Welcome to Engage™, Randolph 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

Agricultural Land Assessment

The State of Indiana provides guidance related to Agricultural Land Assessment. Base rates, per acre, are provided by the State and applied to each parcel. The Land Rate is then adjusted based on use (tillable, non-tillable, etc.) and recorded soil types (An, Pn, etc). Any use that incorporates "open" ditches and or Right-of-Way will be adjusted to a "0" value. Placement of Land into a useful type of "Classified Lands" must first meet the requirements and application process of the Indiana DNR.

The current Assessed Base Rate set by the State of Indiana for ALL AG Land within the State showed an increase of 47.29% based on the sales listed below as well as Rental Value and income from Corn.

  • 2024: $2,280
  • 2023: $1,900
  • 2022: $1,500
  • 2021: $1,290

The Average Sale Price (ASP) per acre for AG showed an 89.88% value increase in four years:

  • 2020 was $6,807.
  • 2021 was $8,719.
  • 2022 was $9,428.
  • 2023 was $12,925.
    • None of these sales were connected to any Alternative Energy buy-ups but rather legitimate arms-length transactions of normal farm ground.

It is projected, based on the value increases each year since 2017, that the ASP per acre of Farm Ground, in Randolph County, could reach $25,000 by 2028.  However, this could be adjusted or affected by the lack of inventory and availability at that time.

Mobile Home Assessments

Personal Property Mobile homes, in Randolph County, are assessed with an effective date of 1 January. Personal Property Mobiles Homes are assessed the same year taxes are due.

Tax bills, for mobile homes, are sent to the last owner of record. Any change of ownership that does not follow the transfer procedures established by the County of Randolph and the State of Indiana will be determined invalid and the Tax liability will fall upon the last recorded owner.

If you plan to sell, remove or transfer ownership of a Personal Property Mobile Home, please get in touch with the Assessor's Office at (765) 584-2427 for the correct forms and guidance to make the transfer of property an easy process for all involved***.

***As the responsibility of the transfer falls on the Owner of Record, Mobile Home sales will NOT be considered final until all of the required forms are complete.  Therefore, the last Owner of Record (Grantor/Seller) will remain responsible for all tax liability until the transaction is complete.

Personal Property Assessments

What is Business Personal Property?

All businesses, churches, and not-for-profit organizations must file business tangible personal property forms with the assessor’s office each year, even if qualified for an exemption.

Business tangible personal property is the value of all property besides real estate that is used in your business or organization. It includes equipment used in the production of income or held as an investment; billboards; foundations for the equipment; and all other tangible property other than real property. Computer application software is considered an intangible asset and is not assessable. Inventory is no longer taxed.

Licensed motor vehicles, trailers, motorized boats, most airplanes, campers, recreational vehicles, and other registered vehicles that are subject to excise tax collected at the time of licensure by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles are not subject to personal property tax.

Business Personal Property Exemption

If the total cost of all the personal property that your business owns in the county is less than $80,000, then you may be eligible for a business personal property exemption. To qualify for this exemption, you need to fill out all the necessary forms and check the box at the top of either Form 103-Long, Form 103-Short, or Form 102, indicating that the value of your assets is under $80,000.

When can we begin our yearly filing? You can begin your filing as soon as 2 January as long as the State has provided any new changes to forms or added any new forms by then.

Please be aware that the due date for filing your taxes is May 15, 2024. If you fail to file your taxes on or before this date, whether by in-person submission, mail postmarked, or online, you will be charged a $25 late fee on your following tax bill. In the event that you fail to meet the June 15, 2024 deadline, an additional 20% of your total tax liability will be levied as a late penalty on the following tax bill.

What is PPOP-IN?

The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance’s modernization effort includes the Personal Property Online Portal – Indiana (PPOP-IN), which is the online service portal for customers to use when filing business personal property filings with their county/township assessor.

Who will be impacted?

Taxpayers

  • Any business or farmer that owns or holds personal property in Indiana.

Authorized Agents

  • Individuals are responsible for filing a business personal property filing on behalf of a business or farmer.

How to File?

Online: Personal Property Online Portal – Indiana (PPOP-IN)

Paper Filing with county assessor:




Property Tax Assessment Appeals

If you own a property in Randolph County, you will get a Notice of Assessment (Form 11) in May of each year with exceptions placed on commercial, industrial, and AG or vacant property.  This is due to the Market Analysis of sales. You have the right to appeal the assessment if you disagree with it. However, from January 1, 2024, the last day for appeal will be June 15. Note that there is proposed legislation to impose a fee or charge for the filing of any appeal, and it will be mandatory to attach a Power of Attorney within the last two years. Also, taxpayers must provide evidence to support their appeal.

An appeal begins with completing page 1 and filing Form 130 – Taxpayer’s Notice to Initiate an Appeal with the local Assessing Official. The appeal shall detail and or have evidence attached to explain the claim that the assessed value (not the taxes) is being disputed. A taxpayer shall only appeal the TOTAL Valuation of a property, not just a portion of it. None of the following are grounds for appeal.

  • I (We) am (are) on a fixed income.  This is because it has nothing to do with the value of the property as well and 95% of all property owners have an income that is fixed.
  • The increase made me lose my deduction.  Again, no bearing on the value of the property nor is there any recourse to say that the property cannot increase because it may cause a removal of a deduction.
  • I have done nothing to cause an increase.  This is because the Market has done it for you.  You do not have to do anything to reduce the value either.
  • Nothing is selling or I can't get that for this property.  It must be noted that though it may seem to you that there have been no sales in an area to justify any increase or decrease, since 2014, the Average Sale Price (ASP) and Total Sale Price (TSP) have increased 225% with 41% increase within the last year.  Due to interest rate increases, the volume of sales has been considerably slower however, the value or Sale Price is still maintaining a 90-95% of the asking price.  The current asking price, in Randolph County, is around $160,000 with the higher end at $500,000 and as low as $29,000, based on location and condition of structure.

As assessments are based on the Sales Market Trend, Income, or if new the overall Cost of the structure, your tax increase or decrease is based on the local jurisdiction establishing a budget and taking a portion of your value to subsidize the product albeit Public Safety, Schools, Local payroll, etc.  The percentage taken or placed upon your value is the same for everyone in the taxing district.

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 denied, the appeal will be forwarded to the county Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals (PTABOA) for review. If the PTABOA denies the appeal, instructions will be provided on appealing the decision to the Indiana Board of Tax Review (IBTR). After being heard by the IBTR, taxpayers may also seek review by the Indiana Tax Court.

Appraisals are accepted however, are not required. If an appraisal is submitted, it must be the complete document and not just the valuation page and shall NOT be considered the final value as all appraisals are based on the scope of the appraisal set forth by the client and as such; will be reviewed following the National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practices and Mass Appraisal guidelines. It must also be noted and understood that just because the bank gives the owner a copy of the appraisal if the owner is not listed as the client, the value may not be considered valid.

For an Assessor to provide the lowest of the three assessment models (Sales, Income, and Cost) If you have a Rental Property, only the submission of a CURRENTLY SIGNED LEASE will be accepted to reflect Income Value.

A taxpayer can still file an appeal concerning “objective” issues (i.e., factual matters, such as the property record card containing an incorrect description of the property, like a garage that does not exist); however, it is on page 2 of 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. (must show how evidence)
  6. Objective claims may be made for up to three years of assessments with the submission of Form 130 for each year. However, taxpayers requesting refunds must also file a Claim for Refund form (Form 17T) and it must be associated with an appeal from that year.

It must also be understood that when an appeal is filed, ALL aspects of the parcel will be reviewed and considered in the appeal. An appeal is NOT a guarantee that the assessed value will be reduced. This is why the presentation of evidence is crucial to your opinion of value.

**An incomplete Form 130 will not be accepted and will be returned as a defective filing.  Regardless of the option to list reasons for appeal, Randolph County requires a reason for appeal to be indicated.




Real Estate Assessment

All real estate in Randolph County, totaling over 18,000 land parcels, is assessed to determine Market Value in use. As of 1 January 2011, the reassessment of real estate is performed by the Assessor's Office in a four-year cycle with 25% of the total number of parcels being assessed each year and then on a continuing cycle of every four years.

The value is then adjusted based on the Real Estate Market of a designated neighborhood so that only the sales from that neighborhood are affecting that neighborhood and not others i.e.  Farmland Sales have nothing to do with any Market Trend except Farmland and the same goes for Winchester.  Township sales are handled the same, in that they only affect that Township/Tax District.

Property owners are responsible for reporting any of the following changes made to a property, regardless of obtaining a permit:

  • new construction
  • additions to existing dwellings and/or buildings
  • removal of structures
  • changes in land use (such as adding a pond, removal of forests, etc.)
  • destruction based on fire, flood, or other disasters.

*ALL CHANGES will be effective on the 1st day of January following the change.

The County Assessor maintains a Property Record Card on every parcel of land in Randolph County. The information on the property record card includes:

  • Buildings/improvements/structures on the parcel
  • Dwelling and land information including:
    • Sketches & dimensions (exterior)
    • Dwelling type, year of construction
    • Effective Age based on any remodels, additions, etc.
  • Value calculations
  • and more

Search the Property Records

Real Estate Assessment Rules

The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) (IN.gov) publishes the property assessment rules. Every year the State Board of Accounts in conjunction with the DLGF establishes the tax rates and levies of every political subdivision in the state.  This rate is based on the taxing unit's stated budget versus the assessed value.

The County Assessor must follow Indiana law established in the Indiana Code and the property assessment rules provided by the DLGF.

Indiana has provided information about assessments on the DLGF Overview of Assessments page on IN.gov

Also available is information on:

Agricultural Land Assessments (IN.gov)
Property Assessment Appeals Process (IN.gov)




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.

Real Estate Market Activity

Sales

Property values increase due to real estate market trends. Values fluctuate even without any changes/improvements to property

    (Changes to the property may include, but are not limited to: additions, pools, decks, sheds, pole barns, or anything more than 25 sq ft.)

Residential Market

2023 median selling price in Randolph County - $155,692
2022 median selling price in Randolph County - $105,279

Reasons why trends are higher – Long-Term Housing Shortage, buyers continue purchasing homes at/above current assessed values.

See the Indiana Realtors Housing Hub for current trends across the State of Indiana, click here.

Agricultural Market

Market Sale price per acre for land over 5 acres (bare Ground)

2023 $12,925
2022 $9,428
2021 $8,719
2020 $6,087
2019 $5,883
2018 $5,809
2017 $5,154
2016 $5,553
2015 $5,935
2014 $8,766
2013 $7,839

Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals

Randolph County has a 3 voting-member Board. The County Assessor's office serves as secretary and a non-voting member.

Members

  • Bev Fields, Member
  • Jim Nunez, Member
  • Keith Snyder, Member
  • Linsey Johnting, Secretary

2024 Meeting Dates

Meetings are held in the County Commissioners Chambers, located on the 3rd floor of the Randolph Count Courthouse and begin at 9:00 am. Time and location are subject to change.

Tax Exemptions

The owner of the property who wishes to obtain an exemption must file State Form 9284 / Form 136 with the County Assessor. The owner must provide all information requested on the application and accompanying information sheet. There is no filing fee.

This application/form must be filed on or before April 1 of the assessment year and must be re-filed every even year unless the exempt property is owned, occupied, and used for educational, literary, scientific, religious, or charitable purposes and continues to meet the requirements of IC 6-1.1-10-16 or IC 6-1.1-10-21, or is owned by a fraternity or sorority and continues to meet the requirements of IC 6-1.1-10-24. An application should be filed in any year in which an appeal to the Indiana Board of Tax Review or to a court for an exemption determination on the property is pending from any preceding year.

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.

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.

For a current representation of the housing market across the State of Indiana, click here.
For a current representation of the housing market in Randolph County, click 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).

Assessed values are established as of January 1 of the tax year, so for taxes payable in 2024 the valuation date is January 1, 2023. To arrive at the property's value on that date, sales information from the prior year is considered. For taxes payable in 2024, the assessor's office compared sales from 2022.

Ratio Studies are conducted to ensure uniformity and equity of assessments in a mass appraisal system. For more information visit - DLGF

Real property in Indiana is assessed at Market Value in Use. Distress sales such as tax, foreclosure, or short sales are typically not representative of Market Value.

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 or Township 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.

  • 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

  • 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 door hanger. 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.

During statewide reassessments, county and township assessors physically inspect each property to ensure that records are correct. Inspection accomplishes the gathering of data to value the property. For example, does the property still have a free-standing garage and an in-ground pool? Is the building on this property still 1,200 square feet or has it increased or decreased in size? By confirming this information, assessors can ensure properties are properly valued.

For general questions about recording documents, please click here.

Questions regarding State Tax Liens should be directed to the County Clerk's Office. To access the Clerk's Office contact information please click here. Questions regarding Federal Tax Liens should be directed to the County Recorder's Office. To access the Recorder's Office contact information click here.

Questions regarding State Tax Liens should be directed to the County Clerk's Office. To access the Clerk's Office contact information please click here. Questions regarding Federal Tax Liens should be directed to the County Recorder's Office. To access the Recorder's Office contact information click here.

Probate/Estate filing questions should be directed to the County Clerk's Office. To contact the Clerk's Office, please click here.

If you live in a city or a town you must contact the municipality. If you live outside the boundaries of a city or town you must contact the Area Planning. To contact the Area Planning office, please click here.

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.

Data current as of: 12-20-2024
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