441.37 - PROTEST OF ASSESSMENT -- GROUNDS. - Iowa Statutes

441.37 PROTEST OF ASSESSMENT -- GROUNDS. 1. Any property owner or aggrieved taxpayer who is dissatisfied with the owner's or taxpayer's assessment may file a protest against such assessment with the board of review on or after April 16, to and including May 5, of the year of the assessment. In any county which has been declared to be a disaster area by proper federal authorities after March 1 and prior to May 20 of said year of assessment, the board of review shall be authorized to remain in session until June 15 and the time for filing a protest shall be extended to and include the period from May 25 to June 5 of such year. Said protest shall be in writing and signed by the one protesting or by the protester's duly authorized agent. The taxpayer may have an oral hearing thereon if request therefor in writing is made at the time of filing the protest. Said protest must be confined to one or more of the following grounds: a. That said assessment is not equitable as compared with assessments of other like property in the taxing district. When this ground is relied upon as the basis of a protest the legal description and assessments of a representative number of comparable properties, as described by the aggrieved taxpayer shall be listed on the protest, otherwise said protest shall not be considered on this ground. b. That the property is assessed for more than the value authorized by law, stating the specific amount which the protesting party believes the property to be overassessed, and the amount which the party considers to be its actual value and the amount the party considers a fair assessment. c. That the property is not assessable, is exempt from taxes, or is misclassified and stating the reasons for the protest. d. That there is an error in the assessment and state the specific alleged error. e. That there is fraud in the assessment which shall be specifically stated. In addition to the above, the property owner may protest annually to the board of review under the provisions of section 441.35, but such protest shall be in the same manner and upon the same terms as heretofore prescribed in this section. The property owner or aggrieved taxpayer may combine on one form protests of assessment on parcels separately assessed if the same grounds are relied upon as the basis for protesting each separate assessment. If an oral hearing is requested on more than one of such protests, the person making the combined protests may request that the oral hearings be held consecutively. 2. A property owner or aggrieved taxpayer who finds that a clerical or mathematical error has been made in the assessment of the owner's or taxpayer's property may file a protest against that assessment in the same manner as provided in this section, except that the protest may be filed for previous years. The board may correct clerical or mathematical errors for any assessment year in which the taxes have not been fully paid or otherwise legally discharged. Upon the determination of the board that a clerical or mathematical error has been made the board shall take appropriate action to correct the error and notify the county auditor of the change in the assessment as a result of the error and the county auditor shall make the correction in the assessment and the tax list in the same manner as provided in section 443.6. The board shall not correct an error resulting from a property owner's or taxpayer's inaccuracy in reporting or failure to comply with section 441.19. 3. After the board of review has considered any protest filed by a property owner or aggrieved taxpayer and made final disposition of the protest, the board shall give written notice to the property owner or aggrieved taxpayer who filed the protest of the action taken by the board of review on the protest. The written notice to the property owner or aggrieved taxpayer shall also specify the reasons for the action taken by the board of review on the protest. If protests of assessment on multiple parcels separately assessed were combined, the written notice shall state the action taken, and the reasons for the action, for each assessment protested.          Section History: Early Form [R60, § 740; C73, § 831; C97, § 1373; S13, § 1373; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, § 7132; C46, 50, 54, 58, § 405.22, 442.5; C62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, S81, § 441.37; 81 Acts, ch 145, § 2]          Section History: Recent Form 86 Acts, ch 1028, § 1; 88 Acts, ch 1251, § 2; 2005 Acts, ch 140, §57, 58, 73 Referred to in § 404.5, 404B.6, 428.4, 441.26, 441.33, 441.37A, 441.38, 441.45          Footnotes 2005 amendments to this section apply to protests of assessment filed after January 1, 2006; 2005 Acts, ch 140, §73