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1. What do I do if I don't agree with my property's assessment?

Brightminds, Pittsylvania County's reassessment contractor, is holding two weeks of informal meetings with property owners to answer questions, explain the process, and help property owners understand their assessment. Property owners can call or email to schedule an appointment between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday between December 6 and December 17. The Brightminds team will be available until 7:30 on Thursday, December 9. These meetings will take place at the Community Center. 

Those who wish to formally dispute their assessment will be able to do so through the Board of Equalization in the spring of 2022. We will be providing additional information about that process after the informal hearing process.

2. What is fair market value?

Market value is the amount a typical, informed purchaser would be willing to pay for a property with the following conditions: 

• The seller and buyer are not related
• The seller is willing, but not under pressure to sell, while the buy is willing but not under obligation to buy
• The property is on the market for a reasonable amount of time
• The payment is in cash or its equivalent and any required financing is typical for that type of property

3. How can I tell if my reassessed value is fair and accurate?

If you want to ensure that your property’s assessment is fair you should compare it with other similar properties. These comparable properties should be similar in age, lot, building size, location, construction, improvements, as well as proximity to things like schools. You can view all reassessment values for every Pittsylvania County property on this interactive website. 

4. Why did my property's assessed value change when no improvements have been done?

Property values fluctuate based on a variety of conditions. While physical improvements, renovations, and additions would all contribute to an increased property value, overall market conditions play just as big of a role in determining a property’s assessed value. The current market is a seller’s market – meaning that there is a limited inventory of available homes compared to the number of people looking to purchase property. This has caused property values across the county – and across the country – to increase.

Another reason that some properties have seen significant changes in value is that Brightminds has standardized the valuation of properties across the county. In addition to collecting as much as possible, Brightminds built out a data model and tables that ultimately drive the calculation of the total assessment. This model brought many properties that were previously undervalued or overvalued to a better, more fair valuation compared to other similar properties.

It is also important to note that Pittsylvania County only completes the reassessment process every four years. So, any change in your property’s assessed value is what took place over the past four years and not what changed between 2020 and 2021.

5. Pittsylvania County has always had a Board of Assessors. Why don’t we this year?

In Pittsylvania County’s previous reassessments, a Board of Assessors was utilized as the first step in the appeals process. Typically, the Board of Assessors would serve in an advisory capacity and work as a liaison between the locality, the taxpayers, and the assessment company. The seven-member body is appointed by the Board of Supervisors, with one coming from each district.

As allowed by Virginia Code §§ 58.41-3270–58.1-3278 and confirmed by the Virginia Department of Taxation, a Board of Assessors is just one option that localities can include in the appeals process. For the 2022 reassessment process, the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors elected to not utilize a BOA; instead, the first appeals go directly to Brightminds. We believe that establishing this line of communication directly with the assessors allows for more transparency and ultimately will be more productive. Those who leave these meetings unsatisfied will still have the opportunity to appeal through the Board of Equalization.

The County is also utilizing some funds that were budgeted for the Board of Assessors toward a temporary, part-time County point person for all of Brightminds’ reassessment needs. The goal of eliminating the Board of Assessors system is to make the reassessment more cost-effective and efficient, while eliminating inefficiencies, needless expenses, and bureaucracies.

6. Will reassessment affect my property taxes?

The reassessed value of your property will not have an impact on the current tax rate of $.62 for every $100 in assessed value. If the assessment team finds that your home or property is worth more than it was four years ago then your bill would increase, but if your property is deemed to be equal in value than your tax bill would remain unchanged. 

7. What is reassessment?

Legally required by the Commonwealth of Virginia, reassessment is when up-to-date property values are determined for an entire locality or municipality. Updated values are determined through photographs, aerial images, and observations from a trained crew of property assessors. There are many complicated formulas and factors involved in determining and updating property values, which are kept by the Commissioner of the Revenue. Here is more detailed information about reassessment.

8. What is the purpose of reassessment?

Required by law, periodic reassessments ensure that every property has an accurate and current fair market value. This value is used to calculate property taxes, which are the product of the assessed value and the tax rate. 

The important thing to remember is why reassessment is both required by state law and important for local government and the taxpayers: The reassessment process ensures that the tax burden is distributed equitably and fairly. We want to make sure that some citizens don’t have a higher share of the tax burden than their property actually warrants, and we also don’t want to see citizens "fly under the radar" and avoid paying taxes on the actual value of their property. We will be sharing lots more information about the reassessment process in the coming weeks and months.

9. How often does reassessment occur?

Virginia Code § 58.1-3252 dictates that all Virginia counties with 50,000 or more residents must complete periodic reassessment of property values on a four year cycle. Those localities with less than 50,000 residents can operate on a six-year cycle, but since Pittsylvania County has more than 60,000 it completes the reassessment process every four years. 

10. What real property is taxable?

All real property in Pittsylvania County is subject to taxation except for properties that are specifically exempt through Article X § 6 of the Constitution of Virginia or property classified or designated as exempt under Section 58.1-3600. For example, property owned by the County, the State, or the Federal governments and property are non-taxable, and many properties used for religious, charitable, educational, cultural, or recreational uses are non-taxable.

11. I own property in the County but didn't get a reassessment notice. What should I do?

If you own property in the County but did not receive a reassessment notice with an updated value, please fill out our online form to request a notice be sent to you via email and/or a paper copy. If you have more than two properties, you should email reassessmentnotices@pittgov.org and provide your name and the name and GPIN of every property you own. (If you are unsure of your property's GPIN number, search your address with this tool.)