Assessment FAQ

Q: What is an Assessment (or Assessed Value)?

A: An assessment is the value placed on your property for property tax purposes. In all Illinois Counties (other than Cook County) your assessed value should represent 1/3 of your Market Value or “Fair Cash Value”.

Q: How do I know what my assessment is?

A: Your assessment information can be found by contacting your Township Assessor, the Fulton County Assessment Office, or by using our Parcel Inquiry System at: https://fultonil.devnetwedge.com/

Q: Why did my assessment increase?

A: There are a variety of reasons as to why your assessed value may have increased.

Most common include: a new structure was recently built, an omitted structure was discovered and added to your assessment, an equalization factor/multiplier was applied across the board in your township or property class to uniformly increase the value. Your assessment is directly tied to the “Market Value” of your property. If your Township Assessor or County Assessor felt that your property was undervalued in relation to its market value, they may have revalued it. This generally takes place in your Quadrennial Assessment Year.

Q: My assessed value has decreased, so why have my taxes increased?

A: Local government spending plays the most significant role in whether or not your taxes increase or decrease. If taxing districts increase their spending (i.e. their tax levy), the tax rate will often increase to cover their expenditures. Therefore, even if your assessed value goes down, your taxes can go up. Conversely, if taxing districts decrease spending, your taxes may decrease even if your assessment goes up.

Q: What do I do if I feel like my assessed value is too high?

A: First, if you live in a Township that has a Township Assessor, you can start by contacting him/her. They will probably want to make a site visit to get updated photos/information. From there, they can let you know if they will be revaluing your property accordingly. If you live in a Township that does not have a Township Assessor, you need to call the Fulton County Assessment Office at (309) 547-3041 and request that the Deputy Assessors view your property when they do their yearly fieldwork.

If you have contacted your Township Assessor and/or County Assessment Office and are still not in agreement with your assessed value, you may file a formal complaint with the Fulton County Board of Review during the filing window AFTER assessments have been published for your Township. For more information on this, please contact the Fulton County Assessment Office.

Q: What are your office hours?

A: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We are open through lunch. Closed on all federal holidays.

Q: How do I change the mailing address on my tax bill?

A: The Change of Address form is available online. Or, you can send a letter stating the parcel number and new address to: Supervisor of Assessments, Fulton County Courthouse, 100 N. Main Street, PO Box 283, Lewistown, IL 61542.

Letters must be signed and dated by the owner, and their signature must be notarized.

Q: What is my “Parcel Number”?

A: Your parcel number, also known as the PIN number, parcel ID number, index number, or tax ID number, is on the top left corner of your tax bill. This number can also be obtained by using our Parcel Inquiry System at: https://fultonil.devnetwedge.com/ or calling the Fulton County Assessment Office.

This number is like a social security number to your specific parcel, each number is the sequence represents a physical location in the real world.

For example: 18-19-22-347-001 can be read as: Political Township – Geographic Township – Section – Block Number (or Quarter Section) – Individual Parcel Number

Q: Is there any tax relief available for homeowners? What exemptions are there?

A: Yes! There are several exemptions available that taxpayers may be eligible for. Check your tax bill yearly to verify that you are receiving all exemptions that you are eligible to receive.

Taxpayers are responsible for applying for their own exemptions.

Currently Available Exemptions

Owner-Occupied residences may be eligible for a General Homestead Exemption.

Senior citizens (over age 65) may be eligible for a Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption.

Senior Citizens (over age 65) may also be eligible for the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption, which freezes a property’s assessed value at the base year value to prevent increases due to inflation (income restrictions apply). Note: This exemption DOES NOT freeze your tax bill amount.

The Homestead Improvement Exemption is for parcels that: 1. Receive the “General Homestead Exemption” & 2. Have had their assessment increase due to an “improvement” resulting in a value increase.

The Returning Veteran’s Homestead Exemption is for homeowners who are returning from active duty.

The Disabled Veteran’s Homestead Exemption is for homeowners who have at least a 50% service-connected disability certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

The Disabled Persons’ Homestead Exemption is for homeowners who are disabled or become disabled during the assessment year.

For more details, call us, or stop by our office.