TIPS ON HOW TO APPEAL YOUR ASSESSMENT

If you think that the assessed value of your home is more than you could sell it for, you have the right to appeal and ask New Castle County to give you a lower assessment. 

Making sure your assessed value is equal to the actual value of your home is one of the best ways to reduce your taxes.

Appeals Due: by 4 PM on March 14, 2026

Find more information here: https://www.newcastlede.gov/390/Board-of-Assessment-Review
 

Download the application here: https://www.newcastlede.gov/DocumentCenter/View/21701/Residential-Appeal-Application
 

**This is not legal advice. Consult a lawyer for legal advice.** 

Tips for filling out the appeal form:
Don't be intimidated! You have the right to ask New Castle County to double-check the accuracy of your property's assessed value.

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Find your parcel ID and current assessment values by looking up your property in New Castle County Parcel Search: https://www3.newcastlede.gov/parcel/search/  

• For "Street Number" enter the number of your house address

• For "Street Name" enter just the name of your street, without any other info like St. or Ave.  For example, if you live on Conrad Street, enter Conrad for the street name.

• Find the address of your property and click on "Details"

• Use the information listed to fill out the parcel ID, Land Assessed Value, Structure Assessed Value, and Total Assessed Value on your Appeal Form.
   

Fill out the next part of the form based on your knowledge of your home: What you bought it for, condition, etc.

For information for the description of your property, click on the "Property Characteristics" tab of your parcel record in property search.

Determine what you think your home was worth as of July 1, 2024. Important: Don't go to zillow and find the current value of your property to come up with this number. Zillow could be misleading, because it is basing its estimate on sales that that took place after July 1, 2024, while the assessment value is only supposed to be based on comparable sales between January 1, 2022-June 30th, 2024.
 

Use comparable sales that took place in your area during the study period for the reassessment, which was January 1, 2022-June 30th, 2024. Find examples of comparable sales here: 

• Hilltop

• West Center City

• Cool Spring/Tilton Park - coming soon!

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Select 3-6 homes that are most similar to your property in size, location, and state of repair.

For example, if your home is 1,300 sq. feet, choose other properties that are 1,300 sq. feet.

• Do your best to choose properties within a few blocks of your home or at least in the same neighborhood.

• If your home has never been renovated, choose other properties that have never been renovated. (You can usually get an idea about whether or not a property was renovated before it was sold by looking the address up on a site like redfin or zillow and looking at the photos in the listing.)

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Once you have chosen properties that you think are like yours that you will use to justify the new assessment value you are proposing, confirm the info for each of those properties:

• Look up the address on redfin or zillow or another site to confirm the sale price and date of the home that you find on the spreadsheet.

• Look up the property on parcel search to confirm the property description details.

**Doublecheck the details for the properties you will be putting on your appeal. Don't just rely on the spreadsheet**

​Enter the data on the appeal form for 3-6 properties that you will include to justify the assessment you are proposing.

Include comments about why you think your property is similar to the property you are listing. 

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If you have an appraisal, include it.

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It probably makes sense to check the box: "I request that Assessment provide all exhibits and identify all witnesses it intends to present at any hearing on my appeal."

Make sure you sign the document, and get it in to New Castle County before 4 PM on March 14!

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You may want to consider dropping it off and getting a receipt: 

New Castle County Board of Assessment
Physical Address
87 Reads Way
New Castle, DE 19720