Assessor

Property assessment and tax data of the Township of Stockbridge, which is available for viewing by the public at Township Hall, can now be viewed from the Township web site.  To view the Township’s property assessment and tax data, log on to the Township’s BS&A property tax lookup web site by clicking below.  Once inside you can search by different criteria including property address, and parcel ID.  It should be noted that instructions are located on some of the windows / pages by clicking “Click here for instructions”.  Such data as photo images, property sales data, residential floor area, year built, land area, property tax data (billed and paid), property ownership, homestead data, and various residential amenity data (i.e. bathroom count, fireplaces, etc) is available for viewing.  However, as the Township Assessor is constantly updating the information, please check with the Township if there may be any material changes.  It is planned that all data will be up to date on the web within two years.  

Although, property assessment and tax data is now available on the web, basic information on a single property can still be obtained over the telephone.  In order to obtain more detailed information / data or information on multiple properties, one must visit either the Township’s web site or come into the Assessor’s Office.

Find Property Information 

Click here to retrieve a Change Request Form

The State of Michigan established the appeal process to assure that the property tax system would function in an equitable fashion. It is the taxpayers right to take advantage of this process.

Claiming that your property taxes are too high and continue to go up is not a valid basis for appeal. (Remember that the Taxable Value may increase each year based on the Inflation Rate Multiplier or 1.05 whichever is less). To actually see a reduction in taxes, the Assessed Value (SEV) or Capped Value must decrease to less than the level of your current Taxable Value.

To have a good basis for appeal you need to provide evidence which indicates the Assessed Value is in excess of 50% of True Cash Value. This requires some research and fact finding on your part. Is the value of your property comparable to the sale price of similar properties that sold in your area? Is the information on which the Assessor based the appraisal correct? If you wish to check the accuracy, you need to visit the Assessor’s Office to review your property record card.

A number of factors are considered when appraising a property to estimate its value. Some of these factors are age, size, quality and type of construction, lot size, finished attics and basements, the neighborhood where the property is located, and the selling price of similar properties in that area.

If you recently purchased your home for less than the value placed on it by the Assessor, you need to check to see if other homes in your area also sold for less than twice the Assessed Value (SEV). This may indicate that the market value is lower than the value established by the Assessor.

If there is a problem with the property such as a leaking basement, it should be brought to the attention of the Assessor’s Office. A quote for the cost of repair should also be provided.

A professional appraisal of your property can be valuable if you file an appeal; however, unless substantial tax savings result from the appeal, the cost of the appraisal might be more than your tax savings.  Appraisals created for purposes such as bank financing, however, may not be appropriate for property tax valuation.

The Stockbridge Township Board of Review meets in March for a set number of hours and days, and it is during this period that you must appeal your property value. Members of the Board of Review are citizens appointed by the Township, with Board approval, and are not employees of the Township of Stockbridge.

Notices of Assessment and Taxable Value are mailed to property owners in February of each year. Read your notice carefully and if you have questions be sure to contact the Assessor’s Office. Appearances before the Board are by appointment and the appropriate appeal forms will be provided to you upon request.

You will receive notification of the Board’s decision regarding your appeal a few weeks after the Board adjourns. This notification also provides you with information for further appeal to the Michigan Tax Tribunal (MTT) if you are not satisfied with the Board’s decision. You must file your appeal with the MTT by July 31st for residential and agricultural property or by May 31st for commercial real property, industrial real property and business personal property. 

Residential and agricultural properties are required to first protest before the local board or review in order to appeal to the Michigan Tax Tribunal.

The Board of Review meets in March of each year to consider and hear Assessment and Taxable appeals, and poverty exemption appeals for the current year. Homestead exemption appeals are not handled in March. The specific meeting times are different each year, so please check back in February to find the meeting times for the current year.

Although the Board of Review also meets in July and December, it can only consider “clerical errors”, “mutual mistake of fact”, and poverty exemption appeals that were not presented at the March Board of Review meeting. Additionally, Homestead Property Exemptions are also decided at these meetings. The July meeting is always the Tuesday following the 3rd Monday and the December meeting is always the Tuesday following the 2nd Monday.