1. a. (1) Any property owner or aggrieved taxpayer who is dissatisfied with the owner’s or taxpayer’s assessment may file a protest against such assessment with the board of review on or after April 2, to and including April 30, of the year of the assessment. In any county which has been declared to be a disaster area by proper federal authorities or that is the subject of a state of disaster emergency proclamation by the governor after March 1 and prior to May 20 of said year of assessment, the board of review shall be authorized to remain in session until July 15 and the time for filing a protest shall be extended to and include the period from May 1 to June 5 of such year. The protest shall be in writing on forms prescribed by the director of revenue and, except as provided in subsection 3, signed by the one protesting or by the protester’s duly authorized agent. The taxpayer may have an oral hearing on the protest if the request for the oral hearing is made in writing at the time of filing the protest. The protest must be confined to one or more of the following grounds:

 (a) That said assessment is not equitable as compared with assessments of other like property in the taxing district.
 (b) That the property is assessed for more than the value authorized by law.
 (c) That the property is not assessable, is exempt from taxes, or is misclassified.
 (d) That there is an error in the assessment.
 (e) That there is fraud or misconduct in the assessment which shall be specifically stated.
 (2) If the local board of review, property assessment appeal board, or district court decides in favor of the property owner or aggrieved taxpayer and finds that there was fraud or misconduct in the assessment, the property owner’s or aggrieved taxpayer’s reasonable costs incurred in bringing the protest or appeal shall be paid from the assessment expense fund under section 441.16.
 (3) For purposes of this section, “costs” include but are not limited to legal fees, appraisal fees, and witness fees.
 (4) For purposes of this section, “misconduct” means the same as defined in section 441.9.
 b.  The burden of proof for all protests filed under this section shall be as stated in section 441.21, subsection 3.
 c. The property owner or aggrieved taxpayer may combine on one form protests of assessment on parcels separately assessed if the same grounds are relied upon as the basis for protesting each separate assessment. If an oral hearing is requested on more than one of such protests, the person making the combined protests may request that the oral hearings be held consecutively.
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Terms Used In Iowa Code 441.37

  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Appraisal: A determination of property value.
  • Director: means the director of the department of revenue. See Iowa Code 453A.42
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
  • Owner: means any of the following:
     a. See Iowa Code 425A.2
  • Person: means any individual, firm, association, partnership, joint stock company, joint adventure, corporation, trustee, agency, or receiver, or any legal representative of any of the foregoing. See Iowa Code 453A.42
  • property: includes personal and real property. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • year: means twelve consecutive months. See Iowa Code 4.1
 2. a. A property owner or aggrieved taxpayer who finds that a clerical or mathematical error has been made in the assessment of the owner’s or taxpayer’s property may file a protest against that assessment in the same manner as provided in this section, except that the protest may be filed for previous years. The board may correct clerical or mathematical errors for any assessment year in which the taxes have not been fully paid or otherwise legally discharged.

 b. Upon the determination of the board that a clerical or mathematical error has been made the board shall take appropriate action to correct the error and notify the county auditor of the change in the assessment as a result of the error and the county auditor shall make the correction in the assessment and the tax list in the same manner as provided in section 443.6.
 c. The board shall not correct an error resulting from a property owner’s or taxpayer’s inaccuracy in reporting or failure to comply with section 441.19.
 3. For assessment years beginning on or after January 1, 2014, the board of review may allow property owners or aggrieved taxpayers who are dissatisfied with the owner’s or taxpayer’s assessment to file a protest against such assessment by electronic means. Electronic filing of assessment protests may be authorized for the protest period that begins April 2, the protest period that begins October 9, or both. Except for the requirement that a protest be signed, all other requirements of this section for an assessment protest to the board of review shall apply to a protest filed electronically. If electronic filing is authorized by the local board of review, the availability of electronic filing shall be clearly indicated on the assessment roll notice provided to the property owner or taxpayer and included in both the published equalization order notice and the equalization order notice mailed to the property owner or taxpayer if applicable.
 4. After the board of review has considered any protest filed by a property owner or aggrieved taxpayer and made final disposition of the protest, the board shall give written notice to the property owner or aggrieved taxpayer who filed the protest of the action taken by the board of review on the protest. The written notice to the property owner or aggrieved taxpayer shall also specify the reasons for the action taken by the board of review on the protest. If protests of assessment on multiple parcels separately assessed were combined, the written notice shall state the action taken, and the reasons for the action, for each assessment protested.
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