Property assessment protest period begins in Lancaster County

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) — Beginning Wednesday, June 1, property valuation protests can be filed with the Lancaster County Clerk’s Office.

Lancaster County residents have until June 30 to file their protest.

Protests can be filed electronically at lancaster.ne.gov. Protest forms are also available by contacting the county clerk’s office at [email protected] or 402-441-8724. There is no charge to file a Property Valuation Protest.

Lancaster County Clerk Dan Nolte said a new requirement this year is the use of a standardized protest form. A separate form must be filed for each disputed property.

The following information should be included:

(1) property identification number

(2) assessment amount requested

(3) reason(s) for requested change in appraisal amount

4) the signature of the declarer

Failure to provide this information may result in the rejection of the claim. Supporting documents may also be submitted with the assessment protests.

The Lancaster County Equalization Board has engaged a third party to act as umpire coordinator who will recruit and coordinate additional umpires as needed to carry out protest hearings and make assessment recommendations. The arbitrators are real estate experts familiar with property in Lincoln and Lancaster County. Registrants may choose to discuss their protests with a referee.

Hearings will take place from mid-June to mid-July. Nolte stressed the importance of filing early in order to have the best hearing date and time availability.

“Those waiting until the end of June to file their case have fewer hearing date/time options available because the protest process has a short turnaround time. Filing early gives people the best chance of having their hearing scheduled on a convenient date and helps them avoid potential conflicts such as work, school or vacations,” Nolte said.

Following review of all submitted information, assessment recommendations will be presented to the Equalization Board for final decision on or about August 9, 2022. Filers will receive written notice of final assessment amounts in mid-August .

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