Welcome to Engage™, Vanderburgh 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, 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/

To obtain additional guidance or to download related forms, please see the Personal Property page in the sidebar on the left.

Please contact our office at (812) 435-5283 or assessor@vanderburghgov.org if you have any further questions.


Form 11

Form 11’s for the January 1, 2024 assessment date were mailed on or before April 30, 2024 and the appeal filing deadline is June 17, 2024.




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.

For general questions about recording documents, you may contact the Recorder's Office. To contact the Recorder's Office, please click here.

For Zoning information you may contact the Area Plan Commission. To contact the Plan Commission office, please click here.

For information on Building Permits you may contact the Building Commission. To contact the Building Commission, please click here.

Appeals Process

IC 6-1.1-15-1.1
As a result of legislation passed in 2017, significant changes were made to the appeal process. Taxpayers wishing to contest the assessed value of property may do so by submitting a Form 130 prescribed by the State to the County Assessor's office. The Form 133, which was previously used to contest assessments on objective grounds, has been eliminated. Taxpayers wishing to contest their assessment on objective grounds (for example, a garage that has been removed or too much square footage) should complete and submit page 1 & Section III, page 2 of the Form 130.

Vanderburgh County Form 11’s were mailed on or before April 30, 2024 for the January 1, 2024 assessment date. The appeal deadline is June 17, 2024.

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

Form 130

Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals

Vanderburgh County has a 3 voting-member Board in accordance with Indiana code 6-1.1-28.1. The County Assessor serves as secretary and a non-voting member.

Board Members

  • Khris Seger, Level III Indiana Assessor-Appraiser
  • Daniel Humphrey, Real Estate Appraiser
  • Chris Stuard, Commercial Realtor

The PTABOA generally meets once every other month to make determinations on matters ranging from taxpayers' appeals and requests for exemptions to settling questions of assessment policy and practices.

Prior to the meeting, the Hearing Officer will make recommendations on the issues being brought before the Board. The Board members discuss each item, hear oral testimony when necessary and make a determination by voting on each issue. Taxpayers are notified of the determination in writing and have the option of appealing the decision. The Vanderburgh County PTABOA is proud of its system for handling issues brought before its members. Meetings are open to the public.

Taxpayers with issues before the Board are encouraged to attend and are given the opportunity to present testimony. In the interest of fairness, testimony may be limited to five minutes. Written evidence is best submitted before the meeting to allow Board members the opportunity to review and analyze the material. Board members may respond to testimony and documentation during the hearing. There is no time limit for this discussion. Generally, a representative from the County Assessor's office is available to respond to Board member and taxpayer questions.

If you have already filed an appeal and would like to have an informal meeting to discuss your appeal, you may schedule a meeting here or email us at appeals@vanderburghgov.org.


Cyclical Reassessment

During statewide reassessments, the county assessor inspects 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 identify his/herself to the property owner 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 business card will be left to inform the taxpayer that we were there. Photographs will also be taken during all inspections.

Each reassessment field inspector wears an ID badge and an identifying shirt or jacket. If a taxpayer is uncertain about the identity of a representative, please contact the Vanderburgh County Assessor's Office for verification (812) 435-5267.

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

Inheritance tax in the State of Indiana was repealed for individuals who died after Dec. 31, 2012. No inheritance tax returns have to be prepared or filed. No tax has to be paid. In addition, no Consents to Transfer personal property or Notice of Intended Transfer of Checking Account are required for those dying after Dec. 31, 2012. However, for individuals who died before January 1, 2013, inheritance tax returns are still required for those that exceed their exemption amount.

Effective April 1, 2016, all resident Indiana Inheritance Tax Returns (Form IH-6) for individuals who died prior to January 1, 2013 must be filed with the Indiana Department of Revenue, rather than the county courts.

For more information regarding the repeal of inheritance tax view the letter the Indiana Department of Revenue issued here, inheritance.pdf.

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 May 15th of the assessment year. A penalty of twenty-five dollars ($25) applies for returns filed after May 15th. 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.

Click here for 50 IAC 4.2 Personal Property Regulation or Indiana Code 6-1.1-3

Pursuant to Indiana Code 6-1.1-3-7 (b), a county assessor may grant an extension of not more than thirty (30) days to file the taxpayer’s return. Vanderburgh County is no longer automatically granting extensions of time to file business personal property returns when requested. Extensions are granted sparingly to taxpayers demonstrating a hardship or qualifying circumstances. The requests for extensions will be reviewed and granted on a case by case basis. Click here for instructions on obtaining an extension request.

Personal Property Exemption

Businesses with $80,000 or more cost per county, with the same federal identification number, will file the required Business Tangible Personal Property returns postmarked by May 15 to avoid penalties.

Businesses with less than $80,000 cost per county, with the same federal identification number will declare the exemption by filing the required forms and marking the checkbox at the top of the Form 103-Long, Form 103-Short, or Form 102 indicating the cost of your assets is less than $80,000.

Not for Profit Organizations that have filed a Form 136 Exemption and have been approved by the PTABOA, will file the required business personal property returns as usual. They will not claim the under $80,000 cost exemption.

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 (812) 435-5283 or assessor@vanderburghgov.org if you have any further questions.

Forms

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.

Exemptions involve a certain type of property, or the property of a certain kind of taxpayer, which is not taxable. Application for exemption must be filed before April 1 of the assessment year with the county assessor. The application must be refiled every even year unless: (1) the exempt property is owned, occupied and used for educational, literary, scientific religious or charitable purposes; (2) the property continues to meet the requirements of IC 6-1.1-10-16 or IC 6-1.1-10-21; and (3) an application was properly filed at least once in accordance with these statutes.

Indiana Code

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 Vanderburgh County, Indiana, 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: 10-09-2024
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