2026 Reappraisal

The deadline to submit a request to appeal the Official Notice of Assessed Value sent June 18, 2026, is July 2, 2026. 

To submit appeal:

• Email: ColchesterAssess@colchestervt.gov
• Request in person at Town Clerk's Office during office hours
• Property owners may also sign up for grievance hearings using this link: Board of Listers Appeal portal

Grievances should include:

• Owners name
• If the owner of record cannot attend hearing, a person representing the owner should bring a letter of intent signed by the owner.
• Contact information
  • Mailing address, Phone number, Email address
  • Parcel location and Parcel ID
  • Reason for appealing and Owners' opinion of value signed by the owner
  • Any evidence in support of owner's opinion of value

To research value of your own property or a comparable property to go Vision Government Solutions.  This link can provide you with information about your parcel, parcels on your street, and local sales within a date range. 

2026 Reappraisal Information

The Town of Colchester has completed the Town-wide reappraisal, establishing the values of all real property in Colchester as of April 1, 2026, and has lodged the abstract Grand List. 

The Town mailed the official Change of Assessment notices on June 18, 2026, to all property owners. 

New assessment values can be viewed at https://gis.vgsi.com/colchestervt/. Additionally, at this link, property owners can view information about neighboring properties and properties with similar characteristics.

REASON FOR THE REAPPRAISAL: Vermont municipalities are required by State law to appraise all taxable real property in town, so that properties are fairly and equitably assessed/taxed for the purposes of State Education and municipal services taxes. Vermont State Statutes require town-wide reappraisals when the Common Level of Assessment (CLA), a ratio that measures assessed values versus fair market value, drops below 85% or rises above 115%. In 2022, Colchester’s CLA dropped below 85%, triggering this requirement. 

To comply with the State mandate, the Town contracted with a professional reappraisal firm, Vision Government Solutions Inc. (Vision), to work with Town officials to complete the reappraisal.    

The last town-wide reappraisal was completed on June 24, 2011. Up until this year, all assessed values in Town were based on the fair market value as of April 1, 2011, including new construction that happened after the April 1 appraisal date. Last year’s assessments, which were based on the reappraisal from April 1, 2011, were on average roughly 50% below fair market value.

WHAT TO EXPECT: When a municipality conducts a reappraisal of all assessed values within its borders, the tax rates are adjusted so the funding collected by the Town for municipal services taxes does not change from what the voters approved at Town Meeting in March.

If a property’s assessment is less than or equal to the average assessment increase, then the municipal services taxes on that parcel will decrease or may not significantly change from the prior year—beyond the increase caused by the voter approved municipal services budget. If a property’s assessment increases greater than the average increase, then the municipal services taxes on that property will increase—beyond what the increase in the voter approved municipal services budget caused. State Education Taxes, which the State requires the Town to collect on its behalf, are governed by a formula determined by the State. 

THE GRIEVANCE PROCESS: Formal grievance hearings are available to any person aggrieved by the action of the Assessor, 32 V.S.A. § 4111(g).  If you wish to pursue an appeal, you must present the appeal to the Assessor’s Office in writing on or before 4:00 p.m. on July 2, 2026, 14 days from the date of the Change of Assessment notices.  

You may submit your grievance to the Assessor’s Office, by mail, by email, or by using the grievance portal. Formal grievance hearings will be held at the Colchester Town Offices. Please include contact information, a daytime telephone number and email address so you can be notified of your scheduled hearing date and time. If you do not provide contact information, we will not be able to schedule a hearing. If you are unable to attend the grievance hearing in person, you may grieve over the phone on the date and time of your hearing, or the written grievance letter and documentation you submitted will be used as your grievance. Result of Grievance Notices will be mailed to all who grieved within 14 days of the close of the grievance hearing. 

For any additional questions, you may contact the Town Assessor’s Office by emailing colchesterAssess@colchestervt.gov or by calling (802) 264-5670.

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Reappraisals | Department of Taxes

Assessment | Department of Taxes