Frequently Asked Questions

Notices were mailed on June 15, 2026. 

No, not necessarily, even though your assessment may have increased, by law, all taxing jurisdictions (county, municipality, school district) must adjust their current tax rate (millage) so they do not increase their income/revenue received from property taxes. A taxing jurisdiction may then choose to adjust their millage rate if they need to collect additional taxes, as in any non-reassessment year. There is no simple, precise way to predict the total tax change for any single property until the new millages are established for 2027. DO NOT TRY TO USE YOUR 2026 MILLAGE RATES WITH YOUR NEW 2027 REASSESSMENT TO CALCULATE YOUR TAX LIABILITY.  YOU MUST USE THE LOWER 2027 MILLAGE RATE WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE.

The reassessment value will go into effect for the 2027 tax year.

The millage rates for the 2027 County/Muni taxes will be determined towards the end of December, 2026. The millage rates for the 2027-2028 school year will be determined in June of 2027. The reassessment value does not affect the 2026-27 school taxes. Millage rates for 2026 WILL NOT be applied to the Reassessment values.

A reassessment is done to equalize all assessments to 100% of the current fair market value and ensure the fairness of property taxes relative to property values by uniformly assessing similar property types and neighborhoods. Reassessments are NOT done to increase property taxes.

Every property owner has the right to appeal their assessed value with The Board of Assessment Appeals (the board). The board uses information provided in an appeal hearing to determine FAIR MARKET VALUE of the property; assessment value is directly related to fair market value.   
Before you file an appeal, consider the following:   Could you or would you sell your property for your new assessed value in today’s real estate market?

For residential properties, we used valid, arms length sales of properties from 2022-2024 by neighborhood or area (for rural properties) to determine estimates of value for the surrounding properties. Data such as acreage, square footage, amenities (porches, garages, bathrooms etc.) have a value attributed to them and then those values are adjusted by comparing them to similar sales in your area by ratios for each neighborhood to generate a probable market value.

For Commercial/Industrial properties, a combination of Marshall & Swift cost values, sales, rents and incomes were be used to determine value.

In areas that had sales of vacant lots, we used those sales to determine the base value of land in that area.  For established areas that do not have vacant lot sales to reference to determine land values, we use an industry standard percentage for land, (usually between 25% and 45%), and building values depending on the desirability of the area, which would explain why certain areas increase or decrease. 

You can view your property information on our Property Search Site at LancasterPA-reval.Devnetwedge.com
Do not pay for your property record – They are free for public viewing

We have instructions for how to use the site posted on our website. The direct link to the instructions is How-to-use-the-Property-Search-Website .
Search by Parcel ID/Account Number, Property Address, or Owner Name. 

The primary homesite is the most average/most common acreage for each assessment neighborhood.  Each parcel within the designated neighborhood is valued at the same base acreage. The residual land is any acreage over the base lot size (primary homesite amount) The residual land is valued at a lower rate per acre.   

FAQs for reviewing your property record can be found here: PRCreviewFAQ
Or contact the Property Assessment Office for additional help. By Email: paquestions@lancastercountypa.gov By Phone: (717) 390-7742 In Person: 150 N Queen Street, Suite 310, Lancaster PA 17603   **Building entrance on Chestnut Street** 

The site that shows the current (2026) information is updated nightly. 
The site that shows the reassessment (2027) information is updated weekly on Sundays.

You can call our office at 717-390-7742 and speak to someone about the issue or you can send an email to paquestions@lancastercountypa.gov . You can also fill out a Property Correction Form at Property-Correction-Form- and email it to the above address. Property corrections will be handled on a case by case basis, depending on the complexity of the error. 

Actually, renters do pay property taxes, just indirectly.  The rental industry is not a non-profit industry. Landlords must cover all of their expenses, including property taxes, in the rent they charge their tenant and allow for a margin of profit in the end.  Although renters are not directly paying property taxes to the taxing body, they are paying the taxes to their landlord through their monthly rent. 

One of the founding principles of our Country guarantees a free education to all. In order for that to happen, everyone must participate. An educated population is an essential benefit for our society.

You can go to our property search site at LancasterPA-reval.Devnetwedge.com  You can search by parcel number, address, or name.  You will be able to see the reassessment value, in addition to all of your property data on that site.  If you wish, you can also print out the information for your records.   If you find that your mailing address is incorrect, please email us at PAQuestions@LancasterCountyPA.gov  to begin the process of correcting the information. If you have recently purchased your property, we may not have had that information at the time of printing. 

No, we are not sending additional copies of the notices.  All the information on the notice is also on our website.   You can go to our search site at LancasterPA-reval.Devnetwedge.com to view or print out the 2027 reassessment information that is included on the notice. 

The appeal deadline will be 40 days from the mailing date of the notice (June 15th) with the 2027 annual appeal deadline being August 1st.  Reassessment Appeals for the 2027 property tax year will have a deadline of August 3, 2026 as the first business day after August 1st. All appeals must be postmarked by the appeal deadline date or delivered to our office by 5:00 pm on that date. 

To file an appeal with the board a 2027 Reassessment Appeal form must be filled out, signed, and returned to the Property Assessment Office. This can be done online with the fillable form available on the Property Assessment website, printed, signed, and mailed or hand delivered to 150 N Queen St, Suite 310, Lancaster, PA 17603.   (Appeal forms can also be obtained by contacting the Property Assessment Office) There is no fee associated with a 2027 Reassessment Appeal filed by the deadline. When an appeal is filed, you are appealing the assessed value of your property – not the amount of tax responsibility. Please note that each municipality differs in total tax rates charged to property owners in their jurisdiction. 

More information on assessment appeals can be found in the Yearly Appeals & Pricing Information section of the Property Assessment Website. 

No, you cannot just appeal your land value, or your building value.  An appeal is based on the total assessment, not just one component of the assessment. 

A recent appraisal gives the board the best indication of market value. However, there are other forms of documentation that can be used.  Please review the Appeal Rules and Regulations for more information. If you do present an appraisal to establish value, the appraisal should be dated no more than one year prior to the hearing date.

Yes.  The Board of Assessment Appeals reviews the information provided during the appeal to determine market value of the property.  The Board then adjusts the assessment value accordingly, either up or down. 

2027 Reassessment Appeal hearings are being held at the Lancaster County Firemen’s Association at 630 East Oregon Road in Lititz.  Appeals will be held Monday through Thursday from July to October.  When you file for an appeal, a scheduling notice will be mailed to you. 
This is for scheduled hearings only - No walk-ins accepted

Your current assessment was based on market values with an effective year of 2018.  The 2027 assessment notice should reflect a value around what you would expect the property to be worth if you put it up for sale today.   If you do not feel that is a fair market value, then you may file an appeal.  In an appeal hearing, you provide evidence of market value. 

A complete list of the sales used in our 2027 Reassessment are posted on our website.   The direct link is :  2022-2024 Valid Sales List
You will most likely need to zoom in to read the data, depending on the size of your monitor. 

A land restriction may already be reflected in the land value if it was previously brought to the attention of our office.  To find out for sure, please contact us.   
To have a land restriction considered in the land value of your property, an appeal will need to be filed and documentation provided for the board to review. 

Assessment is calculated by using exterior measurements rounded to the nearest foot, obtained on the property, combined with type/use of each area (i.e. General Living Area, Basement, Finished Basement, Garage, Covered Porch, Patio, Screen Porch, Sunroom, etc)   Each piece can differ slightly between seemingly identical builder constructed models to obtain differing assessments between like properties. 

You may qualify for the PA Rent Rebate Program, that includes property taxes for homeowners.  You can contact the Department of Revenue at 1-888-222-9190 or www.pa.gov/agencies/revenue You could also contact the Office of Aging at (717) 299-7979. 

You can find more information on the PA Department of Military and Veteran Affairs website at pa.gov/agencies/revenue to see if you qualify for property tax relief. Or contact the Lancaster County office by phone at 717-299-7920.

We will not add improvements to the assessment record without a building permit issued for the property by your local municipality.  Each municipality has different standards as to what requires a building permit.  If you feel your neighbor has added something without a permit, please contact your local municipality. We do not change our records based on a call from a neighbor. We do correct/change property records with information provided by the owner or municipality.