State Division of Property Assessments

The State Division of Property Assessments has the duty to develop methods and procedures to assist local assessors and boards of equalization in administering the annual assessment process and in maintaining assessments through a process of updating valuations, property ownership records, and other information and records.¹The Division of Property Assessments has developed manuals, rules, and regulations which relate to the duties of assessors of property and to reappraisal programs.²These manuals provide for consideration of the following factors in determining property values:

1. Location;
2. Current use;
3. Whether income bearing or non-income bearing;
4. Zoning restrictions on use;
5. Legal restrictions on use;
6. Availability of water, electricity, gas, sewers, street lighting, and other municipal services;
7. Inundated wetlands;
8. Natural productivity of the soil, except that the value of growing crops shall not be added to the value of the land ("crops" include trees); and
9. All other factors and evidences of values generally recognized by appraisers as bearing on the sound, intrinsic and immediate economic value at the time of assessment.

For determining the value of industrial, commercial, farm machinery and other personal property, these manuals provide for consideration of the following factors:

1. Current use;
2. Depreciated value;
3. Actual value after allowance for obsolescence; and
4. All other factors and evidences of values generally recognized by appraisers as bearing on the sound, intrinsic and immediate economic value at the time of assessment.

For determining the value of forestland, the State Division of Property Assessments consults with the U.S. Forest Service and the state forester to establish guidelines to be used in the manual.³