"In deciding whether to

appeal their property's valuation, homeowners should ask this question:

'Can I sell my property for the value on the assessment notice?' If the

answer is no, then an appeal should be considered," said Cunningham.

If a property owner wishes

to file an appeal, it must be done in writing and delivered in person

or mailed to the Board of Assessors. In either case, the appeal must be

submitted within 45 days of the assessment notice date.

The appeal should be sent to

the Fulton County Board of Assessors, Suite 98, Fulton County Government

Center, 141 Street, S.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3445. Additionally, the

appeal should state the specific reason for challenging the new valuation.

The Board of Assessors establishes

the value of all residential and commercial properties in the county.

In Georgia, residential property taxes are based on 40 percent of the

property's fair market value, less all applicable homestead exemptions.

Georgia law requires that all

real and personal property be valued at fair market. The Georgia Department

of Revenue annually reviews each county's tax digest, which is the appraised

value of all real and personal property, to ensure county assessors are

properly determining fair market valuations. If values are below market,

the state fines the county government.

According to Cunningham, Fulton

County has been catching up on property valuations in recent years. The

state determined Fulton County's 2001 and 2002 tax digests were below

fair market value and charged the county more than $2.5 million for those

two years for under-assessing property.

"Our 2003 property assessments

and tax digest should be right on target. I expect no fines this year,"

Cunningham said.