Property tax appeal · Maryland
Appeal your property taxes in Maryland.
In Maryland, the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) sets your value and the Property Tax Assessment Appeals Board (PTAAB) hears your case. Boards act on evidence of market value as of the assessment date, and a licensed, USPAP-compliant appraisal is that evidence.
$5, credited toward your appraisal.
Maryland
8 county pages below
- Values your home
- State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT)
- Hears your case
- Property Tax Assessment Appeals Board (PTAAB)
- Desktop appraisal
- $225
- $5 check credited
- Timing
- Confirmed with your order
Deadline
You have 45 days from the date on your reassessment notice to appeal. Notices mail in late December, so the window closes in early-to-mid February for most owners.
Confirm your filing window and recipient requirements before ordering. Service availability and delivery depend on the property, evidence and appraiser. You remain responsible for filing on time.
How it works
How to appeal your property taxes in Maryland.
- Step 1
Check your savings
Enter your address and pay $5. We check your Maryland assessment against recent nearby sales.
- Step 2
Order the appraisal
A desktop appraisal valued as of your assessment date, with the $5 credited. Complex homes get one exact quote.
- Step 3
Show us your home
Walk through on your phone so the appraiser sees its condition. A desktop appraisal needs no visit.
- Step 4
File your appeal
A state-licensed MD appraiser signs it, with a cover letter and filing steps. You file by your deadline, and the Property Tax Assessment Appeals Board (PTAAB) hears your case.
The evidence
Boards act on value, not frustration.
However Maryland labels the process, the case underneath is the same: show what your home was actually worth on the assessment date. A licensed, USPAP-compliant appraisal, with comparable sales, documented adjustments and a signed opinion of value, is that showing.
What the appraisal gives you
- Valued as of your assessment date, not today
- Comparable sales with adjustments and citations
- Signed by a state-licensed MD appraiser
- A phone walkthrough; a desktop appraisal needs no visit
Confirm before you file
- Your filing deadline, from your assessment notice
- Appraiser availability and delivery timing, before you order
The process
How Maryland handles appeals.
Maryland is unusual: the state itself — the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) — values every property, reassessing one-third of each county every year on a three-year cycle. When your reassessment notice arrives (late December), you have 45 days to appeal, starting with a supervisor’s-level hearing at SDAT, then the county’s Property Tax Assessment Appeals Board (PTAAB), and finally the Maryland Tax Court. In the two off-years between reassessments you can still file a petition for review rather than waiting for the next notice. At every level the question is the same — what the home was worth on the date of finality — and comparable sales evidence is what moves the number.
Worth knowing in Maryland
Assessment increases phase in over the three-year cycle, and the Homestead Tax Credit caps how fast your taxable assessment can grow — so read the notice carefully to see whether the market value or the phased/capped value is what’s actually driving your bill. The appeal contests the market value.
FAQ
Maryland questions
How long do I have to appeal a Maryland assessment?
45 days from the date on your reassessment notice. Notices go out in late December for the third of properties being reassessed that year.
Can I appeal in a year I wasn’t reassessed?
Yes — Maryland allows a petition for review between reassessment years. It’s worth doing when the market has clearly fallen below your assessed value rather than waiting up to three years for the next notice.
What happens at a PTAAB hearing?
A citizen panel hears your evidence of market value — comparable sales with adjustments, exactly what a licensed appraisal contains — and SDAT’s side. It’s informal, and well-documented cases do well there.
