• Mark D. Armstrong, CIAO, Kane County’s supervisor of assessments since 2006, has nearly 30 years’ experience in property valuation. Click here for more about Mark. To Ask Mark a question, email it to KaneSOA@co.kane.il.us or mail it to: Mark at 719 South Batavia Avenue, Geneva, IL 60134.

This week’s “Ask Mark” question has to do with the Board of Review’s procedures for appraisals.

Tax assessment changes are published in local newspapers and online around this time of year. Once your township’s assessments have been published, you have 30 days to protest if you feel your property’s assessed value was too high, and you’ll need an appraisal to make your case.

You can receive an e‐mail notice of the publication of a township assessment roll by visiting  KaneCountyAssessments.org,  selecting the  “subscribe”  link, and entering your email address.

To obtain assessment information about a property in any Kane County township, call the Township Assessor’s Office or visit the Township Assessor’s website (directory here).

Q: The Board of Review’s Rules and Procedures state that appraisals submitted to the Board must be “prepared in conformance to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice as currently adopted by the Appraisal Standards Board.” Do these standards mean that any appraisal report has to be completed by a state-certified real estate appraiser?

A: Yes. The Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) is a set of standards adopted by the appraisal profession. USPAP is updated from time to time by the Appraisal Standards Board of the Appraisal Foundation.

In Illinois, the Real Estate Appraiser Licensing Act provides a legal framework for USPAP. It requires all persons acting as appraisers to be licensed or certified by the state; it further requires all such persons to develop and report appraisals in conformance to USPAP. Therefore, the Board’s Rules are simply giving notice of what is already required by Illinois law.

Read More

• To obtain information on the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board, visit this website.
• To download Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board forms, visit this address.

More ‘Ask Mark’

• ASK MARK: Can a Non-Attorney Represent Me Before the Board of Review?
• ASK MARK: If I Didn’t Get Notice, Can I Get an Extension to File an Appeal?
• ASK MARK: My Granddaughter Lives With Me, Does Her Income Count Against a Senior Homestead Exemption?
• ASK MARK: I Didn’t Get My Homestead Exemption, Can I Get Back Taxes I Already Paid?
• ASK MARK: Is the Assessed Value of a Recently-Sold Home Necessarily One-Third the Sale Price?
• ASK MARK: I’m a Renter — Can I Still Get a Homestead Exemption?
• ASK MARK: Can You Tell Me When 2014 Tax Assessments Will Come Out?