53 PA Cons Stat § 8844 (2021)
2021 Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes|Title 53 - MUNICIPALITIES GENERALLY|Chapter 88 - Consolidated County Assessment|Section 8844 - Notices, appeals and certification of values

§ 8844. Notices, appeals and certification of values. (a) Notices.--The county assessment office shall mail to each record property owner, at the last known address of the record property owner, and to the affected taxing districts notice of any change in assessment or new assessment made pursuant to section 8841(c) (relating to assessment roll and interim revisions). The notice shall state:  (1) Mailing date. (2) Property location. (3) Parcel identifier. (4) Effective date. (5) Established predetermined ratio. (6) Base-year value. (7) Old assessment. (8) New assessment, including the assessment of each parcel of land and the assessed value of any improvements.  (b) Mailing and notice of appeal.--The notice shall be mailed within five days from the date the county assessment office makes the change or addition to its official records. The notice shall state that any persons aggrieved by the assessment and the affected taxing districts may file an appeal to the board within 40 days of the date of the notice. The appeal shall be in writing and shall identify the following:  (1) Appellant. (2) Property location. (3) Owner. (4) Assessment or assessments by which the person is aggrieved. (5) Address to which notice of the time and place for a hearing of the appeal shall be mailed.  (c) Annual appeal deadline.-- (1) Any person aggrieved by any assessment, whether or not the value thereof shall have been changed since the preceding annual assessment, or any taxing district having an interest in the assessment, may appeal to the board for relief. Any person or taxing district desiring to make an appeal shall, on or before September 1 or the date designated by the county commissioners if the option under paragraph (3) is exercised, file with the board an appeal in writing, identifying the following:  (i) Appellant. (ii) Property location. (iii) Owner. (iv) Assessment or assessments by which the person is aggrieved. (v) Address to which notice of the time and place for a hearing shall be mailed. (2) The same procedures and deadlines shall apply to a request for real estate tax exemption under section 8812 (relating to exemptions from taxation).  (3) The county commissioners may designate a date no earlier than August 1 as the date on or before which any person desiring to appeal from any assessment shall file with the board an appeal as long as the notice by publication required under section 8841(d)(1) is given at least two weeks prior to the date designated in accordance with this paragraph.  (d) Class action.--For the purpose of assessment appeals, the term "person" shall include, in addition to that provided by law, a group of two or more persons acting on behalf of a class of persons similarly situated with regard to an assessment. The regulations adopted by the board may establish additional criteria for a group of two or more persons to act on behalf of a class, including, but not limited to, specifying a date or time by which any person desiring to be a member of the class must file a written election with the board.  (e) Appeals.-- (1) The board shall meet for the hearing of appeals and shall meet for this purpose until all appeals have been heard and acted upon. The board shall have the power to compel the attendance of witnesses and the furnishing of documents. For the purpose of examining witnesses, any member of the board may administer oaths. All appeals other than appeals brought under section 8841(c) shall be heard and acted upon no later than October 31. When an appeal has been filed, the board shall notify the appellant, property owner and each affected taxing district of the time and place of the hearing. Each party attending the hearing shall have the right to examine any witness. The notice shall be mailed to the appellant at the address designated in the appeal. Notices required by this section shall be mailed no later than 20 days preceding the appeal. Any appellant who fails to appear for the hearing at the time fixed shall be conclusively presumed to have abandoned the appeal unless the hearing date is rescheduled by the mutual consent of the appellant and the board.  (2) In any assessment appeal, the board shall determine the market value of the property as of the date such appeal was filed before the board and shall apply the established predetermined ratio to that value, unless the common level ratio last published by the State Tax Equalization Board varies by more than 15% from the established predetermined ratio, in which case the board shall apply that same common level ratio to the market value of the property. Nothing in this paragraph shall prevent an appellant from appealing a base-year valuation without reference to ratio.  (2.1) When the board has completed the appeal hearings, it shall make the appropriate changes in the assessment roll to conform to the decision of the board and, no later than November 15, provide written notice of its decision to the appellant, property owner and taxing districts. The written notice shall contain, in addition to any content required by the board, the following:  (i) A statement that the decision may be appealed to the court of common pleas within 30 days of the mailing date of the decision in accordance with law and local rules.  (ii) A statement that an appellant must provide each taxing district within which the property lies a copy of the appeal in accordance with law and local rules and that a list of the names and addresses of taxing districts in the county may be found on the county's publicly accessible Internet website or may be requested in print.  (iii) A statement that the board cannot provide advice on filing an appeal to court and that a party may wish to consult with an attorney when considering an appeal.  (3) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to abridge, alter or limit the right of an appellant to assert a challenge under section 1 of Article VIII of the Constitution of Pennsylvania.  (f) Certification of assessment roll after appeals.-- (1) The county assessment office shall prepare three copies of the assessment roll and shall deliver as follows the copies on or before November 15 with its certificate that each copy is a true copy of the original assessment roll:  (i) One copy to the chief clerk of the county commissioners. (ii) One copy of the portion of the roll that contains the assessment of persons or property within each school district to the secretary of the board of school directors of the respective school district.  (iii) One copy of the portion of the roll that contains the assessment of persons or property within each city accepting the provisions of this chapter, borough, town or township, to the respective city clerk, borough secretary, town clerk or secretary or township secretary.  (2) All copies of the roll so furnished shall for all purposes be considered as originals. The original assessment roll and the true copies may be corrected, amended or changed after November 15 as circumstances may require. The copies, in addition to the information required to be shown on the original assessment roll, shall provide space to the right of each assessment for the entry of all taxes which may be levied thereon by the respective taxing districts. The original assessment roll as corrected shall be preserved in the office of the chief assessor or of the board and shall be open to public inspection, subject to regulations that the board may prescribe for the preservation and safekeeping of the roll.  (3) On or before November 15, the board shall certify to the clerk or secretary of each taxing district coming within the scope of this chapter within the county:  (i) The assessed value of real property. (ii) The value of occupations pursuant to section 8865 (relating to assessment of occupations). (iii) The number of persons subject to personal taxes appearing in the assessment roll and taxable by the respective taxing districts pursuant to section 8864 (relating to assessment of personal property).  (Oct. 24, 2012, P.L.1286, No.160, eff. 60 days; Oct. 24, 2018, P.L.1139, No.155, eff. Jan. 1, 2020)    2018 Amendment. Act 155 amended subsec. (e)(2) and added subsec. (e)(2.1).  2012 Amendment. Act 160 amended subsecs. (c)(3) and (e).  Cross References. Section 8844 is referred to in sections 8841, 8851 of this title.