Dear Spartanburg County Citizens,

As Spartanburg County Assessor, it is my privilege to share with you the latest available Spartanburg County real property information. Therefore, I want you to know that Spartanburg County must implement its next reappraisal of real property in 2013. This reappraisal is required by South Carolina law.

South Carolina law mandates that property valuations be completed by December 31st of the fourth year of the scheduled five-year reappraisal cycle. The most recent county-wide reappraisal was implemented for tax year 2008 with market values established as of December 31, 2007. The law demands that the 2013 reappraisal be based upon market values established as of December 31, 2012.

The sole purpose of reappraisal is to ensure fairness in the property tax system. In a property tax system, a taxpayer's fair share is determined by the value of the property he or she owns as compared to the value of the property owned by the other taxpayers in the jurisdiction. The value of property changes over time and some properties change in value more than others. If the values used for taxation purposes are not in line with current market values, there is no assurance that any taxpayer is being assessed his or her fair share.

From the time your property is added to the tax rolls, the appraisal does not change unless there is an assessable transfer of interest, there is a change to the property that will affect the market value (such as a new structure, an addition to an existing structure, the removal of a structure, a change in the use of land), or a reappraisal program. Fair and equitable taxes are not possible unless appraisals are made in light of current market conditions. Only real estate property values are affected by reappraisal. South Carolina law requires counties to implement reappraisal programs every five years. After implementing the 2013 program, work will begin on the 2018 program. Values of personal property such as cars, boats, and motorcycles are kept current through annual updates by the South Carolina Department of Revenue and Taxation.

Please feel free to contact me - or any member of my staff - if you have questions.

Sincerely,
Earl N. Alexander, II
County Assessor