Florida property tax answers · Updated July 2026
How do I appeal property taxes in Palm Beach County?
The short answer
The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser mails TRIM notices in August (approximately Aug 17, 2026). You then have 25 days from the mailing date to file a Form DR-486 petition with the Palm Beach County Value Adjustment Board for a $15 fee, putting the 2026 deadline around Sept 11, 2026. Pull comparable homes from pbcpao.gov, show ones assessed or selling below your assessed value, and present them to a special magistrate.
The Palm Beach County process, step by step
- Get your TRIM notice from the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, mailed in August (approximately Aug 17, 2026 for 2026), showing assessed value, exemptions, and proposed millage.
- File your Form DR-486 petition with the Palm Beach County Value Adjustment Board within 25 days of the mailing date (mypalmbeachclerk.com). The residential fee is $15, and the 2026 deadline lands around Sept 11, 2026.
- Pull comparables from the PAPA site (pbcpao.gov): similar homes assessed lower than yours, or that sold for less than your assessed value. Three to seven same-area comparables adjusted for size and condition is the standard winning package.
- Present to a special magistrate, a short, informal hearing. The magistrate recommends a value and the board ratifies. Homeowners routinely appear without attorneys.
- Verify your exemptions: the homestead exemption (up to $50,000 off assessed value) and the 3% Save Our Homes cap. If you bought recently, the cap reset at purchase and your first assessments deserve real scrutiny.
The Palm Beach angle
Palm Beach County pairs some of Florida's highest-value coastal housing with fast-appreciating inland suburbs, and mass-appraisal models struggle most exactly where values diverge street by street. Recent buyers are the big category to watch: the Save Our Homes cap resets to full market value the January after a purchase, so a first assessment after a sale deserves line-by-line scrutiny. Non-homesteaded condos and rentals, common across the county, carry only the 10% cap and track the market closely.
The statewide mechanics, the receive-by rule, and the form are covered in how to appeal in Florida and how to fill out the DR-486. Whether your specific home has a gap is a 30-second free check, we hold every Palm Beach parcel from the state assessment roll.
Check your Palm Beach County home before August
Search your address and see how your assessment compares against similar Palm Beach County properties, free, no signup, about 30 seconds. The VAB window is only 25 days from the August TRIM mailing. If the record shows a gap, the $49 kit arrives with the DR-486 pre-filled and Palm Beach County's exact filing route included, and you keep 100% of the savings.
Check my Florida address · FreeFlat $49, one time, no contingency. Ownwell's Florida contingency is 35% of your savings, every year.