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Lansing Township Assessor

Scott Cunningham

Phone: 517-485-2272

Fax: 517-482-3869

The Assessor’s Office is responsible for determining the valuation of over 4,300 parcels within Lansing Charter Township. In accordance with Michigan General Property Tax Law, the Assessor’s Office must discover and value all parcels, both Real and Personal that are not exempt by law. Real property is typically land and buildings while personal property is typically equipment, furniture and fixtures owned by commercial, industrial and utility companies.

 

Michigan Law requires Assessed Values (AV) to be uniform according to the value of the property and represent a value that does not exceed 50% of market value. Assessed Value goes up and down with the real estate market and there are no limits on the amount of change. State Equalized Value (SEV) is typically the same value as assessed. However, the amounts can differ if the County Equalization Departments determines the Assessor is not assessing at 50% of market value.

 

Starting in 1995, Taxable Value (TV) has been calculated independently of the AV. The current year Taxable Value can be defined as:

 

TV is the lower of

 

Current year SEV

Or

Prior year TV – Losses X CPI + Additions

     

  1. - Losses may be fire damage, demolition, etc.

     

     

  2. - Additions may be new construction, remodeling, etc.

     

     

  3. - CPI is the inflation rate as determined The State Tax Commission and can not be greater than 5%.

     

Taxable Value is uncapped when a transfer of ownership of a property occurs. This means that the TV will be the same as the SEV in the year following the ownership change. Please contact the Assessing Office with questions regarding transfer of ownership.

 

The Taxable Value is the value used by the Treasurer’s Office to apply to the millage rate to calculate your tax bill.

How Your Property Is Assessed

The market value of your property is simply the probable price that it would sell for in an arm’s length transaction between a willing buyer and a willing seller.

The Assessor is required by state law to assess at 50% of true cash value all assessable property, as of December 31, of each year. This includes residential, commercial and personal property (machinery and equipment for commercial and industrial properties).

The Assessor takes various factors into account when establishing property value, including:

Description of the property and its improvements

Lot dimensions

Age of home and/or other buildings

Land value

Building square footage

Value-enhancing amenities

Attention Property Owner!

With the passage of Proposal A, in 1994, there are new rules and regulations that impact your property tax assessment.  When purchasing a piece of property, either improved or vacant,  you are required by law to file with your local government an "Affidavit For Principal Residence Exemption" and a "Property Transfer Affidavit".    New terms such as "capped value" and "taxable value" have become part of the assessment and taxation procedure.

To summarize:

State Equalized Value (S.E.V.) is half of the Appraised Market Value

Capped Value is last year’s taxable value increased by the amount of the Consumer Price Index (with a maximum of 5%) including additions or loss of property.

Taxable Value is the lesser of the State Equalized and Capped Values. The Taxable Value will be used for the calculation of property taxes.

Affidavit For Principal Residence Exemption: This affidavit allows you to claim an exemption from some school operating taxes. For your homestead to be eligible for both summer and winter tax seasons, you must own and occupy the property as your legal principal residence as of June 1; however, you may be eligible for the winter tax season if you own and occupy the property after June 1 but before November 1.  This affidavit must be filed with the township.  You only need to file this form once.

Property Transfer Affidavit: This form must be filed whenever real estate or some types of personal property are transferred (even if you are not recording a deed). It is used by the assessor to ensure the property is assessed properly and receives the correct taxable value. It must be filed by the new owner with the assessor for the city or township where the property is located within 45 days of the transfer. If it is not filed timely, a penalty of $5/day (maximum $200) applies. The information on this form is not confidential.