Contents

Acknowledgments
Tax Cycle Calendar
Appeal Instructions
Contact Info
Equalization Rates
Exemption Forms
Level of Assessment
Residential Ratios
School Taxes
Flood Maps
Printing Labels

Acknowledgments

ParcelAccess is possible because of the efforts and cooperation between many local and County departments.

Parcel Outlines and Dimensions are from the Dutchess County Real Property Tax Service Agency.

Parcel data and structure photos are from the Municipal Assessors.

Filed Maps are from the Dutchess County Clerk's Office.

Well Reports are from the Dutchess County Department of Health.

GIS Mapping application was developed by the Dutchess County Office of Central and Information Services.

Calendars

These calendars and links are provided as a general guide only. Please check with your Municipal Assessors open_in_new for dates specific to your municipality. The Dutchess County website contains additional information about Tax Collection open_in_new.

March

  • 1st: Taxable Status and Exemption Filing Date

May

  • 1st or About: Tentative Assessment Roll
  • Begginning 4th Tuesday in May: Grievance Day

June

  • 1st: Village Tax Lien Date
  • 1st: Village Tax Rolls and Bills

July

  • On or About the 1st: Final Assessment Roll
  • 1st: Valuation Date

September

  • On or Before the 1st: School Tax Lien Date
  • On or About the 1st: School Tax Rolls and Bills

October

  • On or About the 1st: End of Interest Free Period for School Taxes

January

  • 1st: County / Town Tax Lien Date
  • On or About the 1st: County / Town Tax Rolls and Bills

February

  • Last day: End of Interest Free Period for County / Town Taxes

Appeal Instructions

The assessment of your property is determined by the local assessor open_in_new. Owners can meet with the assessor anytime throughout the year to resolve assessment questions about the next assessment roll. In an informal setting, the assessor can explain how the assessment is determined and the rationale behind it.

Each year, on or about May 1, the assessor files a tentative assessment roll. It is up to individual property owners to monitor their own assessment and take steps to challenge it if they feel it is unfair.

This website has made it convenient for owners to view assessment information online. If, after speaking with the assessor, you still disagree with the value, you have the right to seek a formal review of your assessment with the Board of Assessment Review.

Click here open_in_new to get instructions on how to file for a review of your assessment from the NYS Office of Real Property Services.

Equalization Rates

An equalization rate is New York State's measure of a municipality's level of assessment. They are intended to assure equitable property tax allocation among the municipalities.

Detailed Explanation

A detailed explanation of the Equalization Rates is provided on the NYS Office of Real Property Tax Services website.open_in_new

List of Equalization Rates

Equalizaition rates for each municipality in Dutchess County can be obtained by year can be obtained from the NYS ORPTS Muncipal Profiles webpage.open_in_new

Exemptions from Property Tax

Partial and full exemptions from property tax are available to qualifying property owners. Some of the most common exemptions are for veterans, low income senior citizens, owners of agricultural property, and non-profit educational, religious and charitable organizations. The State funded School Tax Relief Program (STAR) is available to all homeowners, provided it is their primary residence. Local governments and schools have the right to choose, in many cases, whether or not to allow certain exemptions authorized by state law. Some of these 'local option' exemptions further allow the taxing jurisdictions to impose limitations of these exemptions. To learn more about local options in effect in Dutchess County taxing jurisdictions open_in_new.

Detailed information and forms on exemptions are provided on the NYS Office of Real Property Tax Services website.open_in_new. The State organizes their forms by number. Some of the most common include:

  • Agricultural (RP 305's)
  • School Taxes (RP 425's)
  • Senior Citizens (RP 467's)
  • Veterans (RP 458's)

Level of Assessment

The Level of Assessment (LOA) is the percentage of full value at which properties are being assessed within a community. The LOA is established each year by the assessor and is shown on both the assessment roll and the tax bill. It is meant to give a property owner an idea of what his or her assessment means in terms of the market value of the property. For instance, a LOA of 50% would indicate that assessments are at half of the market value; a LOA of 100% indicates assessments are at full (market) value.

A more detailed explanation of Level of Assessment can be found at the NYS Office of Real Property Tax Services websiteopen_in_new.

Residential Assessment Ratios

The Residential Assessment Ratio (RAR) is a ratio determined by dividing the individual assessed values of residential parcels which have recently sold by their individual sale prices, then taking the median (middle) value of those ratios. They are determined by the State Office of Real Property Services and used by Assessors as a general measure of assessment equity and by taxpayers in board of assessment review grievances and/or small claims hearings Additional information sources include Dutchess County RPT and NYS ORPTS and are listed below.

RAR Introduction:

An introduction to the Residential Assessment Ratio is available on the Dutchess County RPT website open_in_new.

RAR In-Depth Explanation:

A detailed explanation of the Residential Assessment Ratio is available at the NYS Office of Real Property Tax Services websiteopen_in_new.

School Taxes

This page directs you to sources of information regarding payment of school taxes in Dutchess County.

Tax Rates

Current school tax rates are available on the Dutchess County RPT website open_in_new.

School Tax Collectors:

For information on payment of school taxes contact your school tax collectors open_in_new.

School Tax Relief

STAR is the New York State School Tax Relief program. It provides an exemption from school property taxes for owner-occupied, primary residences. Visit the NYS Office of Real Property Tax Services websiteopen_in_new, to learn more about the STAR program.

FEMA Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released a new set of Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRM) in 2012 that replace the previous maps referred to as the "Q3" maps. The new DFIRM's are now effective for flood insurance purposes. The new DFIRM is very different in appearance from the former FEMA flood mapping. Many areas of the county that had been exempt under previous flood zone mapping are now included. Property owners who have a federally backed mortgage or plan to refinance with a federally backed lender, may be required to purchase flood insurance if they find that their home is newly shown in a Special Flood Hazard Area on the updated maps.

The older Q3 Special Flood Hazard Flood Areas (SFHA) are indicated on the map to allow property owners to assess changes between the two sets of flood insurance maps.

Flood Hazard Zone Definitions on the DFIRM Maps

  • Zones A, AE, and AO are the primary risk classifications. They indicate a 1-percent-annual-chance flood event.
  • Zone 0.2% indicates a 0.2 percent chance of annual flooding. These areas are only associated with Zone AE. While not a regulatory standard, large floods often occur and require the designation of the 0.2-percent-annual-chance floodplain.

Detailed inforamation about the definitions of these and other zones can be found on the Flood Zones definitions FEMA web page.

Important information for property owners:

  • Flood insurance requirements affect structures that are located within any flood zone that starts with the letter "V" or "A" and there are federal dollars associated with the structure (typically a federally insured mortgage or a federal grant). If there are no federal dollars associated with the structure, there is no federal mandate for the purchase of flood insurance.
  • A lender has the legal right to require flood insurance coverage regardless of the structure's flood zone.
  • If an owner desires to prevent an existing structure, that was not located in a flood zone on the older Q3 flood zone maps, but will be located in any flood zone starting with the letter "V" or "A", from having a flood insurance requirement, they can apply for a Letter of Map Change (LOMC).
  • FEMA uses the term Letter of Map Change (LOMC) to collectively reference the processes for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-F). If a property owner has a valid Elevation Certificate for a structure and desires to remove the structure from the FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), labeled Zone A, Zone AH, Zone AE, or Zone VE on the County DFIRM, application forms are available from FEMA for a LOMA or a LOMR-F. In order to be considered eligible for either the LOMA or LOMR-F, both the lowest floor elevation and the lowest adjacent grade elevation (shown on the Elevation Certificate) must be equal to or higher than the FEMA-designated flood elevation for that location.

Additional information to help you better understand the LOMA process is available at the following FEMA web site.

PLEASE NOTE:

The maps and data on this website are a representation of compiled public information. They are believed to be an accurate and true depiction for their stated purpose, but Dutchess County and its employees make no guarantees, implied or otherwise as to the accuracy or completeness. We therefore do not accept any responsibilities as to its use. This information is provided only to assist users interested in FEMA flood maps. FEMA web pages should be consulted for clarification and confirmation about the content of the maps and supporting information. For more information about the FEMA flood insurance rate map program, visit: http://msc.fema.gov/portal

Printing Tips for Labels

The List Nearby Parcels print function is designed to be used with Avery 5160 labels.

The resulting wepbage should be automatically set up to work with your printer, but you can adjust the settings as needed by following the tips outlined below.

  • Print the labels page by pressing Ctrl + P on your keyboard.
  • In the print window you can choose to save the page as a PDF document or print directly to a printer connected to your machine.
  • The print margins for the document are automatically set to the correct size to print on Avery 5160 labels. No additional margins should be added to the document.

Please Note: the nearby parcels results can be downloaded to your computer as a CSV file (comma delimited). With this document, you can use "mail merge" in Microsoft Word to create your own mailing or printing specifications.