State Board to enforce uniform equalization

Real Estate Weekly, August 11, 1993

The New York State Board of Equalization and Assessment voted unanimously Aug. 3 to enforce a state law that requires cites or towns to assess all property at a uniform percentage of value.

Communities that are not in compliance will be notified over a period of time by the state board to determine what action they plan to take to comply with the law. The first notifications are scheduled to be made in late August and will be sent to larger localities that have the most unequal assessment rolls.

The new policy could result in voluntary or directed assessment improvement projects for places that have generally unfair assessment rolls. There are various state aid programs available to assist municipalities with assessment improvement programs.

The uniform assessment law has been the standard in New York State since 1981. Section 305 of the Real Property Tax law states, "All real property in each assessing unit shall be assessed at a uniform percentage of value..."

The initial enforcement will focus on cities and towns, and not include villages.