temporary reassessment of their property tax values under the provisions of Proposition 8. Residents who may benefit most from reassessment are those who paid top dollar for new or existing homes in the past three years. Homes typically are assessed when they are built, reassessed after an ownership change, or undergo a significant remodeling project with a building permit. A homeowner may be able to make a case for lowering their property values this year, if their values were too high as of January 1, 2009. It is very important for the property owner to understand that the Appeal process could be their best option. On an annual basis we can reassess their property if the homeowner files an appeal through the Assessment Appeals Board; these Applications are available from the Board of Supervisor's Office, located at 2800 W. Burrel Ave. Such appeals must be filed between July 1 and November 30. Under state law, counties must use January 1 as the base date for assessing property values. Those values are normally based on prices paid for homes, with increases each year limited to 2%. The property owners, after the November 30 deadline, can contact the Tulare County Assessor's Office and request an application "Request for Value Review" and seek a change in value for the 2009/2010 roll year. After December 31, 2009 through June 1, 2010, the Assessor will review value review requests for the next roll year, 2010/2011. Tax reductions under Proposition 8 may be initiated by the County Assessor without a request from the owner. The Assessor's office has initiated some such reviews and whenever possible will review properties that changed ownership in the year 2007 and 2008. April 22, 2009 County Assessor Warns Public: Do Not Be Scammed In these unsettling economic times as the values of homes decline, it is my responsibility to ensure that no property owner pays more that their fair share of property taxes. People worry about foreclosures and paying property taxes even with the protection of Proposition 13. Now, they have to worry about being ripped off by companies offering the lure of lower taxes for a fee. Private companies are taking advantage of the situation with a scheme charging property owners an unreasonable fee for a service they do not need. I am always distressed when private companies use questionable tactics to obtain fees from unsuspecting property owners. Companies using clever names like “Tax Adjusters”, “Tax Review”, or” Tax Reassessment” are mailing misleading solicitations which arrive in official looking envelopes. They are written in language with deadline warning, which can easily be mistaken for an official government form. For the 2009/2010 tax year, we will be reviewing over 35,000 single-family residences in Tulare County without the property owners ever having to ask us. In addition to the properties that will be automatically reviewed, we have over 3500 property owners that have filed assessment appeals and over 500 value review requests to review their property as of December 31, 2008. Proposition 13 set the guidelines or determining property taxes. The assessed value of property is established when it is either purchased or built. Most refer to this as their Proposition 13 base year value. Lesser known is Proposition 8 which allows a temporary reduction in assessed value when the current market value of a property is less than the value previously shown on the property tax bill (their Prop 13 base year value). Owners who purchase their home or condominium at or near the top of the market may have a Proposition 13 value that is higher than its market value. They clearly deserve a temporary reduction in the property tax. Last year, I initiated a review of single-family residences and condominiums. Over 12,000 homes were reviewed, resulting in tax savings for 10,225 homeowners. The market downturn, however, does not mean everyone will see reduced property taxes. So, if you have an old Prop 13 base year value, it is highly unlikely that your property taxes will be reduced, as your base year valued will still be below current market value. Do not be mislead into paying someone to file an application for you when we will be reviewing your property for free. My advice for those concerned about their property values is to wait until you get your actual tax bill (usually by November). If you disagree with the values, you will have ample time to either file an Assessment Appeal Application with the Assessment Appeals Board (these Applications are available from the Board of Supervisor's Office, located at 2800 W. Burrel Ave.; contact them for any fees charged to file) by November 30, 2009, or if late, file a value Review Request with the Assessor between December 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009 (there is never a fee charge by the County of Tulare for a Value Review Request). So, please do not get ripped off by some scam. Gregory B. Hardcastle, CPA Tulare County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder Roland P. Hill - Assistant Assessor/Clerk-Recorder Anna Cortez - Chief Assessment Clerk Craig Miller - Chief Appraiser Gary Westbrook - Appraiser IV (Agricultural Properties) Ruben Castillo - Appraiser IV (Residential Properties - North) Tim Mathos - Appraiser IV (Commercial & Special Properties) Vacant - Appraiser IV (Residential Properties - South) Ron Medlock - Chief Auditor-Appraiser Assessor Official Maps - Use inks below to access maps DISCLAIMER / TERMS OF USE All Assessor maps are prepared for local property assessment purposes only and the parcels shown thereon may not comply with State and Local subdivision ordinances, and no liability is assumed for the use of the information shown on any Assessor map. You may not sell, give away, publish or otherwise distribute these maps without the prior written permission of the Tulare County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder. Accessing these maps implies agreement with these terms. 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