2025 Board of Equalization - Reassessment Appeals Process Continues

Published on April 08, 2025

Prince Edward County Seal

Farmville, VA (April 7, 2025)-- Prince Edward County property owners who wish to appeal their 2025 reassessed property values to the County Board of Equalization will have that opportunity in the coming months.  The reassessment process, completed by Wampler Eanes Appraisal Group, updated property values across the county, with an average increase across all classes of properties of 37%.  Reassessments in Virginia are required by state law and aim to ensure that property assessments reflect 100% of fair market value. Prince Edward County is on a four-year reassessment cycle.

What Does an Increased Assessment Mean?

While a higher assessment suggests an increase in property value, it does not automatically result in higher taxes.  It is important to note that the County real estate tax rate for 2025 has not yet been set by the Board of Supervisors.  The County is currently in the budget process and a public hearings on the tax rate and the FY26 County Budget have been advertised and are posted on the Prince Edward County website at www.co.prince-edward.va.us.  The County encourages residents to engage in the County’s budget process by participating in public hearings on the tax rates and the FY 26 County Budget scheduled for April 15thand April 22nd.

What Happens Next?  Board of Equalization

Property owners who are still dissatisfied with the outcome of their property reassessment may soon file an appeal to the County’s Board of Equalization (BOE). The BOE is comprised of five Prince Edward County residents.  In April, they will complete training with the Virginia Department of Taxation and then be officially sworn in by the Circuit Court Judge.  At that time, the BOE will set a calendar of hearing dates and begin considering reassessment appeals. The calendar of hearing dates will be published in the local newspaper and posted at the courthouse, the public library, on the County’s website (www.co.prince-edward.va.us) and on the County’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/PrinceEdwardCo/).  Information is also available in the County’s Community Development Office at 434-392-8838.

After reviewing an appeal, the BOE determines whether to increase, decrease, or affirm the assessment.  The BOE presumes that the reassessed value is correct, so the taxpayer or agent must present clear evidence that the assessment of the property is not uniform with the assessments of other similar properties or that the property is assessed in excess of its fair market value. Comparable sales data, property information, and details on incorrect property statistics should be presented for an appeal to the BOE.

Reasons for Reassessments

Reassessments are essential to keeping property values fair and up to date. Factors such as changing market conditions, home improvements, rezonings, or acreage adjustments can all influence property values. Over time, these changes can result in disparities that the reassessment process seeks to correct, ensuring an equitable distribution of property taxes.

In Summary

At this point in the reassessment process if a landowner does not agree with the value, they may take the following steps below to file an appeal:

  1. File an appeal to the Board of Equalization, as outlined above; and/or
  2. File an appeal to the Prince Edward County Circuit Court, per Section 58.1-3350 of the Code of Virginia.

Questions

Questions about filing an appeal with the Board of Equalization may be directed to the County’s Community Development Office at (434) 392-8838.

Questions regarding property records may be directed to the Commissioner of Revenue’s Office at 434-392-3231. 

 

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