Archived News: This news release is more than one year old and may include outdated information.

The City Assessor is responsible for the assessment process including: (1) Discovering all real and personal property that is subject to tax unless exempted by law; (2) Listing all property characteristics used to determine value; and (3) Valuing all property subject to property tax. Creating and maintaining an accurate assessment roll (list of all taxable property: address, value, and owner) fulfills the first requirement. Sustaining property record cards with correct characteristics and information satisfies the second requirement. Accurate valuation, the final requirement, entails estimating the market value of all locally assessable property in the City. These values are used when establishing property taxes in December.

In Madison, all property is valued annually at 100% of market value as of January 1. For the purpose of taxation, property falls into two categories: real estate and personal property. Within these broad categories, there are several delineations of property. Real estate includes single family homes, condominiums, apartment buildings, commercial, and agricultural properties. Personal property consists of furniture, fixtures, and other types of property used in the course of business or commerce. Real estate and personal property are assessed by the City Assessor and represent approximately 98% of the property tax base. The remaining 2% of the tax base is manufacturing property valued by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.

Real Estate Changes

Locally assessed real estate increased 5.9% for 2021. Commercial property has increased 4.3% ($11,096 to $11,597 million) and residential assessments increased 6.7% ($18,787 to $20,131 million).

Personal Property Changes

Locally assessed personal property assessments increased by $4.5 million between 2020 and 2021. This represents a 0.9% increase from $588 to $593 million.

Manufacturing Assessments

Manufacturing full value assessments prepared by the State are available on the WI DOR website. Last year these assessments totaled $430 million ($362 million on real estate and $69 million on personal property).

Recap of Local Changes

A report is available including tables that focus on the compositions and rates of locally assessed real estate growth.

Contacts