FAIRHOPE – Higher home prices will also mean a higher property tax bill following recent appraisals by the Baldwin County Revenue Commissioner's Office.

Tax appraisal notices went out in April for property owners in Baldwin County, Revenue Commissioner Teddy Faust said. Faust said some values did not change, but most values were up, reflecting increases in the real estate markets. He said each parcel is valued based on its location and prices in that area.

"It's a neighborhood issue. If there's not been anything to warrant a change, then we probably wouldn't have made a change, but all in all, most everything did increase," Faust said. "It's ranging between 15% and 25% in general."

He said about 120 appeals have been filed as of Thursday, April 28. Most property owners realize that the appraisals reflect the current values of the property.

"We've had a few folks grumbling, but for the most part, people understand," Faust said. "Really, what it is, our job is to reflect what's in the market. What it's telling us. Anybody that doesn't know that our market has gone up and lives here, they're just not paying attention."

Faust said some appraisals in 2021 were not as high due to damage from Hurricane Sally. Appraisals are intended to reflect the value of property at the start of the tax year, which begins Oct. 1. Hurricane Sally struck Sept. 16, 2020, leaving many buildings damaged on the appraisal date two weeks later.

"Last year, when Sally hit, we had to jump out and quickly look," Faust said. "We tried to reflect damaged property and the damages to property on that Oct. 1 date for the next tax year, so Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and the Eastern Shore only saw a 3% or 4% increase when leading up to that hurricane, there was a pretty good surge in market activity. This year, we took all of those adjustments off after repairs were made and so that's some of the reason that the increase is up on the coast."

Property owners who believe that their tax bill does not reflect the value of their property can appeal the appraisal. Faust said anyone with questions about their appraisal can call 251-937-0245 or email propertyappeal@baldwincountyal.gov.

Appeal forms are available at the county website www.baldwincountyal.gov and by going to the Revenue Commission site. The appeals form is under the "forms/downloads" listing.

While most appraisals are up 15% to 25%, Faust said some tax bills might increase more than the assessment value. In 2021, voters in central Baldwin County approved a referendum to increase property taxes by three mills to provide more money for schools in the Robertsdale feeder pattern.

The property tax rate includes taxes for state, county, schools and municipalities. In Baldwin County, the state, county and school tax rate is 28 mills. Rates inside municipalities include additional taxes ranging from 15 mills in Daphne and Fairhope to four mills in Perdido Beach.

A rate of one mill would be $1 on each $1,000. Taxes are based on the assessment rate, Faust said. Most owner-occupied homes have a 10% assessment rate. Commercial property, including rental homes, is assessed at 20%.

A Revenue Commission information sheet stated that a home with a market value of $50,000 would be assessed at 10%. If the property were in an area with a 28 mill tax rate, the bill would be calculated by multiplying $5,000, 10% of $50,000, by 0.028, which would be $140. The amount for a homestead exemption, $45, would be subtracted from the bill for a total property tax rate of $95.