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How Highlands homeowners can appeal their 2025 assessment: deadline, evidence and next steps
Summary
Assessor Greg Hutchinson walked residents through the appeals process: check your property record card, gather three to five recent comparable sales near the Oct. 1 appraisal date, and file with the County Tax Board before the January 15 deadline; the assessor may offer settlement after reviewing submitted comps.
At a Highlands town-hall, Assessor Greg Hutchinson outlined how homeowners should prepare and file appeals of their 2025 property assessments.
Hutchinson said the burden of proof is on the taxpayer: successful appeals typically rest on three to five comparable sales close to the appraisal date (the assessor said the County Tax Board gives more weight to sales nearer the appraisal date — October 1 of the pre-tax year). If a homeowner believes the assessor’s records contain incorrect data (for example, wrong square footage or an incorrectly recorded finished basement), the assessor can file a data-correction on the owner’s behalf or inspect to verify, but market-value disputes must be filed formally with the county.
Residents should: check the property record card (PRC) on the county’s open-records system for errors; collect recent MLS/MLS‑like sales that match their house and are close to the appraisal date; and submit an appeal before the County Tax Board’s stated deadline. Hutchinson reminded the room that "the appeal window is closing January 15th" and that settlements can be offered after the assessor and taxpayer exchange comparables, avoiding a hearing.
Hutchinson also described procedural expectations for hearings: commissioners typically ask each side for their best comparable and expect concise presentation focused on sales evidence rather than long narratives. If the assessor (after reviewing the taxpayer’s comps) agrees he erred, he may propose a settlement and the matter can be resolved without a hearing; if not, the County Tax Board will hear the case and render a judgment. He cautioned that settlements can include stipulations or freezes that affect future reassessments.
Where to get help: Hutchinson suggested residents email the assessor with specific record-card corrections, use the county PRC search to download assessment histories, and consider professional representation for complex cases. He noted assessor-initiated corrections are possible for factual errors but not for redoing certified values absent a board judgment.
Practical tip from the meeting: prioritize recent sales (calendar year sales near Oct. 1 of the pre-tax year) as they carry the most weight.
