Washington County Property Tax Appeal, Rhode Island

Step 1: File a Notice of Intention by January 31st if you plan to preserve your right to appeal to Superior Court later (send by certified mail). This is optional for local board appeals but mandatory for court appeals.

Step 2: Gather evidence of overassessment including recent comparable sales within your municipality, independent appraisal, photographs of property condition issues, or documentation of errors in the assessment (incorrect square footage, wrong classification, etc.).

Step 3: Obtain the Property Tax Appeal Form from your town's tax assessor office and complete it fully, stating your opinion of value and grounds for appeal (overvaluation, disproportionate assessment, incorrect classification, or clerical errors). File within 90 days of the first tax payment due date.

Step 4: The tax assessor reviews your appeal and has until December 31st to render a decision. The assessor may request additional information or schedule a property inspection. If the assessor grants your appeal, your assessment will be reduced. If denied or if no decision is made within 45 days, you may proceed to the next level.

Step 5: If still aggrieved after the assessor's decision, file an appeal with your town's Board of Assessment Review within 30 days of the assessor's decision (or by January 31st if no decision was rendered). The Board will schedule a hearing within 90 days and issue a decision within 45 days of the hearing.

Step 6: If the Board of Assessment Review denies your appeal, you may file a petition with Rhode Island Superior Court within 30 days of the Board's decision. This requires filing the Notice of Intention and Account by the January 31st and March 15th deadlines mentioned in Step 1.

Step 7: For complex cases or significant disputes, consider hiring a property tax attorney or appeal specialist to represent you in court proceedings.