If your new valuation notice from Lackawanna County looks too high, you can challenge it by filing a Lackawanna County property tax reassessment appeal with the county Board of Assessment Appeals between April 1 and August 1, 2026.1Lackawanna County. 2026 Assessment Appeals The appeal asks the board to lower the figure the county assigned to your property as of the July 1, 2024 base year,2Lackawanna County. Lackawanna County Reassessment Presentation which is the number every 2026 county, municipal, and school tax bill will be built on.3Lackawanna County. County Mails New Property Valuations
Filing Window, Fees, and Where to File
The 2026 appeal window opens April 1, 2026, and closes August 1, 2026.1Lackawanna County. 2026 Assessment Appeals Pennsylvania’s Consolidated County Assessment Law sets a default deadline of September 1 but lets county commissioners move it up as far as August 1, which Lackawanna County has done.4Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 53 Section 8844 Miss August 1 and you lose the right to challenge your 2026 assessment.
The filing fee is $35 for a residential parcel and $125 for a commercial parcel.5Lackawanna County. Assessment Office Appeal forms are available on the county assessor’s website or in person at the office.6Lackawanna County. Reassessment Formal Appeal Hearing Applications and Information You can submit the form and fee at the county administrative building or by mail, and mailed appeals count as long as they are postmarked by the deadline.3Lackawanna County. County Mails New Property Valuations
What Goes on the Appeal Form
The Notice of Appeal asks for your property’s parcel identification number (printed on your reassessment notice), the property location, owner information, and the assessment you believe is wrong.4Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 53 Section 8844 You should also come in with your own estimate of what the property was worth on July 1, 2024, because that is the date the board is deciding against.
Evidence That Actually Moves the Number
The strongest evidence is comparable sales: recent transactions involving similar homes in your immediate area that sold for less than your assessed value. Settlement statements or listings showing actual sale prices carry real weight.
A professional appraisal from a certified Pennsylvania appraiser adds credibility. Residential appraisals typically run $625 to $800, so weigh that cost against the tax reduction you are likely to win.
Photographs help too. Foundation issues, structural problems, water damage, or dated conditions explain why your home should be valued below a neighbor’s that looks identical on paper.
Check the County’s Record First
Before you file, pull up your property on the county assessor’s website and compare the recorded details to reality. Errors in square footage, bathroom count, lot size, or basement finish are among the most common reasons appeals succeed. If the record shows a finished basement you do not have, or an extra bathroom that was never built, that single discrepancy can account for a meaningful chunk of the overvaluation. A correction request based on a factual error is often the fastest path to a lower number.
The Hearing
Once your appeal is accepted, the Board of Assessment Appeals schedules a hearing. Every 2026 hearing has to be completed by October 31, 2026.1Lackawanna County. 2026 Assessment Appeals You or your attorney present your evidence and explain why the valuation is too high. The county assessor’s office presents the data behind the current number.
The burden of proof sits entirely on you.7Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Tax Appeals The board does not investigate on your behalf. Walk in without solid evidence and the existing assessment stands. A written decision is mailed after the hearing stating any revised assessment.
If the Board Rules Against You
You can take the matter to the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas. The court conducts its own review of the property’s market value as of the date you first filed with the board. It also looks at the common level ratio published by the State Tax Equalization Board, which measures how assessed values across the county compare to actual sale prices. If that ratio deviates more than 15% from the county’s predetermined ratio, the court applies the common level ratio to your property’s market value instead.8Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 53 Section 8854
A court appeal brings its own filing fees, likely attorney costs, and often an appraiser hired to testify. Most homeowners reserve this route for situations where the tax savings justify the expense. Commercial owners carrying large assessments go to court more often because the stakes support it.
Clean and Green Properties Follow Different Rules
If your land is enrolled in Pennsylvania’s Clean and Green program (Act 319), it is taxed on agricultural or forest use value rather than fair market value, with use values supplied to the county by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture based on soil types and income potential. In a county-wide reassessment year the enrollment deadline moves from the usual June 1 to October 15.9Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Clean and Green Owners of at least ten contiguous acres in agricultural use who are not yet enrolled should look at this before challenging a market-value number that would not apply to them anyway. Owners already enrolled should confirm the new records still show the correct use classification.
Relief Programs Worth Claiming Alongside an Appeal
An appeal is not the only way to bring down what you owe. Two state programs reduce the bill directly.
Homestead and Farmstead Exclusion
Pennsylvania school districts can exclude a portion of a primary residence’s assessed value from school property taxes. File the application with the Lackawanna County Assessment Office by March 1 each year.10PA Department of Community and Economic Development. Property Tax Relief Through Homestead Exclusion Farmstead exclusions cover farm buildings on at least ten contiguous acres in commercial agricultural production when the farm is also the owner’s primary residence. School districts must notify homeowners by December 31 each year if a property is not approved or an existing approval is expiring.
Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program
The state’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program sends direct rebates to eligible homeowners and renters age 65 or older, widows and widowers age 50 or older, and people with disabilities age 18 or older. Household income must be $48,110 or less.11Department of Revenue. Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program Rebate amounts by income:
- $0 to $8,550: up to $1,000, or up to $1,500 with the supplemental rebate
- $8,551 to $16,040: up to $770, or up to $1,155 with the supplemental rebate
- $16,041 to $19,240: up to $460, or up to $690 with the supplemental rebate
- $19,241 to $48,110: up to $380, with up to $570 available under the supplemental rebate for income below $32,070
The deadline to apply for the 2025 tax year rebate is June 30, 2026.11Department of Revenue. Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program If the reassessment pushed your bill up and you meet the age and income rules, file for the rebate while you prepare the appeal.