WASHINGTON -- A decline in home values has prompted thousands of residents in Maryland and the District of Columbia to appeal their property tax assessments.
More than 20,000 homeowners in Maryland are currently challenging their assessments, which determine how much they pay in property taxes, state officials. The state reassesses property every three years.
In Montgomery County, there are 4,000 people appealing their 2009 assessments, compared to a typical year in which it would have had only a few hundred appeals. The number of appeals and petitions this year are probably a record, Maryland Supervisor of Assessments John Brennan said.
Meanwhile, there are more than 11,800 appeals in Washington this year, compared to more than 10,700 last year.
