Frequently Asked Questions

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The Appeals ProcessThe Appeals Process

Note that an appeal of a property assessment may result in any of the following:

1. The assessed value may be raised;
2. It may be lowered;
3. It may remain the same;

An appeal begins with filing a Form 130 – Taxpayer’s Notice to Initiate an Appeal with the local assessing official. The appeal should detail the pertinent facts of why the assessed value is being disputed. A taxpayer may only request a review of the current year’s assessed valuation. Following an informal conference with the local assessing official, the assessor will make a recommendation either denying or approving the appeal. If the taxpayer and assessor do not come to an agreement on a property value after the informal conference, your appeal will move forward to our Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals (PTABOA). Our PTABOA meetings are held as needed and you will receive a notice of hearing in the mail for the time your appeal is scheduled with the board. Once the board has heard your appeal, the taxpayer will be sent a “Form 115” informing the owner of the board’s decision. If the PTABOA denies the appeal, instructions will be provided on appealing the decision to the Indiana Board of Tax Review. After being heard by the Indiana Board of Tax Review, taxpayers may also seek review by the Indiana Tax Court.

A taxpayer can still file an appeal concerning “objective” issues (i.e. factual matters, such as the property record card contains an incorrect description of the property, like a garage that does not exist, incorrect plumbing fixtures, etc.); however, it is on page 2 of the Form 130.

An objective appeal issue may include:

1. The assessment was against the wrong person.
2. The approval, denial or omission of a deduction, credit, exemption, abatement or tax cap.
3. A clerical, mathematical or typographical mistake.
4. The description of the property.
5. The legality or constitutionality of a property tax or assessment.

Objective claims may be made for up to three years of assessments with the submission of the Form-130. However, taxpayers requesting refunds must also file a Claim for Refund form (Form 17T).

Access the appeals flowchart by clicking Procedure for Appeal of Assessment Flow Chart.

Cyclical Reassessment

During statewide reassessments, county and township asssessors physically inspect each property to ensure that records are correct. Approximately 25% of the parcels in each jurisdiction will be reassessed each year, over a four-year time frame.

During a field inspection, personnel will attempt to make contact with the taxpayer to identify his/herself and explain their purpose for the visit. They will ask several questions to verify information about the interior of the property and request permission to inspect the exterior. If no one is home, personnel will proceed with their work, which includes an inspection of the front and rear of the property. When the inspection is complete, a door hanger will be left to inform the taxpayer that we were there. Photographs will also be taken during all inspections.

Each reassessment field inpsector wears an ID badge and an identifying t-shirt or vest. If a taxpayer is uncertain about the identity of a representative, please contact the Fountain County Assessor's Office for verification.

Tax Bill Estimator

The Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF), in partnership with the Indiana Business Research Center (IBRC) at Indiana University, created the below tax bill projection tools for Indiana taxpayers. These tools will allow the taxpayer to enter their property's assessed value and possible deductions to see a range of tax bill estimates.

The estimates provided by these tools are projections only and should not be taken as a statement of true tax liability.

For a list of Taxing Districts (Number/Name) by Township, please see this listing made available by the DLGF.

Forms

Please take note of the instructions regarding the forms below:

• Blank forms may be downloaded.
• Fillable PDFs will not save as populated under the "save" option. Once filled, they may be printed to a PDF under the "print" option.
• Fillable forms are to be printed, signed, and submitted to the Assessor's office.

Inheritance Tax

Repeal of Inheritance Tax
Indiana's inheritance tax was repealed for individuals dying after December 31, 2012. No inheritance tax returns (Form IH-6 for Indiana residents and Form IH-12 for Nonresidents) have to be prepared or filed. No tax has to be paid. In addition, no Consents to Transfer (Form IH-14) personal property or Notice of Intended Transfer of Checking Account (Form IH-19) are required for those dying after December 31, 2012.

Mobile Home

The true tax value of mobile homes is assessed under IC 6-1.1-7 (other than mobile homes subject to the preferred valuation method under IC 6-1.1-439(b)) using The National Automobile Dealers Association Guide.

50 IAC 3.3-2-2
"Annually assessed mobile home" defined Sec. 2
"Annually assessed mobile home" means a mobile home that: (1) has a certificate of title issued by the bureau of motor vehicles under IC 9-17-6; and(2) is not on a permanent foundation.

IC 9-17-1-0.5
Items requiring a title under IC 9-17Sec. 0.5. The following are required to be titled under this article:(3) Manufactured or mobile homes that are:(A) personal property not held for resale; or(B) not attached to real estate by a permanent foundation.

50 IAC 3.3-2-3 - "Mobile Home" means a "dwelling" as defined in IC 9-13-2-103.2.

A "manufactured home" as defined in IC 9-13-2-96

If you have any questions regarding Transferring/ Moving permits, see the guidance offered by the Office of the Fountain County Treasurer.

• For questions or information regarding mobile home titles, please contact the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
• If the name(s) on the title appears to be incorrect, please contact your mobile home park office.

Personal Property

Personal Property is a self-assessed valuation system whereby property owners are responsible for reporting all tangible personal property that is used in their trade or business, used for the production of income, or held as an investment that should be or is subject to depreciation for federal income tax purposes. Completed personal property returns are due on or before Monday, May 17, 2021.

A penalty of twenty-five dollars ($25) applies for returns filed after May 17th. For returns not filed within thirty (30) days of the due date, an additional fee of twenty percent (20%) of the taxes payable will be assessed.

Personal Property Exemption

Personal Property exemption eligibility/notification SEA 233-2019

Beginning with the January 1, 2020 assessment date, the personal property exemption increases from $20,000 to $40,000. Personal property returns for eligible taxpayers (those whose total acquisition costs do not exceed $40,000) must include the following information:

1. A declaration that the taxpayer's business property in the county is exempt from taxation;
2. Whether the taxpayer's business personal property within the county is in one (1) location or multiple locations; and
3. If the property is in multiple locations, the taxpayer must provide an address for the location where the sum of personal property acquisition costs is greatest.

For further personal property guidance, please refer to the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF).

Personal Property Online Portal – Indiana (PPOP-IN)

The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) has a new online service portal to file business personal property filings, and can be found here.
To Look up your taxing district go to https://budgetnotices.in.gov/
NAICS codes look up go to https://www.census.gov/naics/
Please contact our office at (765) 793-6206 or swhitaker@fountainco.net if you have any further questions.

Forms

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