Property owners may appeal the assessed value of their property. An appeal is not a complaint about higher taxes. Rather, it is an attempt to prove that a property's estimated market value is unfair or inaccurate.

Grounds for Appeal

An appeal can be made if the property owner can prove one of three things:

• Items that affect the value are incorrect on the property record.
• The estimated market value is too high.
• The estimated market value is accurate but inequitable because it is higher than the estimated value of similar properties.

Informal Review

The first step in an appeal is usually an informal meeting, or possibly a phone conversation, with a staff member in the Assessor's Office.

Begin by gathering as much information as you can to prove why the property is not assessed properly. Our records are open to the public and may be reviewed for property comparisons.

At the meeting, a staff member will review your Property Record Card as well as comparable properties with you. This meeting may or may not result in a change in the assessed value of your property.

Formal Review

If the Informal Review does not result in a change, a property owner may seek a Formal Review by the Lake County Board of Review. Like the Informal Review, the appeal board will be interested only in the evidence you present concerning the fairness and accuracy of the value placed on your property, not on whether you believe the taxes are too high.

The forms and instructions are available at the Assessor’s Office or from the Chief County Assessment Office by calling 847-377-2050. If the owner disagrees with the decision, additional administrative and legal remedies can be sought.

Limited assessment data and appeal forms are available on the internet at http://www.co.lake.ilus/assessor/.