Dutchess County Property Tax Grievance

Dutchess County Property Tax Grievance Filing Deadline: Fourth Tuesday in May – May 28, 2024 for most towns

New York State ranks #47 out of 50 for the highest property tax rates in the country in 2021-22. Dutchess County has one of the highest median property taxes, ranked 35th out of all 3,143 counties in the US.

What can you do to lower your commercial real estate taxes? The best way to reduce your taxes is to work with an expert property tax consultancy like Realty Tax Challenge (RTC) to professionally appeal your assessment. 

How Does the Appeal Process Work?

The Dutchess County property tax assessor will determine what they believe the value of your commercial property is. This is an estimated value and is often based on outdated and incorrect calculations. It’s unlikely that the assessor has all of the information they need to accurately determine a valuation.

Property values change rapidly, especially over the last few years. The only way to truly determine the real value of your commercial property is for the assessor to take into consideration all of the factors that affect the property. This includes property type.

Each different type of commercial property, including hotels, warehouses, office, retail, medical, multifamily, golf courses, assisted living, self-storage, has its own market fluctuations. Depending on market trends for that property type, in your location, a warehouse may have vastly different values from a hotel, even if the properties are exactly the same size.

Local crime statistics, the condition of the property, lighting, traffic patterns, and use of adjacent land, are all elements that can affect a property’s valuation. Tax assessors do not always take these factors into account and so the fair market value determined by the municipality is often an over-assessment.

RTC are experts in property valuation. We have been helping NY State commercial property owners to challenge their tax assessments and lower their property taxes for over 25 years.

Other firms don’t consider the wide range of factors that affect the valuation of your building. We utilize our unique trend analysis and local market knowledge to ensure you save the most money.

When you work with us to grieve your taxes, here’s an overview of the process:

The Dutchess County Property Tax Grievance Process

  • The first step is for you to fill out and send back our retainer agreement. Be sure to do this in advance of the Grievance Deadline for your taxing municipality, so there is enough time to prepare the strongest appeal and file it by the deadline. You can check the grievance deadline for your county, town, or village here. If you miss the deadline, you cannot file for that year. You do not want to lose your chance to save money on your taxes.
  • We will review the assessor’s estimated valuation of your property. You can check the assessment every year at this link: https://www.tax.ny.gov/pit/property/assess/local/
  • We will give you a free evaluation. We use our proprietary database to analyze your property against comparable valuations and determine real market value. This is a much more detailed process than what an assessor typically does. The real value we assign is based on an extensive list of factors.
  • If we determine that your commercial property is over-assessed, we will begin the process of reducing your taxes, also known as Tax Certiorari.
  • We can also determine if you have any open prior tax years. If so, we can take over those tax years and negotiate them along with the current year for a tax refund.
  • There are two levels of review: Administrative review – the “grievance” process is conducted at the municipal level with the Board of Assessment Review (BAR). The board may request supporting financial documentation once the appeal is submitted. Our office will review and ensure that the requested documentation is provided.
  • Judicial review – If we are unsuccessful with our grievance application, an Article 7 petition is prepared and submitted on your behalf. The petition is a legal pleading filed with Dutchess County Supreme Court. To pursue a judicial review, you must first go through the administrative review process.
  • We will guide you through the complete process and keep you updated throughout. Once we have successfully appealed your Dutchess County commercial property assessment, we will obtain a refund of any overpaid taxes and will check your subsequent property tax bills to ensure that they are correct. Your reduction is retroactive to the beginning of the year in which you initially filed.
  • As a result of the settlement, the reduced assessment will then remain unchanged for an additional 3-year “moratorium”. During this time the property owner agrees not to grieve their taxes and the municipality agrees not to increase the assessment, so this effectively locks in your lowered assessment. We will continue to monitor during that time to ensure that the assessment has not been raised.


A few things to keep in mind:

  • There are no out-of-pocket costs so there is nothing to lose by filing. There are no fees unless we obtain a reduction of your assessment. We have every incentive to save you money on your commercial property taxes and we will work hard to get you the best reduction possible.
  • You should grieve your Dutchess Couty commercial property taxes annually. The only time in which you would not grieve are the three years after you have won a reduced assessment, as described above.
  • If you have been denied in the past, that has no impact on a new property tax grievance application, and you should still file. The real estate market is constantly changing and many factors that can affect your valuation may have shifted since the last assessment.
  • Your taxes can also never go up as a result of the filing of a grievance. It is against New York State law for taxes to be raised due to a grievance filing.


Ready to get started?

Give us a call today at 914-348-9473 or fill out this form to begin the process. We can answer any questions and get you started on the tax appeal process right away!

Useful Links for Dutchess County Property Tax Grievances:

Amenia

Beekman

Bangall

Barrytown

Beacon

Clinton

Dover

East Fishkill

Fishkill

Fishkill Village

Hyde Park

LaGrange

Milan

Millbrook Village

North East / Millerton

Millerton Village

Pawling

Village of Pawling

Pine Plains

Pleasant Valley

Poughkeepsie

Red Hook

Rhinebeck

Stanfordville

Stanford

Union Vale

Tivoli

Wappinger

Washington

Wappingers Falls

Ready to Get Started?

Speak With a Real Estate Tax assessment consultant Today.

Call us at 914-348-9473 or fill out this form to begin the process.

We can answer any questions you have, and get you started on the assessment process to obtain you the maximum tax incentive or relief available to you!