Allegheny County, Pennsylvania · Pittsburgh
Allegheny County property tax appeal guide
Pittsburgh's county. The annual appeal deadline is September 1 (moved from March 31 effective tax year 2026, so older guides are wrong). Allegheny's common level ratio makes it one of the strongest appeal counties in the state. You appeal through the Allegheny County Board of Property Assessment Appeals and Review (BPAAR); Pennsylvania uses Your county's annual appeal application (Pennsylvania has no statewide form) filed with the County Board of Assessment Appeals.
Allegheny County appeal deadline
37 days leftTuesday, September 1, 2026
Under the Consolidated County Assessment Law, the annual appeal deadline is September 1 (53 Pa.C.S. §8844(c)(1)), but a county may set an earlier date, no sooner than August 1 (§8844(c)(3)), and two of Pennsylvania's biggest appeal markets have done exactly that. Montgomery County's deadline is August 1 and Bucks County's is August 3, 2026, both roughly a month before the statewide default. Allegheny County is September 1 (it moved from March 31 effective tax year 2026, so older guides are stale). Philadelphia runs under a separate law, with an October 5, 2026 deadline. Confirm your date with your county before relying on it, because the statewide September 1 figure quoted by most guides is simply wrong for Montgomery and Bucks.
How to appeal in Allegheny County
1. Find your assessment and your county's common level ratio
Your assessment is a base-year number, not today's market value. Divide it by your county's current STEB common level ratio to get the market value the county is implicitly asserting. If that number is higher than your home is actually worth, you have an appeal.
2. File your county's appeal application by the deadline
File with your County Board of Assessment Appeals on or before September 1 (53 Pa.C.S. §8844(c)(1)). A county may set an earlier date, no sooner than August 1. Allegheny is September 1; Philadelphia is the first Monday in October under its own separate law.
3. Build your evidence
Two arguments work in Pennsylvania. Overvaluation: recent arm's-length sales of similar homes show your implied market value is too high. Uniformity: under the Pennsylvania Constitution (art. VIII, §1), comparable assessment-to-value ratios show you are assessed higher than similar properties. The Supreme Court's Downingtown decision (590 Pa. 459 (2006)) is the leading case on proving non-uniformity with ratio evidence.
4. Board of Assessment Appeals hearing
The board hears your case and issues a decision. Where the county's predetermined ratio varies from the common level ratio by more than 15%, the board applies the CLR to market value (53 Pa.C.S. §8844(e)(2)).
5. Court of Common Pleas (optional)
If you disagree with the board, you generally have 30 days to appeal to the Court of Common Pleas, which hears the matter de novo (53 Pa.C.S. §8854).
Allegheny County property tax FAQ
What is the property tax appeal deadline in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania?
Tuesday, September 1, 2026. Under the Consolidated County Assessment Law, the annual appeal deadline is September 1 (53 Pa.C.S. §8844(c)(1)), but a county may set an earlier date, no sooner than August 1 (§8844(c)(3)), and two of Pennsylvania's biggest appeal markets have done exactly that. Montgomery County's deadline is August 1 and Bucks County's is August 3, 2026, both roughly a month before the statewide default. Allegheny County is September 1 (it moved from March 31 effective tax year 2026, so older guides are stale). Philadelphia runs under a separate law, with an October 5, 2026 deadline. Confirm your date with your county before relying on it, because the statewide September 1 figure quoted by most guides is simply wrong for Montgomery and Bucks.
What form do I use to appeal in Allegheny County?
Pennsylvania uses Your county's annual appeal application (Pennsylvania has no statewide form), filed with the County Board of Assessment Appeals. Filing fees vary by county, some charge nothing, confirm with your County Board of Assessment Appeals.
What is the property tax appeal deadline in Pennsylvania?
September 1 in most counties (53 Pa.C.S. §8844(c)(1)), but do not assume it applies to you. A county may set an earlier date, no sooner than August 1, and the two largest Philadelphia-area suburban counties have: Montgomery County is August 1 and Bucks County is August 3, 2026. Allegheny County is September 1, having moved from March 31 effective tax year 2026. Philadelphia is October 5, 2026, the first Monday in October, under a separate law. Confirm with your county board before you rely on any date.
Other Pennsylvania counties
Is your Allegheny County home over-assessed?
Free check, no signup. The $49 protest kit pulls comparable sales and pre-fills your Your county's annual appeal application (Pennsylvania has no statewide form), so you just sign and submit. No contingency, 30-day refund, keep 100% of your savings.
Check my address free →