Appealing Your Assessment

When Should I File an Appeal?

An appeal is a formal request for the review of your property’s assessment. An appeal may be filed within 30 calendar days after you receive your “Notice of Proposed Valuation Assessment”. The last date to file an appeal will be printed at the bottom of your notice. You may file an appeal to get your assessment reduced, if you feel your residential property has been over-assessed for any of the following reasons:

• Lack of uniformity if your property’s improvement value is assessed higher, per square foot, than other properties in your neighborhood of similar size, style, and construction.
• Overvaluation if the stated market value for your property is higher than the property's actual market value.  You must have an appraisal report or recent sales contrct.
  
• If the property description is wrong.  However, a minor error does not necessarily indicate an incorrect assessment.
  
• Fire damage or other damages to your property and was uninhabitable for all, or part of, the year due to fire, flood, tornado, or other disaster.  (See guideline for appeals for catastrophic events under the Cook County Assessor's website - Forms/Residential appeals).

Property owners have three venues through which they may appeal their assessments. The first place you may appeal is the Cook County Assessor’s Office. If you do not appeal to the County Assessor, or if the reduction granted is too small, you may then appeal to the Cook County Board of Review. Your last chance for assessment reduction is with the Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB). However, you may not appeal to the PTAB unless you have already appealed to the Board of Review.