Equalization Rates

The New York State Office of Real Property Tax Services (ORPTS) is statutorily obligated to administer an equalization program in order to assure equitable property tax allocation among nearly 4,000 taxing jurisdictions in New York State, and to insure the proper allocation of State Aid to Education funds, among other purposes. Equalization seeks to measure the relationship of locally assessed values to an ever-changing real estate market. Each year, ORPTS calculates equalization rates for each of the state's more than 1,200 assessing units.

Equalization is necessary in New York State because:  (1) there is no fixed percentage at which property must be assessed; (2) not all municipalities assess property at the same percentage of market value; and (3) taxing jurisdictions, such as most school districts, do not share the same taxing boundaries as the cities and towns that are responsible for assessing properties.  Most of the state's more than 700 school districts distribute their taxes among segments of several municipalities, many of which have different levels of assessment.  The number of municipal segments in a school district can range from one to fifteen or more.

For additional information and to view Columbia County Equalization Rates, please CLICK HERE.