Fontana Discusses Reassessments, Information on Appeals

Last week, under a court order, Allegheny County’s Office of Property Assessments mailed new property tax values to property owners in the city of Pittsburgh and Mt. Oliver. Allowing court-ordered reassessments to occur while neighboring counties have gone 30 to 40 years without a reassessment is unfair, burdensome and bad policy. When the General Assembly reconvenes later this month in Harrisburg, I will again be calling on Senate leadership to move Senate Bill 1280 (SB 1280) for a vote. The bill provides for a temporary moratorium on all court-ordered reassessments until such time that the General Assembly acts to create a uniform, statewide system.

Property owners who received notice from the County’s Office of Property Assessments and believe that their property is over-assessed have an opportunity to request an informal hearing as well as filing a formal appeal. Property owners in the city of Pittsburgh and Mt. Oliver have until Jan. 13 to request an informal hearing. You can schedule an informal hearing by calling 412-350-4600 or visiting http://apps.alleghenycounty.us/InformalReviews. If you schedule a time and need to change it for any reason, you are able to postpone once by calling the above number at least three days in advance of your scheduled time. If your notice contains inaccurate information about your property such as square footage or the number of rooms in your house, you should consider requesting an informal hearing.

You also may schedule a formal appeal no later than Feb. 10 by calling 412-350-4600 or by visiting www.alleghenycounty.us/opa/aforms.aspx to print out an appeal request form. Those forms must be filled out in their entirety and submitted no later than Feb. 10 to the County Office Building at 542 Forbes Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. To read more about the 2012 Court Ordered Reassessment, you can visit the 2012 Court Ordered Reassessment page on the County's website. 

If you need assistance with the appeal process, including the filing of an appeal, please contact one of my district offices, and my staff will be happy to help you. My staff can assist you in requesting an informal hearing and can provide you with the official appeal request form document as well. We will also assist and provide you with eligibility requirements and the necessary forms if you have not filed for the Homestead Exclusion, a program that reduces your market value by $15,000 for county taxes and if you are a senior citizen living in the city of Pittsburgh, the Act 77 Property Tax Relief Application. Please know that my office is ready, willing and able to assist you in an effort to reduce the incredible burden this reassessment has placed upon you.