Title 58.1, Title 58.1. Taxation

The following acts are continued in effect as amended from time to time: 1. Chapter 261 of the Acts of Assembly of 1936, approved March 25, 1936, as amended by Chapter 64 of the Acts of Assembly of 1938, approved March 4, 1938, Chapter 234 of the Acts of Assembly of 1942, approve…

The following acts are incorporated in this Code by this reference: 1. Chapter 32 of the Acts of Assembly of 1956, approved February 13, 1956, as amended by Chapter 33 of the Acts of Assembly of 1958, authorizing provision for annual assessments of real estate and equalization of…

The governing body of any county or city may, by resolution duly adopted, in lieu of the method now prescribed by law, provide for the annual assessment and equalization of real estate for local taxation, or the biennial assessment as authorized by § 58.1-3253, by the commissione…

A. In the event the commissioner of revenue, pursuant to the provisions of § 58.1-3270, will not consent to make an annual or biennial assessment and equalization of real estate for local taxation in any county or city, the governing body thereof may appoint a board of real estat…

Assessments made by the board of real estate assessors or real estate assessor shall be made in the same manner and on the same basis as is provided by general law, and the members of any board so appointed shall have the same powers and be charged with the same duties as the per…

A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, Accomack, Goochland, James City, Orange, and Powhatan Counties may, by resolution duly adopted, establish departments of real estate assessment. Any such department shall assess all real estate within such county on an annual or bien…

Every general reassessment of real estate in a city or county shall be made by (i) a professional assessor appointed by the governing body, who is either an employee qualified by the Department or an independent contractor holding valid certification issued by the Department; or …

A. Any persons appointed to a board of assessors under the authority of this article shall be freeholders in the county or city for which they serve and shall be appointed by the governing body from the citizens of the county or city. If at any time the governing body is satisfie…

The Department before January 1 of any year in which there is to be a general reassessment of real estate in any county, city or town under any provisions of this title shall prescribe, prepare and furnish proper forms for the use of the cities and counties and towns making gener…

The Department, upon the request of the governing body of any county, city or town, shall render advisory aid and assistance in making any general reassessment of the real estate in such county, city or town.

Every assessor or appraiser so designated under this chapter shall, as soon as practicable after being so designated, proceed to ascertain and assess the fair market value of all lands and lots assessable by them, with the improvements and buildings thereon. They shall make a phy…

Each commissioner of the revenue shall commence, annually, on January 1, and proceed without delay to ascertain all the real estate in his county or city, as the case may be, and the person to whom the same is chargeable with taxes on that day. The beginning of the tax year for t…

When a public service corporation or a political subdivision of the Commonwealth does not own both a tract, piece or parcel of land and the improvements thereon, including leasehold improvements owned by the lessee which are to be removed by the lessee at the end of the lease ter…

When airspace is owned by anyone other than the owner of the subjacent land surface, the airspace and the surface will be separately assessed to their respective owners.

A. When the land surface and standing timber trees are owned by the same person, the value of the land, inclusive of the standing timber trees, shall be ascertained and assessed at such ascertained value. B. In any case when the surface of the land is owned by one person and the …

A. Residential or commercial property, which is part of a planned development which contains open or common space, which includes the right by easement, covenant, deed or other interest in real estate, to the use of the open or common space, shall be assessed at a value which inc…

A. As used in this section, "defective drywall" means the same as that term is defined in § 36-156.1. B. An owner of residential property containing defective drywall may request the commissioner of the revenue or other assessing official where the property is located to reassess…

A. Whenever real property is assessed or reassessed, the commissioner of the revenue or other assessing official shall consider, at the request of the property owner, specially and separately assessing at the fair market value all wetlands on such property, as defined in § 62.1-4…

Whenever a tract of land is subdivided into lots under the provisions of law and plats thereof are recorded, subsequent to any general reassessment of real estate in the city or county in which such real estate is situated, each lot in such subdivision shall be assessed and shown…

The several commissioners of the revenue shall, as soon as practicable after January 1 of each year, specially and separately assess at the fair market value all mineral lands and the improvements thereon and shall enter the same on the land books of their respective counties sep…

Notwithstanding § 58.1-3286, whenever there is a general reassessment of real estate in any county or city, mineral lands and minerals shall be included in the general reassessment, but shall be separately assessed from other real estate, and the assessor or assessors shall be go…

When the owner of any parcel of real property is unknown and the commissioner of the revenue has exercised due diligence to ascertain the owner of such parcel, such commissioner of the revenue is empowered on January 1 of each year to assess for taxation such parcel of real prope…

When a tract or lot becomes the property of different owners in two or more parcels, subsequent to any general reassessment of real estate in the city or county in which such tract or lot is situated each of the two or more parcels shall be assessed and shown separately upon the …

Any building and enclosure which may have been increased in value to $500 or upwards, by repairs or additions thereto, shall be assessed in the same manner as if they were new. New buildings shall be assessed, whether entirely finished or not, at their actual value at the time of…

In any county, city or town that has not adopted an ordinance pursuant to § 58.1-3292.1, upon the adoption of an ordinance so providing, all new buildings substantially completed or fit for use and occupancy prior to November 1 of the year of completion shall be assessed when so …

A. In the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William, and the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park, upon the adoption of an ordinance so providing, all new buildings shall be assessed when substantially completed or fit for use…

When from natural decay or other causes any previously assessed building and enclosure as aforesaid, is either wholly destroyed or reduced in value below $100, the commissioner shall deduct from the charge against the owner the value at which such building and enclosure may have …

Any duly authorized real estate assessor, board of assessors, or department of real estate assessments may require that the owners of income-producing real estate in the county or city subject to local taxation, except property producing income solely from the rental of no more t…

A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in determining the fair market value of real property operated in whole or in part as affordable rental housing, in accordance with the provisions of 12 U.S.C. § 1701q, 26 U.S.C. § 42, 26 U.S.C. § 142(d), 42 U.S.C. § 1485, 42 U.S.C. …

A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, general or special, in any appeal of the real property assessment of real property defined below as residential rental apartments in excess of four units filed by a taxpayer pursuant to § 58.1-3379, the board of equalization shall co…

A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in determining the fair market value of structural improvements conveyed by a community land trust as defined in § 55.1-1200, subject to a ground lease having a term of at least 90 years, while retaining a preemptive option to purcha…

A. As used in this section: "Computer equipment and peripherals" means computer equipment and peripherals subject to classification under the provisions of subdivision A 17 of § 58.1-3503 or under the provisions of subdivision A 43 of § 58.1-3506. "Cost approach" means assessing …

As soon as the persons, or officers, designated under the provisions of Article 6 (§ 58.1-3270 et seq.) herein have completed the reassessment, they shall make two copies of such record, in the form in which the land books are made out, and shall certify on oath that no assessabl…

A. The land books may be produced in one of the following forms: (i) paper; (ii) microfilm, microfiche, or any other microphotographic process; or (iii) electronic process. Such microfilm and microphotographic processes shall meet state archival microfilm standards and state elec…

In the table of town or city lots the commissioner of the revenue shall enter separately each lot and shall set forth in as many separate columns as may be necessary the name of the person, his residence and estate, as in the table of tracts of land. The commissioner shall set fo…

A. The clerk of every circuit court shall, before the fifteenth of each month, forward to the commissioner of revenue for his county or city and to the Department a copy of the recordation receipt for all deeds for the partition and conveyance of land, other than deeds of trust a…

The clerk of every court in which judgments are required to be docketed, except such clerks in cities having a population of more than 219,000 but not more than 300,000 and in cities having a population of more than 70,000 but not more than 86,000 and adjoining a city having a po…

If any clerk fails to perform the duties required of him by § 58.1-3303 or § 58.1-3304 he shall forfeit to the Commonwealth the sum of $100 and the judge of each circuit court shall ascertain at the term of his court next succeeding January 15 of each year whether the clerk of su…

An abstract shall be made out by the Librarian of Virginia on or before January 15 of each year, or as soon thereafter as practicable, for the commissioner of the revenue of each county or city, of all grants issued for lands therein from his office within the year ending Decembe…

The commissioner of the revenue shall enter in the books and assess the fair market value of all lands in his county or city appearing by the abstracts to have been granted.

The lands and standing timber appearing on the lists or statements referenced in §§ 58.1-3303 through 58.1-3308 shall be transferred accordingly on the land book and charged to the person to whom the transfer is made or the grant has issued. When standing timber is so transferred…

Each commissioner of the revenue shall retain in his office the original land book. Each commissioner of the revenue shall deliver to the treasurer of his county or city and, if requested by the Department in writing, to the Department of Taxation one copy each of the land book o…

After the commissioner of the revenue shall have delivered a copy of his land book to the county or city treasurer, no alteration shall be made therein by him affecting the taxes or levies of that year.

Such changes as may happen within the county or city of any commissioner shall be noted by him in making out his land book.

Every commissioner, in making out his land book, shall correct any mistake made in any entry therein. But land which has been correctly charged to one person shall not afterwards be charged to another without evidence of record that such charge is proper.

The fees for entering and transferring lands on commissioners' land books shall be as follows: 1. For making an entry and assessment under § 58.1-3308, one dollar for every parcel, to be paid by the owner; 2. For making an entry and assessment, when required by any owner, under t…