Assessor's Office
Acting Chief Assessor: Richard W. Paul, CAE, SRA
Office Number: 804-365-6029
Email: assessor@co.hanover.va.us
Function of the Assessor's Office
The Code of Virginia (Title 58.1-3201) provides for the assessment of real property at 100% of fair market value.
Fair Market Value: The probable amount a property would sell for today if exposed to the market for a reasonable time.
Hanover County is on an annual assessment schedule and reassessment is necessary to equalize the value of real estate in order to meet and maintain the state required ratio of 100% of market value. Hanover County follows the standards of the International Association of Assessing Officers and the Code of Virginia in performing the annual assessment process. This annual assessment process is analyzed and monitored annually by the State Department of Taxation for compliance and accuracy.
County Assessment Data
Hanover County continues to provide its citizens and businesses with access to the most current County property record data available. Property data, including ownership and assessment data, is available to the public via the County's Geographic Information System (GIS) web page (see link above). The data presented on the GIS web site is updated monthly and is the most current online property data available to the public. The GIS web site uses a graphic representation of tax parcel boundaries and links the parcel data to ownership and assessment data from the Commissioner of the Revenue and Assessment systems.
The purpose for making current (and proposed) assessment information available to the public is to provide an easy means for the public to review and verify assessment data about their property and neighboring properties that might be similar. If you find discrepancies in the assessment data presented contact the Assessor's Office at 804-365-6029. Although the GIS web site provides the public access to assessment data, the site was not designed for citizens to perform comparative analysis and research of numerous properties over large extents in the County.
Citizens that desire to perform detailed analysis or research of assessment data should obtain the data in other formats that are more conducive to heavy analysis. The County offers assessment data for free in the following files and formats. The files are provided upon request, so contact the Department noted or the GIS Office at gis@co.hanover.va.us or 804-365-6811.
Land File (available as pdf or excel formats) – This file is generated annually by the Commissioner of the Revenue. The file provides a master record of property information, including ownership and assessment data, as it existed at the close of business December 31 (end of the calendar year). The land file is not updated during the calendar year, so the file only shows a snap-shot of the data that existed on December 31. As the year progresses and property information changes those changes are not reflected in the file, so data in the file becomes dated. To obtain the land file please contact the Commissioner of the Revenue's Real Estate Property Division Office at (804) 365-6128.
Property File With Proposed Assessment Data (available in pdf format) – On or around January 1 of each year the Assessor will publish proposed property assessments. This file contains most of the same information as the land file, but includes current and proposed assessment data (current and proposed assessment data is also added to the County's GIS web site). Once created the proposed assessment data file is not updated. The data is incorporated into the land file in March/April, so this file is only available from January 1 until the land file is updated. To obtain this proposed assessment file please contact the GIS Office at gis@co.hanover.va.us or 804-365-6811.
How Assessments Are Determined
Buyers and sellers, not the Assessor's Office, establish value in the real estate market. The Assessor's Office has the responsibility of reviewing the market transactions and using the market data to assess each property accordingly. Sales information is gathered from recorded deeds, buyers, sellers, and real estate professionals and the assessed values are compared to the sales prices to determine if the assessments are in compliance with the state required ratio of 100% of market value. There are many reasons for a change in property value such as an addition, fire, or a movement (up or down) in the market. The most frequent cause of a change in value is a change in the real estate market. An area is selected for reassessment when its median assessment/sales ratio is significantly below or above the state mandated 100% of fair market value.
Assessment Areas
Hanover County is a large jurisdiction that has a multitude of urban, suburban, and rural areas. Areas vary from large acreage areas to small residential areas. An area is defined as the environment of a subject property that has a direct and immediate impact on its value. Properties are grouped together for homogeneity and area boundaries are delineated for the purpose of sales analysis. Currently there are 119 areas being analyzed and monitored in Hanover County. Map depicting these areas have been drafted: 1) Overall County Map; 2) Atlee-Mechanicsville Inset.
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