Madison County property tax appeals

In Mississippi, your county tax assessor physically inspects and appraises property to determine its true value. A single-family, owner-occupied home is assessed at 10 percent of true value (Class I); most other real property is assessed at 15 percent (Class II). If you disagree with your assessment, you request a hearing with your county's Board of Supervisors, and normally an appeal must be filed by the first Monday in August, preceding the due date of the taxes. Mississippi assesses annually with no cap on the growth of assessed value. An appeal helps when your assessment works out to more than 10 percent of what your home would actually sell for, or when the record has an error. It usually will not help if your assessment already reflects the 10 percent ratio and you are only unhappy with your tax bill. This is general information, not tax advice.