Tax Relief Possible for Allegheny County Property Owners

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By: Alisa N. Carr, Esq.

A Consent Order tentatively resolving tax assessment appeal litigation in Allegheny County may provide property tax relief for property owners who filed property tax assessment appeals or received assessment appeals from local taxing bodies.[i]

The State Tax Equalization Board (STEB) uses data submitted by Allegheny County to establish the County’s common level ratio (CLR). Typically, a property’s current fair market value[ii] is multiplied by the CLR to arrive at a current assessed value. For example, if a property was recently purchased for $300,000, applying the 2022 CLR of 81.1% should result in a 2022 assessment of $243,300.

Plaintiffs, in the matter of Gioffre v. Fitzgerald, alleged that Allegheny County was sending STEB incorrect and biased information on 2020 sales resulting in an artificially high CLR. Accurate data would have allegedly resulted in reducing the CLR from 81.1% to 64.1%, significantly lowering assessments and corresponding property taxes. The Consent Order directs the County to reexamine sales data and submit their data and conclusions to the Court.

If you have any questions regarding tax assessment appeals litigation, or wish to discuss specific issues, please contact Alisa N. Carr. Alisa is a Partner with Leech Tishman and a member of the Real Estate Practice Group, where she co-leads the Assessments and Appeals Group. She is also a member of the Litigation Practice Group, where she leads the ADA Title III Defense Group and co-leads the Real Estate Litigation Group. Alisa is based in the Pittsburgh office and can be reached at 412.261.1600 or acarr@leechtishman.com.

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[i] A copy of the April 27, 2022 Order in the matter of Gioffre v. Fitzgerald, No. GD 21-7154 (C.C.P. Allegheny County) can be accessed here.

[ii] “Fair Market Value “ is frequently established by a recent sale in an arms-length transaction resulting in new homeowners receiving a majority of the assessment appeals filed by taxing bodies.