Assessing

The Assessors Office is responsible for determining the valuation of approximately 1,900 parcels within the Township of Cohoctah. 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 the assessed value.  However, the amounts can differ if the Livingston County Equalization Department determines the Assessor is not assessing at 50% of market value.  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 as 50% of true cash value all assessable property, as of December 31, of each year.  This includes agricultural, commercial, industrial, residential 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