Virginia · Do-it-yourself · $29
Appeal your Virginia property taxes yourself.
Everything you need to appeal your Virginia assessment yourself: how to find YOUR locality's deadline, the records-request letter that flips the burden onto the assessor, the Board of Equalization process, and a ready-to-edit appeal.
Straight talk: we don’t have per-home comparable-sales data for Virginia — Virginia has no statewide property roll: each of its 133 cities and counties publishes its own records separately, and most do not release the building detail needed to size-adjust a comparable set. So this is a guide and templates, not a comp report, and you pull your own comps — the kit shows you how to organize them.That’s the honest reason it’s $29 instead of the $49 done-for-you kit we sell in states we cover.
The Virginia DIY Appeal Kit
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How a Virginia appeal works
The short version, free. The paid kit adds the evidence workbook, filing controls, and editable letter.
- Virginia property tax is run entirely by your city or county, so there is no state form and no state deadline. The Department of Taxation does not hear homeowner appeals.
- You first ask your local assessor to review the value, then appeal to your locality's Board of Equalization by the date printed on your assessment notice, and if that fails you can file in your local circuit court.
- The law presumes the assessor is right, so you win by producing comparable sales and by showing your assessment is out of line with similar homes. Neighbours' appraisal cards are public once notices mail, which is how you build that.
- Your strongest move costs nothing: request the assessor's records in writing. In a residential appeal § 58.1-3379(B) gives them 15 days, and if they miss it the assessor has to present their case first.
What to check on your assessment notice
- The appeal deadlines. Section 58.1-3378 requires your locality's assessor-review date AND its Board of Equalization date to be printed on the notice itself. Those are your dates; nobody else's apply.
- The new value against the prior two years, which § 58.1-3330 requires the notice to show. A jump well above both is your opening argument.
- The land value and the improvement value separately. Errors often live in only one of them.
- The record-access language. The notice must tell you about your right to view and copy the assessor's records, including the comparables and methodology. Use that BEFORE you file, not after.
Official lookup: Virginia.gov: find your city or county assessor →
What’s inside
✓A plain-English Virginia appeal walkthrough across all three levels: assessor, Board of Equalization, and circuit court.
✓How to find YOUR locality's deadline, and why there is no statewide date to find.
✓The § 58.1-3331 records-request letter that gets you the assessor's own comparables, methodology, and written justification, free.
✓The § 58.1-3379(B) 15-day rule that makes the assessor present first if they stall, the most useful lever a Virginia homeowner has.
✓Dedicated sections for Fairfax, Virginia Beach, Arlington, and Loudoun, whose deadlines range from April 15 to June 30 and whose valuation dates differ.
✓The December 31 evidence cutoff that decides which comparable sales the board may legally consider.
✓An evidence checklist built around the uniformity argument, including how to use neighbours' public appraisal cards.
✓A ready-to-edit appeal letter citing the right Code of Virginia sections.
How it works
- Buy the kit — the PDF lands in your inbox instantly.
- Read the deadlines off your own assessment notice. Section 58.1-3378 requires your locality to print both the assessor-review date and the Board of Equalization date on it, and those are the only dates that control.
- Gather the evidence on the checklist and edit the appeal-letter template.
- File the current instrument required by your local assessing officer, then your locality's Board of Equalization before your deadline.
Different process where you live?
Virginia is not one system. These jurisdictions use a different agency, a different form, and an earlier deadline than the rest of the state. The kit covers each one in its own section.
Fairfax County
All Fairfax County real property owners, the largest jurisdiction in Virginia, on an annual assessment cycle.
- Deadline
- Two separate dates. The administrative appeal to DTA closes April 1; the Board of Equalization appeal closes June 1 (postmark, or 4:30 p.m. receipt), moving to the next business day if June 1 falls on a weekend or county holiday. Notices mail in mid-February.
- Filed with
- The Department of Tax Administration for administrative review, then the Board of Equalization of Real Estate Assessments.
- Form
- Real Estate Assessment Appeal (DTA) and Application for Equalization of Real Property Assessment (BOE).
Virginia Beach
All City of Virginia Beach real property owners. Note the different valuation date. This city does not use January 1.
- Deadline
- Requests for Reappraisal are accepted March through April 30; Board of Equalization appeals March through June 30 (received or postmarked). Assessments are effective July 1 of each fiscal year and are based on data available through December 31 of the prior year, so your comparable sales must predate that December 31.
- Filed with
- The Real Estate Assessor's Office (Request for Reappraisal), then the City Board of Equalization.
- Form
- Board of Equalization Appeal Application.
Arlington County
All Arlington County real property owners. Arlington's deadline is materially earlier than its Northern Virginia neighbours', which is the clearest proof that Virginia dates cannot be generalized.
- Deadline
- Departmental review with the assessor closes around March 1 and the Board of Equalization around April 15, each moving to the next business day if it falls on a weekend. Arlington's own guidance: if you have not received a first-level result by April 1, file with the board anyway to preserve the second-level appeal. Confirm the current year's dates on the county's assessments page before you rely on them.
- Filed with
- The Department of Real Estate Assessments, then the Board of Equalization for Real Estate Assessments.
- Form
- Online Board of Equalization application, with separate residential and commercial forms.
Loudoun County
All Loudoun County real property owners, valued as of January 1.
- Deadline
- The Application for Review to the Commissioner closes in mid-March; the Board of Equalization begins accepting appeals in mid-April and ALL appeals and ALL evidence are due June 1, moving to the next business day if June 1 falls on a weekend or county holiday. Notices mail in February.
- Filed with
- The Office of the Commissioner of the Revenue (Application for Review), then the Board of Equalization.
- Form
- Real Estate Assessment Application for Review, then the Board of Equalization appeal application.
Deadline: There is no Virginia deadline. There is a pattern, and it is set locally by ordinance. Under § 58.1-3378 the governing body of any county or city may set by ordinance the date by which applications for relief must be made, and that date may not be earlier than 30 days after the assessor's own objection window closes under § 58.1-3330. The same section supplies the lookup: "All such deadlines shall be clearly stated on the notice of assessment." So the sequence is: your locality mails a change-of-assessment notice at least 15 days before the assessor's protest hearing date, and that notice must state both the assessor's objection window and the Board of Equalization deadline. You appeal to the assessor, then to the Board of Equalization by your locality's ordinance date, then to circuit court. Only the court step has a statutory limit: § 58.1-3984(A) gives you three years from the last day of the tax year, or one year from the date of assessment, or one year from a final determination under § 58.1-3981, whichever is later. Reassessment cycles vary too: cities at least every two years, counties every four (or three by vote), with longer cycles permitted in smaller localities and any locality free to adopt annual or biennial assessment.
What Virginia charges to file
These are your county or state’s fees, not ours. Listed so there are no surprises.
- Assessor-level review: no fee is published by any of the large localities reviewed (Fairfax, Loudoun, Arlington, Virginia Beach), and no statute authorizes one.
- Board of Equalization: no fee is published. Board members are compensated by the locality under § 58.1-3375, not by applicants.
- Because both of the above are inferred from statutory silence and published locality schedules rather than an affirmative "no fee" statute, confirm with your own locality before you file. Fees are set locally and can change.
- Circuit court: a § 58.1-3984 application is a civil action, so clerk's fees under § 17.1-275 apply, plus service-of-process costs. The amount varies by locality because of local add-ons. Use the Supreme Court of Virginia's fee calculator at vacourts.gov/ccfees_calc_app or call the circuit court clerk before filing.
Questions
Why is this $29 and not $49?
The $49 audit includes parcel-specific comparable analysis. This $29 kit is the state process guide, filing materials, evidence checklist, and appeal-letter template; you gather the property evidence yourself.
When is the Virginia property tax appeal deadline?
There is no Virginia deadline. There is a pattern, and it is set locally by ordinance. Under § 58.1-3378 the governing body of any county or city may set by ordinance the date by which applications for relief must be made, and that date may not be earlier than 30 days after the assessor's own objection window closes under § 58.1-3330. The same section supplies the lookup: "All such deadlines shall be clearly stated on the notice of assessment." So the sequence is: your locality mails a change-of-assessment notice at least 15 days before the assessor's protest hearing date, and that notice must state both the assessor's objection window and the Board of Equalization deadline. You appeal to the assessor, then to the Board of Equalization by your locality's ordinance date, then to circuit court. Only the court step has a statutory limit: § 58.1-3984(A) gives you three years from the last day of the tax year, or one year from the date of assessment, or one year from a final determination under § 58.1-3981, whichever is later. Reassessment cycles vary too: cities at least every two years, counties every four (or three by vote), with longer cycles permitted in smaller localities and any locality free to adopt annual or biennial assessment.
What form do I file to appeal my Virginia property assessment?
your locality's Application for Review / Board of Equalization application (Application for Equalization of Real Property Assessment), filed with your local assessing officer, then your locality's Board of Equalization. The kit explains the filing steps and includes a ready-to-edit appeal letter.
Do you file the appeal for me?
No — this is a do-it-yourself product. You file with your local assessing officer, then your locality's Board of Equalization. The kit provides the preparation workflow, evidence organizer, filing checks, and ready-to-edit letter.
What if it doesn't help?
30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. If the kit isn't useful, reply to your delivery email and we'll refund you.
Is this legal or tax advice?
No. It's general information to help you file your own appeal. Always rely on the date and instructions printed on your own assessment notice and confirm current requirements with your county.