WEST CALDWELL, NJ — It has been almost 16 years since a property revaluation took place in West Caldwell. But that's about to take a turn – and it could spell changes for local homeowners' property taxes.
During a revaluation, all properties in a city or town are reassessed to find out their current "full and fair value." The goal? To make sure each home or business owner is paying their fair share toward the town's overall tax burden.
Although almost all property values rise during a revaluation, it doesn't necessarily mean that all property taxes will increase, experts explain: some may rise and others may fall (learn more here).
The Essex County Board of Taxation has ordered that West Caldwell carry out a new revaluation. The town's last reassessment took place in 2011.
State and county agencies have determined that West Caldwell properties aren't currently assessed at market value. The average property is assessed at 65.84 percent of market value for 2026.
"Some of the major forces responsible for causing inequity in assessments are inflation and neighborhood trends," the brochure states. "As a consequence, all properties have not increased in value at the same rate since the last revaluation – hence, imbalances have been created."
Field inspections for the town's latest revaluation are expected to run from September to October, with final implementation in 2027.
West Caldwell has entered into an agreement with Professional Property Appraisers to perform the township-wide revaluation.
The tax rate will be adjusted in 2027 to compensate for the change in the assessed values. A notice of the new assessed values for each property will be mailed out toward the end of 2026.
Local homeowners have the right to file a formal appeal with the county board of taxation if they are not satisfied with the assessed value.
According to West Caldwell town administrators, revaluations are "neutral to revenue" – meaning that the township will not receive more money for the effort.
The township has created a webpage with information about the revaluation, which can be seen here.
TAXES IN WEST CALDWELL
Property taxes are mainly made up of three parts: school, municipal and county.
In 2025, the average West Caldwell resident paid $12,371 in property taxes on a home valued at $450,020 (not including credits and deductions).
Here are the previous five years for comparison:
>> READ MORE: Property Taxes In The Caldwells (See Latest 5-Year Breakdown)
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