Hall County's tax assessor and deputy tax appraiser joined WDUN's "The Martha Zoller Show" Monday, August 11 as property assessments are being received by owners around the county.
Tax Assessor Steve Watson said assessments were delayed in 2025.
"This year is a little bit different in that we had some state legislation, House Bill 481, and some local legislation regarding assessment camps that delayed getting assessment notices out statewide, but the process is basically the same," Watson said. "We sent out assessment notices, and property owners have 45 days to appeal their property valuation if they feel like they're being over-assessed or inequitable in some ways with their neighbors."
HB 581 took effect in January of 2025 and introduced a statewide homestead exemption, capping annual increases in taxable property values. Watson said that the appeals process for property owners has not changed, however.
"You have to appeal in writing, and you can do that the old-fashioned way, via the USPS, or you can go online (to the QPublic website) and find your property, and you can look up that and appeal right from your record there online," Watson said. "Once we get that appeal, we'll go out and take a look at it, and if there's any revisions we need to make, we'll send out what we call a revised notice, or a 30-day notice that gives you 30 days to appeal the revised value."
Deputy Chief Appraiser for Hall County, John Smith, added that, while property sales in Hall County are at their lowest level since 2013, valuations are continuing to rise.
"The value is up about $25,000 (on average,)" Smith said. "Average sale price for a residential property in Hall County right now is almost $500,000, it's $494,000 and some change."
To hear more from Hall County Tax Assessor Steve Watson and Deputy Chief Appraiser John Smith, click play on the video above.
