Railroads and public utilities, which are assessed by the Iowa Department of Revenue and Finance, are assessed every year. Cities, counties, school districts, and townships are the most common. Taxing authorities may also include community college districts, agricultural extension districts, assessor offices, hospital districts and sanitation districts. In addition, there are associations for fire protection, drainage, and other public needs that levy taxes. Iowa has more than 2,000 taxing authorities.
Most property is taxed by more than one taxing authority.
The value of property is established. The assessments of all taxable properties are added together. The assessor totals the assessed value in each classification and reports it to the county auditor. The State examines total assessed values and equalizes them. The abstract shows the total taxable values of all real property in each jurisdiction by classification of property, not by individual property.