The Jefferson County Property Valuation Administrator’s office reassesses homes and businesses at least once every four years. It analyzes properties based on nearby sales and characteristics like a structure’s age and condition.
Because those assessments affect property values, they also impact how much taxes go into public services. Kentuckians are required to pay their property taxes by the end of each year.
Three of the county’s nine market areas are being reassessed for the first time since 2021. Areas 2, 3 and 7 are located east of Interstate 64 and include places such as the Highlands, St. Matthews and Jeffersontown.
Starting Friday, the PVA is mailing notices to owners whose property values have been updated and allowing them to file online appeals if they believe the assessments are wrong.
Residents can also view their new property values for free anywhere, instead of needing a subscription, on the office’s website during the appeals period, which ends May 20. During that time, the PVA will have staff at three public libraries from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to help residents with online appeals:
- Jeffersontown Regional, on all weekdays
- Highlands/Shelby Park, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
- St. Matthews Eline, on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Property Valuation Administrator Colleen Younger said she encourages homeowners to file appeals if they can offer reasoning.
“We look at the property from the outside. So I don't know if your home still has shag carpeting, I don't know if your home has not had a kitchen remodel, or if your bathrooms are the original bathrooms,” Younger said.
Jason Ferris, a local appraiser with Bell Ferris, said his team typically sees an increase in appraisal requests during tax appeal season and recommends property owners request help early in the process.
“There's only so much time that appraisers have to do [requests], so you can only accept so many assignments,” Ferris said.
He also said that, based on an analysis he conducted using market data, the median home sale price in the greater Louisville area rose about 35% from 2019 to 2023.
Kentucky law requires the PVA to reassess properties based on 100% of their fair market value, though that ratio can change among states. For example, in West Virginia reassessments are set at 60% of the fair market value.
Younger said she’s concerned about the property tax burden residents are facing amid rising home prices.
In November, her staff presented ideas to state lawmakers on how to provide property tax relief to Kentuckians. That included freezing home values for residents aged 65 and older or classified as totally disabled, who currently qualify for a homestead exemption.
While senators this year widely backed a bill offering assessment freezes for older residents, the measure stalled in the state’s House of Representatives.
“I hope that at some point in the near future, the legislature will entertain looking at some solution to erratic real estate markets,” Younger said.
As of last year, the commonwealth was one of five states not offering any kind of income-based property tax break, according to the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
This story has been updated with additional information.
