Last updated: October 22, 2026. Written by the property tax appeal attorneys at Flaherty Fardo Rogel & Amick. Free information for every Allegheny County property owner.
🏛️ Reassessment confirmed. On August 17, 2026, the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas ordered the County to reassess every property in the county. It is the first countywide reassessment since the 2012 base year. New values must be in place no later than June 30, 2032.
The Short Version
- ✅ A reassessment is coming. The County must hire a contractor, begin the work by July 1, 2027, and implement new values by June 30, 2032.
- ✅ It is not supposed to be a tax grab. Pennsylvania's anti-windfall rules require taxing bodies to roll back their millage rates after a countywide reassessment. But your share of the total can go up, down or stay about the same.
- 👍 Appealing now still matters. Until new values take effect, every tax bill is based on your current assessment. A reduction today saves money every year between now and the reassessment.
- 👍 Clean up your property record now. Errors that overstate your property can carry into a mass reassessment.
- ⚠️ Be careful what you volunteer. Information you give data collectors can raise your new value.
What the Court Ordered
The order was entered in Laun v. Allegheny County (G.D. 25-000924) by Judge Kenneth G. Valasek. Based on the order as reported and the County's own announcement:
- ✅ The County must hire a third-party reassessment contractor within six months of the order (roughly February 2027).
- ✅ The reassessment must be "materially and substantially" underway by July 1, 2027.
- ✅ New values must be implemented by June 30, 2032, at the latest. The County may finish sooner but is not required to.
- ✅ A court-appointed overseer will monitor progress and deadlines.
- ✅ Approved methods include in-person data collection, computer-assisted mass appraisal (CAMA), computer valuation models and aerial photography.
- ✅ The County has said it will comply and plans to reassess every five years after this one.
Roughly 585,000 parcels will be revalued. Every tax year since 2013 has used values tied to January 1, 2012.
Reassessment Tracker
We will keep this timeline current as the County and the court act. Items marked expected are based on the court's deadlines, not County announcements.
- ✅ Aug. 17, 2026: Court orders a countywide reassessment.
- ✅ Fall 2026: The County's proposed 2027 capital budget includes $3 million to start the court-ordered reassessment, with $5 million planned for 2028.
- 📅 About Feb. 2027 (expected): Reassessment contractor hired.
- 📅 By July 1, 2027: Reassessment work underway. Expect mailers, data collectors and aerial imaging.
- 📅 Sept. 1, 2027: Deadline to file an annual appeal for tax year 2028. The current 2012 base-year system still applies.
- 📅 2028 to 2031 (expected): Data collection, valuation, new value notices, informal reviews and formal appeals.
- 📅 No later than June 30, 2032: New values implemented.
Should I Lower My Assessment Now If a Reassessment Is Coming?
For most over-assessed owners, yes. Here is why waiting can cost you:
- 👍 Every tax bill until then uses your current assessment. That could be several more tax years. A reduction saves money in each of them.
- 👍 Appeals can reach back. If your case goes to the Board of Viewers, the result applies back to the tax year you appealed, which can mean refunds.
- 👍 Your record matters. A mass reassessment starts with the County's existing property data. Correcting errors that overstate your property (square footage, bathrooms, finished space, condition) is smart before the data collection starts.
- 👍 Start your evidence file. Dated photos, repair estimates and inspection reports will help if you need to challenge your new value later.
- ⚠️ What it will not do: A lower assessment today does not lock in your value after the reassessment. Every property receives a new value, and you will have a separate opportunity to challenge it.
- ⚠️ Appeals can go both ways. The hearing board can raise, lower or keep your assessment. Recent buyers and owners of under-assessed properties should get advice before filing.
👍 Our free Pre-Reassessment Check-Up: We will review your current assessment, your property record and recent sales, then tell you plainly whether an appeal makes financial sense now. If it does not, we will tell you that too.
Will My Property Taxes Go Up After the Reassessment?
It depends on how your property's value has changed compared with other properties in your school district and municipality, not simply whether your value went up.
- ⚖️ Revenue-neutral rules. After a countywide reassessment, Pennsylvania law requires taxing bodies to roll back their millage so the reassessment itself does not produce a revenue windfall. Any increase beyond that requires a separate vote and is limited by law.
- 📈 More likely to pay more: properties whose values rose faster than their area since 2012, and properties that have been under-assessed for years.
- 📉 More likely to pay less: properties whose values rose more slowly or declined. Reporting on the order notes that the burden typically shifts away from newer owners and lower-valued properties. Many office and other commercial properties have also lost value since 2020.
- ➖ About the same: properties that tracked the overall market.
Experts quoted in local reporting have estimated that roughly one-third of owners pay more, one-third pay less and one-third see little change. Your result will depend on your property.
Protections for Longtime Homeowners
- ✅ Longtime Owner-Occupant Program (LOOP). In February 2026, County Council approved a LOOP for county taxes. As approved, eligible owner-occupants with household income at or below 125% of area median income would have the first-year increase in county taxes after the reassessment capped at 35%, with further increases phased in about 7% a year. It covers county taxes only, cannot be combined with the homestead exclusion, and lasts up to 10 years before reapplying. Application details have not been released.
- ✅ Homestead exclusion (Act 50). If the property is your primary residence, confirm you have the homestead exclusion. It reduces your County assessed value. New applications are due by March 1 of the tax year.
- ⚠️ School and municipal taxes are separate. School districts and municipalities would need their own programs. The City of Pittsburgh's proposed LOOP expired at the end of 2025 without a vote.
When Data Collectors Come: Know Your Rights
- 👍 Expect contact by mail, phone or in person, plus aerial photography.
- ⚠️ You are not required to let anyone into your home. Do not allow entry without your consent.
- ⚠️ Volunteered information (finished basements, renovations, upgraded kitchens) can raise your value.
- 👍 Do report errors that overstate your property. Use the "report data errors" option on the County's Real Estate Portal, or request your free Property Record Card by emailing landhelp@alleghenycounty.us.
- 👍 Commercial owners: talk to counsel before sharing rent rolls, operating statements or allowing site visits.
Landlords and Investors: A New Registration Rule
Separate from the reassessment, Act 29 of 2026 took effect September 18, 2026. It requires the County's chief assessor to keep a registry of non-owner-occupied properties.
- ✅ New buyers of non-owner-occupied property must submit contact information within 30 days of purchase.
- ✅ LLC and corporate owners must name a specific person who can fix code violations.
- ✅ Changes must be reported within 30 days.
- ⚠️ Failure to comply, or knowingly giving false information, can bring a fine of up to $500.
Lessons From the 2012 Reassessment
We have handled Allegheny County assessment appeals since 1999, including the 2012 reassessment and every annual appeal season since. What we learned then applies now:
- 👍 Read every notice the day it arrives. Review and appeal windows after a new value notice can be short.
- 👍 Compare your new value to real sales of similar properties, not to your neighbors' assessments.
- 👍 Use the informal review if one is offered, but do not assume it replaces a formal appeal.
- 👍 Thousands of appeals follow a reassessment. Owners who prepare early get heard on their terms.
Our Reassessment Game Plan for Property Owners
- Now: Get a Pre-Reassessment Check-Up, confirm your homestead exclusion and file an annual appeal by September 1, 2027, if you are over-assessed.
- During data collection: Protect your privacy, correct real errors and keep records of your property's condition.
- When your new value arrives: Compare it to market evidence, use any informal review and meet every formal appeal deadline.
- After implementation: Watch the millage rollback, apply for LOOP if eligible and keep appealing in future years if you are over-assessed.
Want Help? We Are Here
The point of this page is to give you the information for free. If you want an experienced set of eyes on your property, contact Attorney Nicole Hauptman Amick or Attorney Noah Paul Fardo. We review every property before we accept a case.
📞 412.802.6666 | 📧 nicole@pghfirm.com
Sources and Official Links
- Allegheny County press release: Countywide Reassessment to be Completed in Next Five Years (Aug. 17, 2026)
- Allegheny County: Appeals
- Allegheny County: Property Assessments
- Allegheny County Real Estate Portal
This page is general information, not legal advice. Reassessment details may change as the County and the court act. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Allegheny County Reassessment
FAQ
Start Here: The 2027–2032 Reassessment
It is officially coming. On August 17, 2026, the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas ordered the County to conduct a countywide reassessment, the first since the 2012 base year.
- 📅 About February 2027: County must hire a reassessment contractor (within six months of the order).
- 📅 By July 1, 2027: Reassessment work must be materially underway.
- 📅 No later than June 30, 2032: New values must be implemented. The County may finish sooner.
- ✅ A court-appointed overseer will monitor the deadlines.
- ✅ The County has said it will comply and plans to reassess every five years afterward.
What happens until then?
The current system stays in place. Assessments remain tied to the 2012 base year, the Common Level Ratio (49.3% for tax year 2027) is applied to proven market value at appeal hearings, and the annual appeal deadline is September 1 for the following tax year.
👉 Read our full Allegheny County Reassessment Guide, including our reassessment tracker.
📞 Free Pre-Reassessment Check-Up: 412.802.6666 or info@pghfirm.com
Short answer: if you are over-assessed, usually yes. New values from the court-ordered reassessment do not have to be in place until June 30, 2032. Until then, every tax bill is based on your current assessment.
- 👍 You save every year until the reassessment. A reduction now lowers each tax bill between now and the new values.
- 👍 Appeals can reach back. A case that goes to the Board of Viewers applies back to the tax year you appealed, which can mean refunds.
- 👍 It is a chance to fix your record. Errors that overstate your property can carry into a mass reassessment.
- ⚠️ It will not lock in your value. Every property gets a new value in the reassessment, and you can challenge that value separately.
- ⚠️ Appeals can go both ways. The board can raise, lower or keep your assessment. Recent buyers and owners of under-assessed properties should get advice first.
📅 The next annual appeal deadline is September 1, 2027 (for tax year 2028).
📞 Want a free Pre-Reassessment Check-Up? Call 412.802.6666 or email info@pghfirm.com. Read our full Allegheny County Reassessment Guide.
Maybe, maybe not. It depends on how your property's value changed compared with others in your school district and municipality.
- ⚖️ No windfall allowed. After a countywide reassessment, Pennsylvania law requires taxing bodies to roll back their millage so the reassessment itself does not produce a revenue windfall. Any increase beyond that requires a separate vote and is limited by law.
- 📈 More likely to pay more: properties whose values rose faster than their area since 2012, and properties that have been under-assessed for years.
- 📉 More likely to pay less: properties whose values rose more slowly or fell. Local reporting notes the burden typically shifts away from newer owners and lower-valued properties.
- ➖ About the same: properties that tracked the overall market.
Experts quoted in local reporting have estimated that roughly one-third of owners pay more, one-third pay less and one-third see little change.
👍 Longtime owner-occupants with qualifying income may be protected on county taxes by the Longtime Owner-Occupant Program (LOOP).
📞 Questions about your property? Call 412.802.6666 or email info@pghfirm.com.
No. You are not required to let anyone into your home. The court's order allows the County and its contractor to use in-person data collection, computer modeling and aerial photography. That does not give anyone the right to enter your home without your consent.
- ⚠️ Be careful what you volunteer. Details about renovations, finished basements, new kitchens or added bathrooms can raise your value.
- 👍 Do correct errors that hurt you. If the County's record overstates your square footage, bathrooms or condition, report it. Use the "report data errors" option on the Real Estate Portal.
- 👍 Get your record card. Email landhelp@alleghenycounty.us for a free PDF of your Property Record Card.
- 👍 Commercial owners: talk to counsel before sharing rent rolls, income statements or allowing site visits.
📞 Received a questionnaire or a visit? Call us first: 412.802.6666.
Yes. When new values are mailed, the County will announce how to request a review and file a formal appeal. In the 2012 reassessment, owners could request an informal review before filing a formal appeal.
- 📬 Open every County notice right away. Review and appeal windows after a new value notice can be short.
- 👍 Use real sales, not neighbors' assessments. Arm's-length sales of similar properties are the strongest evidence of value.
- 👍 Do not treat an informal review as your only chance. Know the formal appeal deadline and meet it.
- 👍 Keep your evidence file. Dated photos, repair estimates and inspection reports help prove condition.
We will post the County's review and appeal deadlines on our Reassessment Guide as soon as they are announced.
📞 412.802.6666 | 📧 info@pghfirm.com
LOOP is a County program meant to soften large county tax increases for longtime homeowners after the reassessment. County Council approved it in February 2026.
- ✅ Who: longtime owner-occupants with household income at or below 125% of area median income for their household size.
- ✅ What: after the reassessment, the first-year increase in county taxes is capped at 35%, with further increases phased in about 7% a year.
- ✅ How long: up to 10 years, then you must reapply.
- ⚠️ County taxes only. School district and municipal taxes are not covered unless those bodies adopt their own programs.
- ⚠️ No stacking. LOOP cannot be combined with other relief such as the homestead exclusion.
- ⚠️ Not a guarantee of lower taxes. It limits how fast county taxes can rise.
The County has not yet released application details. We will post them on our Reassessment Guide when available.











