Ongoing Property Assessments:
The State Tax Commission advises us to visit each property in the township on a five-year cycle. The purpose of this is to update our records and correct them if necessary. In keeping with safety and security procedures, all personnel from the Assessor’s Office will be carrying a picture ID and driving a marked Township vehicle in the residential areas. Letting our appraiser inspect your property thoroughly will insure that we have correct records and avoid mistakes. Thank you for your cooperation.

PROPERTY ASSESSMENT LINE (PAL)
The Plainfield Township Assessor's Office is in its seventh year of using the automated Property Assessment Line or "PAL". PAL is available online to provide property and tax information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also reach PAL via an automated telephone system. The telephone numbers to the system are (616)364-1196 or (616) 364-1198, or Toll Free at 1-800-846-8725.

The information given includes parcel number, owners name, parcel address, owners address, SEV, assessed and taxable value data, school district, summer and winter taxes, total acres, current zoning, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms and total square footage.

If you use the automated telephone system, you will be given the option of either having the information read to you or you may have a property record card with sketch (building footprint) faxed to you. All faxes are $3.00. We hope you will find PAL user friendly, helpful and a real time saver.

Tax descriptions are NOT available to be read to you on PAL, but are available by fax, in person at the Assessors Office, or on-line.

How To Use The Property Assessment Telephone Info line

1. Be sure you are using a touch-tone phone.
2. Have your Parcel Number or Property Address Ready.
3. Listen for periodic help instructions along the way.
4. You may make your selections at any time, even during the prompts.
5. Enter the requested information using the keypad on your touch-tone phone. Some prompts request the pound sign after your entry, otherwise key-in the numeric AND alpha information. For the letters "Q" and "Z", use number
6. Should you make a mistake, please wait and the system will prompt you again. For example:
   • "Invalid selection, please try again"
   • "The information you selected was not found"
7. For complicated street names use the following guidelines:
   • For short street names with less than 6 letters, press the pound sign after you have entered the street name, as in this example: Mary Street would be entered MARY#
   • For street names that have more than one name, enter the name consecutively, with no spaces, as in this example: Maple Grove Avenue would be entered MAPLEG
   • For numbered streets, enter the information as in this example: 30th Street would be entered 30TH#

Helpful Hints

• Should you not fully understand an owner's name, you may have it spelled out.
• Remember that if you request a fax, a charge is included so have your fax number and phone number ready. This is required information.
• In order to move along more quickly, it's advisable to write down the telephone keypad numbers that correspond to the street name.
• You may stop the read-out process at any time by pressing any key.

REMEMBER: If you request a fax, a $3.00 charge is included so have your fax number and phone number ready. This is required.

DIRECT DIAL ASSESSMENT INFOLINE NUMBERS: 364-1196 OR 364-1198
Toll Free  1-800-846-8725
or
CLICK HERE FOR INTERNET ACCESS

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HOW IS YOUR PROPERTY APPRAISED?
The Assessor's Office first reviews all the property to be assessed, then values it. Accurate appraisals require constant searching and digging for significant facts to accumulate and analyze in order to estimate the fair market value of your property.

WHAT IS MARKET VALUE?
Finding the market value of your property involves discovering the price most people would pay for it in its present condition (such things as location, style, size, condition, etc., all effect the market value of property). It's not that simple, because the assessor has to find what the value would be for every property, no matter how big or small. But the assessor's job doesn't stop there. Each year it has to be done all over again, because the market value of almost everything changes from one year to the next.

WHY HAVE A PROPERTY TAX?
Properties are appraised and taxes are paid for the operation and financing of Township and County government, operation of schools, fire and police protection and other public benefits. Taxpayers share the cost, in proportion to the amount of money their individual properties are worth. The property tax is part of a well-balanced revenue system. It is a more stable source of money than sales and income taxes because it does not fluctuate when communities have recessions. When the community spends your tax dollars on better schools, parks and so on, your property values generally rise.

WHY DO ASSESSED VALUES CHANGE FROM YEAR TO YEAR?
When market value changes, naturally so does assessed value. For instance, if you were to add a garage to your home, the assessed value would probably increase. The real estate market generally increases due to many factors. The assessor has not created the value. PEOPLE MAKE VALUE by their transactions in the marketplace. The assessor simply has the legal responsibility to study those transactions and appraise your property accordingly.

TAXABLE VALUE AND THE TAX RATE?
The assessor's office has nothing to do with the total amount of taxes collected. The assessor's primary responsibility is to find the fair market value of your property, so that you may pay your fair share of the taxes. A TAX RATE applied to your property's TAXABLE VALUE determines the amount of tax you pay. The tax rate is determined by all the taxing agencies, which include the township, county, school districts and others. The assessor's office also keeps track of ownership changes, maintains maps of parcel boundaries, keeps descriptions of building and property characteristics up to date, keeps track of properties eligible for exemptions and other forms of property tax relief, such as homestead exemptions. Most importantly, the assessor analyzes trends in sale prices, construction costs, and rents to estimate the value of all assessable property. All this must be done economically, accurately and uniformly.

WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES?
If your opinion of the value of your property differs from the Assessor's, go to the office and discuss the matter. Staff will be glad to answer your questions about the appraisal and explain how to appeal if you cannot come to an agreement. The assessor's office relies on the property owner for information. You can help by providing accurate information.

PHOTOGRAPHY PROGRAM
The Assessor's Office continues to work on digitally photographing each dwelling within the Township. The photographs are used for assessing purposes and are maintained as part of the property record card system. All appraisers will have pictured identification with them and will be in a marked Plainfield Township vehicle, when available.