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Iowa Property Assessment Appeal Board

Protesting and Appealing An Assessment

You may ask the local assessor for an informal review of your assessment between April 2 and April 25. Be aware the time for filing a protest with the local board of review overlaps this period. If you are not satisfied with the result of the informal review, you may file a protest to your local board of review.

You cannot file an appeal to PAAB from the informal review.

For more information see Iowa Code 441.30.

The first step in protesting your assessment is to file a protest to your local board of review. You cannot skip the board of review.


WHEN TO FILE

Between April 2 and April 30 for the assessment year you are protesting. If your property is in a county that has been declared a federal disaster area, then you have until June 5 to file.

WHAT TO FILE

Use the Petition to Local Board of Review form. 
Attach information you want the local board of review to consider to the completed form.

Read Protest and Appeal Grounds for more information about the grounds for protesting an assessment. 

WHERE AND HOW TO FILE

File the completed form with your local assessor's office by mail or deliver it in person. Some jurisdictions permit electronic filing.

  • NOTICE: You cannot file board of review protests using PAAB's electronic filing system. Send your board of review protest form to your local assessor's office, not to PAAB. 

For more information, please contact your local assessor's office and see Iowa Code 441.37.
 

Materials from PAAB's April 2023 Webinar are available at Iowa Source Link.

After you receive the board of review decision, you may appeal to PAAB or to the district court. 

Follow the steps below to file your appeal with PAAB. 


WHEN TO FILE

Appeals must be filed on or before the following dates:

  1. If the board of review adjourned on or before May 31, you must file your appeal on or before June 20.  
  2. If the board of review adjourned after May 31, you must file your appeal within 20 calendar days of the board of review's adjournment date.
    Bechtel v. Warren County Bd. of Tax Review, 455 N.W.2d 925 (Iowa 1990).  

If the 20th day falls on a Saturday, a Sunday, or a holiday, you must file the appeal on the next available business day.

Filing occurs on the date the appeal is:

  • delivered in-person to PAAB; 
  • delivered to a courier service for immediate delivery to PAAB; 
  • mailed to PAAB by first-class mail with proof of mailing; or 
  • filed using PAAB's eFiling system. 

NOTICE: You are responsible for making sure your appeal is timely filed. Filing deadlines are statutory and cannot be extended. To avoid issues with mailing or electronic filing, do not wait until the last day to file your appeal.  


HOW TO FILE

  1. Electronic filing: You may file your appeal through PAAB's electronic filing system. Follow the instructions for filing an appeal using PAAB's eFile system to make sure your appeal is correctly filed. Failure to follow the instructions may result in your appeal not being correctly submitted.
  2. Paper filing: You may complete the Appeal from Board of Review Action form and mail it to PAAB. Follow the instructions on the form.

PAAB does not accept appeals by email or fax.  


WHAT TO FILE

You do not need to attach any other documents when you file your appeal. You may submit more information to support your claims later. Your Notice of Hearing/Notice of Written Consideration will contain additional information about submitting exhibits. 

  • NOTICE:  The local board of review is not required to give PAAB any evidence or information you submitted with your local board of review protest.
    • If you would like PAAB to consider any information/evidence you gave to the local board of review, you must file it as an exhibit to PAAB later. 
    • You are responsible for making sure copies of exhibits and any other documents you file with PAAB are served upon the local board of review or its legal representative. 

Equalization orders are issued by the Iowa Department of Revenue in reassessment, or odd-numbered, years. You may review information about the Equalization process, review the Iowa Property Tax Overview, and/or review Iowa Code 441.49.

Taxpayers receive notice of equalization orders on or before October 8. Notice is printed in a local newspaper. If there is an increase in value, taxpayers area also sent notice in the mail. The local board of review holds a special session from October 10 to November 15 to hear equalization protests.

To protest an equalization order, you must file a Petition to Local Board of Review - Equalization Session form with the local board of review. The form must be filed between October 9 and October 31. 

The board of review may adjust all or part of the percentage increase that resulted from the equalization order. But the reduction cannot be greater than the value added to the assessment by the equalization order.

You may appeal to PAAB within 20 days of the date of the board of review's decision.  Appeals may be filed by completing the Appeal from Board of Review Action form or through PAAB's eFile system.

If you disagree with PAAB's decision you have two options: request reconsideration or file for judicial review.

Reconsideration of PAAB's Order

You may ask PAAB to reconsider its final order by filing an application for rehearing or reconsideration.
A party may still seek judicial review in district court of PAAB's order after it issues a decision on the application for rehearing or reconsideration.

WHAT TO FILE

File an application to PAAB that details the specific errors you believe are in the order or the reasons you are seeking rehearing. You may use PAAB's Application for Rehearing or Reconsideration.

WHEN TO FILE

The application must be filed within 20 days after PAAB's decision was issued.

For more information see Iowa Administrative Code Rule 701-115.9 and Iowa Code section 17A.16 .

Filing for Judicial Review in District Court

Below is information about seeking judicial review of PAAB's order in district court. The district court will review PAAB's decision for correction of errors at law.
 

This is not a legal or technical document and is issued for general informational purposes only. For detailed legal or technical information you should contact an attorney.

HOW TO FILE FOR JUDICIAL REVIEW

Your appeal is a petition for judicial review of final agency action under Iowa Code 17A.19. The petition should list PAAB as respondent. It must be served on PAAB within 10 days of filing in court. It must also be served on the opposing party to the PAAB appeal.

WHEN TO FILE

Within thirty (30) days of when PAAB's decision was issued.

WHERE TO FILE

Your appeal must be filed in the district court where the property is located.

Fore more information see Iowa Code 441.37A(1) & (3)(b); 441.37B; and 17A.19 available under Statutory Law.