Property Assessments Info
Below is some good information for property owners with a focus on assessments and how assessments are tied to property taxes.
WI Dept of Revenue Guide for Property Owners
Information from the Fitchburg Assessor’s Office
The duty of the Assessor's Office is to discover, list, and value residential, commercial, agricultural, and business personal property. This information is recorded on each year’s assessment roll.
The City of Fitchburg revalues all real and personal property annually in accordance with Chapter 70 of the Wisconsin State Statutes and under the authority of ss. 943.13 and 943.15. All properties are reviewed and revalued as of January 1 of each new year. If the property value is changed from the previous year, a notice of changed assessment indicating the new assessed value will be sent to the property owner. Dates and times for Open Book and Board of Review will be provided on the notice of assessment.
The purpose of an assessment is to assure that all property in the city is valued fairly and equitably as required by law. Many individuals, such as property owners, prospective buyers, appraisers, real estate agents, builders, title companies, and government agencies may utilize this information for various reasons.
There are many useful resources on the City of Fitchburg Assessing page. Your property data can be found here. There are other useful resources on our web page such as the 2019 and 2018 Improved Sales Books. There were 514 valid improved sales in 2019 and 592 valid improved sales in 2018. The sale prices in Fitchburg continue to increase. We have seen approximately a 6.5% overall market increase each year over the last four years. Assessments are revenue neutral. Assessors analyze data, we do not create it.
How is your tax bill is calculated?
Watch this great video from Fitchburg’s Finance Director
2020 Revaluation Details
Residential Properties – The overall change between 2019 total assessed value and 2020 total assessed value was about 8.4%. About 30% of this overall change was due to new construction and the balance was due to revaluation.
Commercial Properties - The overall change between 2019 total assessed value and 2020 total assessed value was about 25%. About 30% of this overall change was due to new construction and the balance was due to revaluation.
The rural properties also saw a significant change. This was primarily due to adjusting land values so that the rural land values were uniform, equitable and consistent.
The land values on Forest, Ag Forest, Undeveloped (Swamp, Waste, ROW, etc.) were set using the Department of Revenues calculated values. Each year Equalization analyzes all large acre sales and arrives at full value for the acres base classes. We used the most recent values available to ensure uniform values within each class.
The overall city wide change was approximately 14%. About 30% of this overall assessment change was due to new construction.
Contact information for City Assessor
Amy Mercer
Phone: (608) 270-4237
Email: Amy.Mercer@fitchburgwi.gov