It is very important that property owners understand that they can question their assessments at any time during the year. We are always willing to come out, inspect your property, and see if our data is incorrect. That said, state law dictates when the Assessors’ Office can actually do something about an over-assessment.
Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 59, Section 59 through Section 69 spell out the processes for requesting an abatement. These sections specifically state that property owners have from the time they receive their third quarter property tax bill – usually in late December or early January – until the first business day in February to file an abatement application with the Assessors’ Office. The Board of Assessors then has 90 days from the date we received your abatement application to act on you request.
Once that first business day in February passes and you have not submitted an abatement application, the Assessors’ Office has no legal way to change your assessment for that fiscal year. Nor can we go back months later to reduce it.
If you question the amount of your assessment outside of this admittedly tight time period, our office can inspect your property and see if an adjustment needs to be made. We can then make it for the following fiscal year’s assessment.
So, the best advice we can offer is this: Each new calendar year, when you get your new property tax bills, look at them carefully. The new valuation is in the boxes labelled “Land Value,” “Building Value” and “Total Value.” Look online and compare it with the previous year’s bills. If you think you are over-assessed, call the Assessors’ Office to discuss it.
If your property taxes are paid by an insurance or mortgage company and you are not sure of the previous year’s assessment, go to: https://townofhollistoncitizens.munisselfservice.com/citizens/default.aspx
And look up what you were assessed and what you paid for the prior fiscal year. (Remember, the fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. The current fiscal year 2027 ends on June 30, 2027.)
