Assessor's Office

The assessor is a local government official who estimates the value of real property within a city, town, or village's boundaries. This value is converted into an assessment, which is one component in the computation of real property tax bills.  The assessor's primary responsibilities are to:

1. Discover, list and place a value on all real property
2. Establish market value
3. Assess according to condition and ownership on taxable status date
4. Determine exemption eligibility

The assessor is obligated by New York State law to maintain assessments at a uniform percentage of market value each year. The assessor signs an oath to this effect when certifying the tentative assessment roll -- the document containing each property assessment. The physical description (or inventory) and value estimate of every parcel is required to be kept current. In order to maintain a uniform roll, each year your assessor will need to analyze all of the properties in the municipality to determine which assessments need to be changed.

Where assessments need to be changed, in some cases, your assessor will be able to increase or decrease the assessments of a neighborhood or group of properties by applying real estate market trends to those properties. This is possible only when the assessments to be changed are at a uniform level other than the municipality's stated level of assessment. In other cases, the assessor will need to conduct physical reinspections for reappraisals of properties. Every assessing unit should be keeping all assessments at a fair and uniform level every year.

The assessment roll shows assessments and appropriate exemptions. Every year the roll, with preliminary or tentative assessments, is made available for public inspection. After the Board of Assessment Review (BAR) has acted on assessment complaints and ordered any changes, the tentative assessment roll is made final.

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For information regarding payments, please contact:

Village of Lake Placid: Anita Estling, Village Clerk
Town of North Elba: Laurie Dudley, Town Clerk
Village of Saranac Lake: Amanda Hopf, VSL Clerk
Lake Placid Central School District: Shelley Light
Saranac Lake Central School District: CourtneyTemple

Assessment Complaint Form
Assessment Complaint Form Instructions

Change of Address Form

• Property Tax Forms
• Property Tax Publications - Handouts for property owners
• Property Tax and Assessment Administration - General Information 

View assessment rolls at the Essex County website

Tax Rolls may be viewed online here