City Assessor's Office Frequently Asked Questions
If your question is not listed below, please feel free to use the online form here or call the city assessor's office directly at (920)793-5571.
Frequently Asked Questions
Detailed parcel, owner, and payment information can be found at:
https://tworivers.transcendenttech.com/LandRecords/PropertyListing/RealEstateTaxParcel#/Search
Tax payments can be made at City Hall, on the first floor, at the Customer Service Window.
Payments can also be made online by clicking:
https://www.paymentservicenetwork.com/Login.aspx?acc=RT23724
To make a proper assessment on a building, it is desirable for the Assessor to see the inside and the outside of the property. The law requires that property be valued from actual view or the best information available. The Assessor keeps records on the physical characteristics of each property in the municipality. Even though the Assessor may have been unable to go through your property, the assessment will still be reviewed, based on the existing records and the sales of similar properties.
Just as in many other fields, computers are useful in the assessment process. Assessors are trained to look for relationships between property characteristics and market value. By coding these characteristics and studying sale prices, Assessors can estimate value by developing formulas and models. Computers are much faster and are capable of advanced analysis in this area. Despite these capabilities, common sense and Assessor judgment are always required to verify assessments. Assessors most familiar with the neighborhoods and properties review all assessments.
Wisconsin Law requires market value assessments of all property. The City of Two Rivers Assessor's Office is mandated by statute to be at or above 90% of market value at least once every four years to keep pace with changes in the local market. During a revaluation, all assessments are examined and adjustments are made where necessary to guarantee that all property is assessed at market value. This is done to assure that taxes are distributed equitably and uniformly.
Market value is defined as the amount a typical, well-informed purchaser would be willing to pay for a property, the seller and buyer must be unrelated, the seller must be willing, but not under pressure to sell, and the buyer must be willing, but not under any obligation to buy. The property must be on the market for a reasonable length of time, the payment must be in cash or its equivalent, and the financing must be typical for that type of property. If all of these conditions were present, this would be a market value, arm's-length sale.
The Assessor is a State certified individual whose duties are to discover, list, and place a value on all taxable real and personal property in the city, in a uniform manner. The Assessor is not involved in the collection of property taxes.
Generally speaking, improvements that increase the market value of a property will increase the assessed value. The following are typical items that will increase the assessed value of your property:
- Added rooms or garages
- Replacing asbestos or wood siding with aluminum or vinyl siding
- Substantial modernization of kitchens or baths
- Central air conditioning
- Fireplaces
- Extensive remodeling
When an interior inspection is not allowed, the Assessor will attempt to update the records by looking at the property from the outside and using any other available information. To ensure an accurate assessment, it is to your advantage to allow the Assessor inside your property when an inspection is requested. By denying an inspection, you may lose the right to appeal your assessment to the Board of Review.
Good maintenance will help retain the market value of your property. Generally, your assessment will not be increased for individual minor repairs such as those that follow; however, a combination of several of these items could result in an increased assessment:
- Repairing concrete walks and driveways
- Replacing gutters and downspouts
- Replacing hot water heater
- Repairing porches and steps
- Repairing original siding
- Patching or repairing interior walls and ceilings
- Exterior painting
- Exterior awnings and shutters
- Weather stripping, screens, storm windows, doors
- Exterior landscaping including lawns, shrubbery, trees, flowers
Contact Information
Phone: (920) 749-8098
Business Hours:
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday - Friday
1717 E. Park Street
Two Rivers, WI 54241
