| Department Head: Franklin Colon |
Address: 1 Jean Walling Civic Center Drive |
| Phone: (732)390-6845 or (732)390-6846 |
Fax: (732)390-6466 |
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Hours of Operation: Mon-Fri 8:00am to 5:00pm |
LOCAL PROPERTY TAXES
New Jersey County Tax Boards Association
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The Assessor is available for consultations with any taxpayer or other member of the public during the above stated hours by prior appointment.
To understand your Tax Bill, the Tax Assessor's office has written an article answering the common questions residents have pertaining to their property taxes. Click here to read " Local Property Taxes ".
2009 AVERAGE RATIO 24.48%
OVERVIEW
The function of the Tax Assessor is to place an assessed valuation on each property in the Township. These valuations are based upon the market value of the entire property, including the value of the land, and of all of the buildings on it. For residential homes, the market value can be verified by analyzing the sales of comparable homes.
Services provided by the Assessing Department include processing applications for Low Income Senior Citizen and Disabled Person Deductions; Veterans and Widows of Veterans Deductions; and Exemptions for Permanently and Totally Disabled Veterans of War. Applications can be requested by phone, by mail, or in-person at the Assessor's Office.
The Assessing Department also provides Sales Map Information for the public at the long counter in the Assessing Office, as well as bound copies of the tax list, the tax map, and street name and owner's name cross indexes for block and lot designations.
Public information available from the Assessing Department includes all information contained in the Tax List, and on the Tax Map. The Tax List contains the following information for every parcel of property in the Township: block and lot number, owner's name and address, property location, property class (Use) code, zoning code, tax map page, fire district, land description, any deductions allowed for current owners, and the current assessment of land, buildings (improvements), and the total assessed valuation. The tax map contains information on the size and shape of every parcel in East Brunswick, along with the length in feet of each lot line of each parcel, and public easements and right-of-ways. It also contains recent sale information including dates of sale, sale price, style and square footage of home.
The current and historic tax rates for each fire district, as well as the current and historic average ratio for East Brunswick is also available through the Tax Assessor's Office. The actual amount of property tax due each year is a function of the assessed valuation multiplied by the tax rate. The market value being assessed can be determined by dividing the assessment by the ratio.
Market Value is an estimate of how much money a property would sell for on the open market, at a certain date in time. Assessed valuations in New Jersey are based upon the market value of each property on October 1st of the previous year. The quality, size, age, condition, style, and appearance of a home or building, plus the functional value and convenience of extra bathrooms, fireplaces, air conditioning, finished basements, garages, swimming pools, decks, patios, and similar features all contribute to the value of the improvements on a property. The location, size, shape, topography, view, and utilities available to a parcel of land are the key factors that influence the value of land in the marketplace. The combined value of land and Improvements determines the market value of a property.
Appeals of assessed valuations where the assessed valuation is believed to be in error, should first be discussed with the Assessing Department. In some instances, incorrect data, or a miscalculation can be easily identified and corrected without any further inconvenience to the property owner.
Appeals to the Middlesex County Board of Taxation are the second step if a property owner is not satisfied with the determinations of the Assessor. This is a semi-formal proceeding that does not typically require the expense of professional legal counsel or professional appraisers for expert testimony (corporations must be represented by an attorney). The Tax Board is located at 390 George Street in New Brunswick. The phone number for the Tax Board is 732-745-3350. The mailing address for the Tax Board is P.O. Box 871, New Brunswick, NJ 08903. Appeals of all regular assessments must be filed on the forms provided by the County Tax Board, with the appropriate fee, no later than April 1st of each year. Comparisons of the assessments on other properties will not be considered as evidence of market value. Only the sales of comparable properties (or other relevant market data) can be submitted and argued as evidence of the market value of a property.
Appeals of added assessments to the County Tax Board must be filed no later than December 1st of the year in which the added assessment is first placed on the Added Assessment List. If the December 1st deadline is missed, the overall assessed value can still be appealed by the following April 1st, but the taxes due on the added assessment can not be refunded or revised.
An added assessment is placed on the added assessment List on October 1st of the current year for all properties where a physical improvement has been completed. Virtually everything that is done to a property that increases the overall market value can result in an added assessment.
Some examples of new improvements that result in Added Assessments are additions, porches, garages, sheds, decks, patios, in ground swimming pools, finished basements, kitchen and bath renovations, air conditioning, and fireplaces.
The Tax Court of New Jersey is a third level to further appeal the decision of the County Tax Board, if a property owner is not satisfied with the results of a County Tax Board decision. Also, properties with an assessed value that exceeds $750,000 can be appealed directly to the Tax Court, bypassing the County Tax Board, if the property owner so chooses. The Tax Court follows formal courtroom procedures, and usually requires additional expenses for representation by professional attorneys, and at least one expert witness (professional appraiser). It is also typical for this procedure to take at least one full year to be concluded.
Please contact the Assessing Department for additional or more detailed information.
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