Welcome to Engage™, Fountain County's citizen engagement portal!

A modern approach to citizen engagement suggests that some citizens appreciate the ability to interact with their local government in a digital environment, such as online access to services to; pay property taxes, research publicly available information, submit documents and forms, etc. That’s where Engage™ comes in!

Engage™ is an online resource where citizens, real estate professionals, businesses, etc. can access all kinds of publicly available information related to property, such as; owner name, assessed value, improvement information, property taxes, property record cards, interactive forms, and so much more!

Engage™ is intended to be an intuitive, user-friendly application. However, we know that some features of Engage™ could use a bit of guidance to be completely beneficial to you. This informative guide will serve to provide you with a bit more guidance, should you have a need. As well to the left, we are happy to provide you with a number of resources to assist you in your property assessment journey.

Thank you for visiting our website and for the opportunity to serve you and your needs.


News

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! This system will be available in January 2021. Please contact our office at (765) 793-6206 or mgriffin@fountainco.net if you have any further questions. You may also visit the Department’s website for more information at https://www.in.gov/dlgf/7576.htm.


Revised Indiana Sales Disclosure Form (SDF)

The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) has revised the Sales Disclosure Form (State Form 46021), effective January 1, 2021. Please contact our office at (765) 793-6206 or mgriffin@fountainco.net if you have any further questions. You may also visit the Department's website to access the new forms or for more information at https://www.in.gov/dlgf/8294.htm.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • On your Form 11
  • On your property record card
  • On your tax bill
  • From the search bar on this website, enter your address

  • Record cards can be searched, located and printed online through a parcel search by clicking here.

  • The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) offers an abundance of information regarding current legislation and tax policy. DLGF OVERVIEW

  • The term "Improvement" simply refers to your house, structure or other improvements to the raw land. These are not necessarily improvements that have been added this year.

For more on the Notice of Assessment of Land and Improvements (Form 11), please visit the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF).

  • Please see the first paragraph on the following webpage: Tax Bill 101

  • A blank Form 130 can be accessed here Blank 130
  • Search your parcel from the search bar. Click on your address for the property details. Under the "Forms" tab you can access a Form 130 that is populated with your parcel information.
  • Your appeal form can be mailed or brought to the Assessor's office or submitted through this website.

An appeal of the current year's assessment may have two different filing deadlines which are based on when the Form 11 notice of assessment is mailed. If the Form 11 is mailed before May 1st of the assessment year, the filing deadline is June 15th of that year. If the Form 11 is mailed after April 30th of the assessment year, the filing deadline is June 15th of the year that tax statements are mailed. IC 6-1.1-15-1.1

Contact your County Assessor for status on active appeals.

  • Assessed values reflect the market and are trended on an annual basis. Actual taxes can vary based on local approved tax rates, referendums, or individual circumstances.

  • Several factors go into determining taxes once the property is assessed, including deductions, tax caps and fees.
  • Assessed values are determined from a multitude of exterior and interior features. Properties that appear similar may have slightly different attributes that contribute to assessed value.
  • For more information on property taxes visit - DLGF - Citizen's Guide to Property Tax.

Assessed values fluctuate with the market. Valid sales provide a comprehensive indication of trends. An arm's length sale of a property is a significant factor in determining market trends, which may affect your assessed value.

Sales information can be obtained here, or at the Department of Local Government Finance's website by clicking here. You may also contact the County Assessor's office to verify a sale or ownership information. Contact Us

  • Use the search bar to search public information for a property by address or parcel number
  • You can also use the map to search. First type an address in the map search. From there click on any parcel and you will be directed to available information for that parcel Map
  • You may also contact the County Assessor's office to verify a sale or ownership information. Contact Us

Sales disclosures for April 19, 1996 and forward are available for non-exempt properties. Exempt disclosures are available beginning in late 1999. The property may have sold prior to 1996 or may have been an exempt sale. If it is a recent sale, the sales disclosure form may not have been filed with the county to date, or the record is being processed and will be available soon.

A physical inspection of the property is performed to ensure records are correct. Properties in Indiana are reassessed on a four-year cycle. One fourth of the county is reassessed each year. For more information visit - DLGF.

During reassessment, our office will send field agents to examine and inspect the exterior of every property and interview the property owner to obtain information about the interior. If no one is available to answer the questions at the time of our inspection, we will leave a business card and proceed with an exterior inspection. This information is vital to our efforts, since it provides us with information about the interior features and if any changes have been made to the interior of the home.

If your business was open on the assessment date of January 1, you would need to file a Business Tangible Personal Property Assessment Return by the due date.

While Indiana law does not require it, many taxpayers believe that it is a good idea to communicate this information since the assessor has the authority to place an estimated assessment on someone who he/she believes has failed to file a return.

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.

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Disclaimer
The information provided herein is without warranty of any kind. Any person or entity that relies on said information for any purpose whatsoever does so solely at their own risk. Neither , or any agency, offices, or employees of any other information provider warrants the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of any of the information provided herein.

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