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Northumberland reassessment to take effect Jan. 1, 2026; assessor warns large average increases
Summary
County assessor Fred Pearson told the Board of Supervisors that the 2026 reassessment will reflect large market gains, estimating average increases of roughly 70% overall and larger percent increases for higher-value waterfront properties. Notices will go out in late October to early November.
Fred Pearson, the reassessment lead for Northumberland County, told the Board of Supervisors on Aug. 14 that the county's property reassessment will take effect Jan. 1, 2026, and reflect sharply higher market values.
'Your reassessment will go into effect 01/01/2026,' Pearson said, adding that he had completed an initial sales study and was still adding July, August and September sales to the dataset. Pearson described steep, uneven increases across housing types: waterfront homes generally facing an average increase of about 70 percent overall, with waterfront homes selling at different price bands showing widely different estimated increases.
Pearson gave several examples. Waterfront homes that had been at about 62 percent of market could expect roughly a 53 percent increase on average; homes in the $500,000 to $750,000 band were at about 58 percent of market and could expect about a 64 percent increase; homes around $1 million or more, with an assessed level of about 51 percent of market, could see increases around 86 percent. For non-waterfront homes Pearson said the sales sample showed increases in the neighborhood of 70 percent.
Pearson noted that sales data were still being added and that there will be appointments and appeals: 'Anytime you get these large increases, it's rough. You're going to have more appointments than you've ever had,' he said. He also said assessors do not perform interior inspections as routine and invited residents to submit photographs or other evidence to support appeals.
Board members asked whether neighboring counties had seen similar increases; Pearson said large increases have appeared in other jurisdictions where he works but that local results depend on recent sales.
Notices of assessment will be mailed in late October to early November, Pearson said, and the board should expect an increased volume of appeals and inquiries after notices are delivered.
Ending: The reassessment figures presented to the board indicate a substantial upward adjustment to market values in Northumberland County. Residents concerned about the effect on taxes will receive formal notices in the fall and may be able to request appointments to discuss specific assessments.
