Volusia County Property Appraiser

Table of Contents:

What does the Volusia County Property Appraiser do?

The Volusia County Property Appraiser’s Office is responsible for assessing the value of your property. However, they are not the ones to determine your property taxes. Property taxes are typically decided by the local taxing authority of your community. After the tax rate has been determined, it is applied to the assessed value of your property to determine your total tax responsibility.

How is property appraised?

According to the Florida Constitution, Property Appraisers are required to assess the value of a property at the current Market value. Market value most often refers to the price a buyer would be willing to spend to purchase the property. However, during the appraisal procedure, factors outside of the market value may also be considered to make the necessary adjustments. Appraisals for properties in Florida are usually completed by January 1st of each year.

To perform all appraisals in a timely manner, the Volusia County Tax Collector uses a Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) system, which holds all of the required data and information. The system also allows them to perform the necessary calculations to conclude the tax roll for each household. It is then up to the tax collectors to mail the bills out to everyone.

Properties are inspected every five years. This inspection allows the property appraiser to consider all of the latest adjustments that relate to your property. As market prices for homes vary widely from year to year, the Florida constitution has set a cap on the maximum increase in taxation for properties that qualify for the homestead exemption. This allows homeowners to rest assured that even when the market value of their home increases, their tax will not increase any more than 3 percent of what it was in the previous year.

Appraisers generally use two different methods outside of the market value to finish appraising your home. The cost approach and income approach help ensure correct property value calculations.

The cost approach looks at what your property would cost to build today, then makes the necessary adjustments to account for the loss of value over time. The land will also be appraised separately during this time so that the appraiser can determine what your land would be worth if there were no buildings or improvements.

The income approach is mainly used for commercial property. This approach looks at how much your property is worth based on how much income it generates.

According to the Florida Statutes, when the Property Appraiser is trying to estimate the value of any property, they aim to examine the following eight factors:

• Cash value
• Best use
• Location
• Size
• Cost
• Condition
• Income that is generated by the property
• Net sale proceeds (in cases where the property is sold)

These eight factors help appraisers to formulate more accurate figures and values when working on a property appraisal.

How do I find out who owns a property in Florida?

Some public records are made available and allow you to find an owner’s name with only having the property address. If you’re not able to find the property information or owner on your own, the Volusia County Property appraiser’s office can assist you with accessing the records.

Are property surveys public records in Florida?

Land surveys are not recorded by the Clerk’s office. Property surveyors are the ones who complete the property surveys, and you would need to contact them for your survey. Alternatively, if there is a mortgage on the property, the mortgage holder may also have a copy of the survey in their own personal records. Mortgage holders, however, may be less likely to want to share the survey with you. You can also find original survey notes and plats that are kept and filed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Notes and documents at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection can usually be accessed electronically and are available to the public. The collection of records goes back to 1977.

What is the homestead exemption in Volusia County Florida?

In Florida, all residents who own a home may be eligible to request the homestead exemption. A homestead exemption gives you the opportunity to file and claim an exemption of up to $50,000 for the home you own and reside full time each tax season. In Florida, there is an additional homestead exemption that you may be eligible to receive if the assessed value of your property is $75,000 or more. If you’re a homeowner, filing for the homestead exemption can help you save money when tax season comes around.

If you want to submit a homestead exemption application for your home, you will need to include the following documents in your application:

• A copy of your Florida Driver’s license or identification card if your Driver’s license is not available
• Your Florida Vehicle Registration or Florida Voter’s registration card
• Your Social Security Number

What do the different property values in our records mean to you?

Property taxes are generally determined using a method of multiplying the millage rates by the property value for your property that has been determined by the tax assessor. In terms of value, you may see three different types of values:

1. Just or Market Value

The first method for determining your property value is by comparing the sale prices of other properties similar to yours on the market. By looking at what those properties sold for, the appraiser will be able to determine approximately what your property will sell for if it were to be listed on the market. Based on that assessment, they will be able to determine your property’s Just/Market Value.

2. Assessed value

The assessed value is often confused with market value and can be based on market value. Appraisers are the ones who determine the assessed value, which is the dollar value applied to your home for tax purposes. Assessed values generally have caps. For example, suppose your home falls under the “Save our Homes” law, which caps the annual increases in assessed values of properties to 3 percent or the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for properties with a homestead exemption. In that case, you may see that the assessed value is different from the Market value.

Even properties that do not benefit from a homestead exemption cannot have their home value increase by more than 10 percent. These limits protect property owners from suddenly being responsible for a sudden, large increase in their property tax.

3. Taxable value

All exemptions, including the homestead exemption, will be subtracted from the assessed value of your property to determine what the value of the property for taxation will be. This, in part, is because things like the 10 percent cap or the Senior exemptions could result in different taxable values for the School, County, and City authorities.

All of these exemptions make it impossible for people with seemingly identical homes in identical areas to compare their taxes. In addition, the exemptions could result in different taxable values for each property owner, which makes it nearly impossible to compare properties no matter how similar they are.

What if I think the appraised value of my property is too high?

If you believe the appraisal value assigned on your “Notice of Proposed Property Taxes” is incorrect or too high, your best course of action is to contact the Volusia County Property Appraiser’s office. They can help you to better understand why your property value is higher than expected and connect you with an appraiser.

When it comes to your property appraisal, you have specific legal rights. The appraiser’s office will help you to better understand those as well as the maximum time limits you have to take action to question your property’s value or your exemption status.

If your response is unsatisfactory, you may file a petition at the Value Adjustment Board. When you file a petition to the Value Adjustment Board (VAB), the following items are required:

• A $15 non-refundable filing fee needs to be paid.
• Your appearance will be scheduled by the Clerk so that you can appear before the special magistrate to address your concerns.
• You will be called to present your evidence and supply your testimony supporting your petition.
• A copy will be mailed to you of the final decision.

When considering the proof to justify your property’s value to the Board, you may want to present the following:

• Comparable sale information
• Costs of construction information
• Other appraisals of your property

If all these items show that your property should have a lower value than it was originally appraised for, you will be more likely to win your appeal.

Summary

The Volusia property appraiser will help determine the value of your property both in terms of assessed value and in terms of taxable value. They will be the ones to apply for all of the tax exemptions you are eligible for and help you navigate the rules dictating the caps and limits of your taxes each year. For any problems or questions regarding your property’s assessed and taxable value, you can contact the Value Adjustment Board and file an appeal.