Purpose
Annually, the Office of Real Estate Assessment gathers local real estate property sales information, commercial business information, and building cost data. Under guidelines prescribed in Section 58.1 of the Code of Virginia, the office uses this information to determine the current value - which is 100% fair market value - of all city properties as of January of each year.

The City Council determines the amount of real estate taxes needed to fund the annual budget, and the real estate assessments are used to distribute the taxes equitably among all property owners.

Tax Bills & Notices
Notices of Reassessment are mailed during the first quarter of the year.

Real estate tax bills will be mailed out by the Treasurer in early May, after the City Council sets the tax rate in late April as part of the city budget process. If your property is financed through a mortgage, the tax bill will be mailed directly to your mortgage company.

If a mortgage company is not handling your property taxes, you will receive a tax bill in May and November, as taxes are billed in 2 installments.

Assessor Responsibilities
The Real Estate Assessor collects information from subdivisions, building plans, and permits that owners obtain through city offices. Information also is obtained from deeds and wills filed properly with the Arlington County Clerk of the Court.

The Assessor's Office maintains a computerized history of each parcel of city property, which includes ownership, deed and plat references, sales information and house characteristics, and an assessment land book is produced annually.