External Website www.qpublic.net/clarke Administration 706-613-3140 Chief Appraiser Kirk Dunagan Office Location/Mailing Address Athens-Clarke County Courthouse Suite 280 325 E. Washington St. Athens, GA 30601 Location Map

New! The Athens-Clarke County Board of Assessors has appointed Joseph (Kirk) Dunagan as the Chief Appraiser for Athens-Clarke County, GA. The appointment is effective immediately.

Dunagan has served as the Assistant Chief Appraiser for Athens-Clarke County since March 2000. Previously, he served as Chief Appraiser for Greene County, GA from March 1993 until March 2000. A full resume is attached to this e-mail.

Dunagan replaces George Hanson Jr., who retired in May. Hanson served as Chief Appraiser for Athens-Clarke County since 1972.

New! In accordance with Georgia law, the Clarke County Board of Assessors must notify property owners prior to making a site visit.

Please refer to the following approximate time periods to see when site visits and reviews will occur in your area:

• September 1 - October 1, 2010-Site visits and reviews of real and personal property returns / appeals, property owner requests, and any active building permits

Notice is hereby given that a representative of the appraisal staff will review and inspect properties which are the subject of an active building permit for changes and improvements which have been made to the property.

Reasonable notice also is hereby provided that an onsite inspection may be required for real or personal property being returned. Said property visit will be for the purpose of determining the correctness of the information contained in the county’s appraisal record for the property.

These appraisal reviews will include measuring structures, listing construction information, and photographing the subject property.  A majority of these field reviews will take place between August 2010 and February 2011.

For more information, please contact the Assessors’ office at (706) 613-3140.

The Board of Tax Assessor's office handles handles Freeport exemptions and business personal property tax returns. Business personal property includes furniture, fixtures, equipment, supplies and inventory of a business. It also includes boats and aircrafts. The Tax Commissioner's office handles homestead exemptions and property tax returns for real property. Real property is land and generally anything that is erected or affixed to the land.

Freeport exemptions in Athens-Clarke County allow 100% of the inventory of qualified manufacturers under certain conditions to be exempt from taxation. Freeport exemptions and personal property tax returns must be filed with the Board of Tax Assessors by March 1 [March 3 in 2009 due to the weekend and snow] to receive the full exemption. However, partial exemption can be rewarded if the application is submitted before June 1. The Tax Assessors office is located in the Athens-Clarke County Courthouse, 325 E. Washington Street, Suite 280.

For more information regarding homestead exemptions or property tax returns, please contact the Tax Commissioner's office at 706-613-3120 or visit www.athensclarkecounty.com/tc. A more detailed explanation of homesteads and Freeport may be obtained from the external web site of the Board of Tax Assessors office at www.qpublic.net/clarke.

The Tax Assessors Office is responsible for the appraisal of approximately 40,200 parcels of real estate, 5,217 parcels of personal property, and 2,000 manufactured homes on an annual basis. To insure equalization between similar properties, the county is divided into 499 residential neighborhoods and 96 commercial neighborhoods so sales can be analyzed on an annual basis.

Once a neighborhood’s assessment falls below 38% (95% of market sales) those neighborhoods are updated to approximately 40% (100% of market sales). Should a neighborhood go for some time without any sales, the appraisers know other neighborhoods with similar characteristics that can be used to update those areas in order to keep them equalized with similar properties.

All property values must be approved by the three-member Board of Tax Assessors prior to any change in value in order to ensure the tax digest is in compliance with state statutes. The Athens-Clarke County Assessors Office can answer any questions concerning appraisals and can share the information used to value property.

Citizens can contact the Athens-Clarke County Assessors Office at 706-613-3140 with any questions concerning property values. Their web site at www.qpublic.net/ga/clarke also allows visitors to review information on all real estate parcels in Athens-Clarke County. Anyone who has not recently verified the information concerning their property is encouraged to visit the Web site and make sure it is correct.

Tax Assessors Mission and Goals

• Appraise all property located in Clarke County at its fair market value to ensure that taxpayers pay no more than their fair share of property taxes.
• Achieve fair and equitable valuations of all properties within state mandated specifications.
• Reduce the number of Board of Equalization hearings needed yearly by achieving administrative agreements on valuations for inquiries to change of assessment notices.
• Produce a statutorily acceptable digest by May 18.