How are properties assessed?

The Assessor creates a Grand List of real and personal property owned and located in the Town as of October 1st each year. There are three primary steps to compiling the Town’s Grand List the Assessor:

1. Discover
2. List
3. Value

It is the goal of the Assessor to compile a Grand List that is fair and equitable to all property owners, as stipulated by State law. The above steps are taken to ensure that no property owners are assessed more than once for the same property or are omitted from the list in error. The Assessor also makes every attempt to ensure that the correct person or persons are assessed accordingly. The following is a brief description of each step in the assessment process.

Discover

The first duty of the Assessor is to discover real and personal property located in the Town. The Assessor begins this process with the previous year’s Grand List. In addition, the Assessor uses the following sources:

1. Town Clerk’s records, including deed transfers and trade name certificates.
2. Maps, including survey maps and subdivision maps.
3. Commercial Records.
4. Building permits and demolition permits.
5. Town Fire Marshal reports.
6. Newspapers and other periodicals.
7. Physical inspection of properties.
8. Business Personal Property declarations.
9. CT DMV listing of registered vehicles.
10. Town Health Inspector reports.
11. Liquor license applications.
12. Secretary of the State.
13. Information forwarded from other Town Assessors.
14. Other taxpayers.
15. Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

List

Once property has been located, the Assessor includes it in the Town’s Grand List. Each year’s Grand List is printed and bound into books, categorized by Real Estate, Motor Vehicle and Personal Property. The list is arranged in alphabetical order, by owner last name or business name.

The Assessor also maintains property cards for each parcel of real estate located in the Town. These cards include owner name(s) and mailing address, parcel size and location, as well as Assessor map number and Assessor parcel or lot number. In addition, each parcel carries a number that uniquely identifies it. Some or all of this information enables identification of a parcel on the Assessor maps.

Value

All property is valued by the Assessor in a uniform manner and according to the laws of the State. Connecticut General Statutes (12-63) state that the present true and actual value of property must be its fair market value. Fair market value is the amount of money for which property may be exchanged within a reasonable time period, and under conditions in which all parties are willing, able, and reasonably well-informed. General Statute (12-64) states that all nonexempt property shall be included in the grand list of the city or town in which it is located on October 1. Real and personal property (which includes motor vehicles) is assessed at seventy percent of its market value.