As Chief Fiscal Officer of the County, the Auditor is required by law to prepare the County's annual financial report. The Auditor has received a Certificate of Achievement For Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association for each CAFR prepared since fiscal year 1988. The County Auditor, as agent for the Ohio Department of Taxation, is responsible for administering the tangible personal property tax laws. Generally speaking, anyone in business in Ohio is subject to the tangible Personal Property Tax on equipment, furniture, fixtures, and inventory used in business. The Tangible Personal Property Tax is distributed back to the local taxing districts in the same manner as real estate taxes.
Personal property is assessed from tax returns which are required to be filed.
The Tax Commissioner is responsible for administering the personal property tax laws. The County Auditor serves as a deputy for the Tax Commissioner in this capacity. Go to Top of Page Real Estate Assessment Lake County has more than 100,000 separate parcels of real estate property. It is the duty of the Auditor to see that every parcel of land and the buildings thereon are fairly and uniformly appraised and then assessed for tax purposes. A general reappraisal is mandated by Ohio Law every six years and an update every three years.