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Background

Luzerne County is conducting a reassessment because a countywide rebalancing hasn’t been done since 1965, leaving the county with one of the most out-of-whack property tax bases in the state.

Commissioners voted in July 2003 to conduct the reassessment and hired 21st Century Appraisals Inc.

The values were originally supposed to be mailed in 2006, but the previous administration delayed the project twice.

Taxes based on the new values will take effect in 2009. All formal assessment appeals must be heard by Oct. 31 to be counted for your 2009 taxes. Formal Assessment Appeal Tips

Property owners with questions about the reassessment should call 21st Century. To reach the center, call 1-877-570-8801 for northern county residents and 1-877-570-8802 for southern county residents.

Primary Author

Jennifer Learn-Andes
jandes@timesleader.com

Property Reassessments

Important Links

NEW Luzerne County Property Assessments

The NEW assessment values for all Luzerne County properties. Also contains old values for comparison purposes.

Old Luzerne County Property Assessments

These are the old values, which can still be used for comparison purposes.

Carbon County Property Assessments
Lackawanna County Property Assessments
Ask Your Reassessment Questions

John Van Allen - Times Leader Expert answers questions about Property Assessment.

Formal Assessment Appeal Tips

Official tips from Luzerne County for formally appealing you new assessment.

Latest Headlines

August 19, 2008

More are no-shows at formal appeals

More Luzerne County property owners are no-shows at their formal assessment appeals, as many as 15 percent in recent days, county officials say.

August 18, 2008

Protesters cry out for delay, heckle Petrilla

WILKES-BARRE – “Second the motion!” was the chant heard most often from the crowd of 300-plus people who filled the south lawn of the Luzerne County Courthouse on Monday to protest the handling of the county’s first reassessment since 1965.

August 18, 2008

Testy words over delay

Former allies Greg Skrepenak and Maryanne Petrilla went round and round during Monday’s Luzerne County commissioner work session when he publicly asked her to put a reassessment delay vote on Wednesday’s agenda.

August 18, 2008

What protesters had to say

WILKES-BARRE – Here’s what some attendees at Monday’s rally, to call for a halt to the implementation of Luzerne County’s reassessment and to support the elimination of property taxes, had to say:

August 18, 2008

Reassessment suit? Lawyer sees potential

Michelle Boice hopes a class-action lawsuit can be filed to compensate property owners aggrieved by the county’s reassessment, and at least one attorney familiar with Luzerne County governmental workings thinks there could be a case.

August 17, 2008

Reassess protest scheduled

At least two bus loads of people from Harveys Lake are expected to show up at the Luzerne County Courthouse today to protest the way that the county reassessment is being executed.

August 17, 2008

Reassessment anger could swamp boat - Richard L. Connor opinion

WHEN I MOVED back here two years ago, I was struck by a number of things that had changed and also by a few that had not.

August 15, 2008

Hazleton: ‘Delay or reject’ reassessment

HAZLETON – City Council voted Thursday night for a resolution to formally request Luzerne County commissioners to “delay or reject” property reassessment.

August 15, 2008

Skrep calls for reassessment delay

Luzerne County Commissioner Greg Skrepenak said he will call for a vote at next week’s commissioners’ meeting to indefinitely delay reassessment.

August 15, 2008

Skrepenak calls for indefinte reassessment delay

Luzerne County Commissioner Greg Skrepenak says he will make a motion to delay reassessment at commissioner meeting next week. He also proposed an action plan at a 2 p.m. press conference.

August 15, 2008

County exploring 30-day extension

Luzerne County Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla wants to discuss with the county reassessment team the possibility of a 30-day delay in the reassessment process.

August 14, 2008

Commissioners exploring 30-day reassessment delay

Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla wants to meet as soon as possible with the Board of Assessment Appeals to discuss the county's options.

August 14, 2008

Appraisers ask for more time

WILKES-BARRE – Area appraisers and real estate brokers have asked for extensions of reassessment deadlines because they have been overwhelmed by requests for appraisals to be used at assessment appeals.

August 14, 2008

Harveys Lake residents mull secession to Wyoming County

HARVEYS LAKE – A movement under foot by some Harveys Lake residents to secede from Luzerne County and join neighboring Wyoming County would be a trailblazing moment in the state.

August 13, 2008

Auxiliary board appeals questioned

While using auxiliary boards of assessment appeals will help Luzerne County get through its reassessment more quickly, it could also result in a greater occurrence of similar properties having dissimilar tax assessments, according to a manual used by the county Assessment Office.

August 11, 2008

Map office aid limited, boss says

The director of Luzerne County’s mapping department said his office can help property owners who have problems with land acreage issues on their reassessments, but only under certain circumstances, and only in certain ways.

August 11, 2008

Sunshine Law being violated?

The Luzerne County Board of Assessment Appeals’ status as a public agency calls into question whether the board is required to follow all state law or merely real estate law.

August 10, 2008

Reassessment won’t affect state’s Act 1 tax cut

Amid the confusion and tumult of countywide property reassessment, one question has repeatedly bubbled up: Does it affect Act 1, the 2006 state law that promised to use money from legalized gambling to lower property taxes for homeowners?

August 9, 2008

The Property Tax Puzzle

It costs close to $200 million a year countywide, yet how much of it you pay hinges heavily on a host of interlinked issues: where you live, who shares the bill (and who gets out of sharing), how much money people plunk into slot machines, and now, how property reassessment ultimately shakes out in your town.