Wells County

ASSESSOR

COUNTY ASSESSOR
102 W Market Street
Suite 202
Bluffton, IN 46714
Mon-Fri: 8AM-4:30PM
(260) 824-6476
(260) 824-6518
assessor@wellscounty.org
Laura Roberts
County Assessor
Deputy Assessors
Kimi Elzey
Shari Duncan
Isabelle Zuercher
Detailed Functions
  • Oversees the general reassessment process.
  • Serves as member/secretary of the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals.
  • Insures countywide uniform property assessment equalization.
  • Discovers and identifies omitted property.
  • Calculates the total assessed value of each taxing district.
  • Certifies current assessments to the County Auditor’s Office.
  • Utilizes recent sales of land to establish base market value in each neighborhood, adjusts the base values for location, nearness to amenities and other influence factors.
  • Is responsible for the selection of assessment software and computer systems.
The Appeal Process

The Indiana Legislature has revised the appeal process for taxpayers and Assessors.  The taxpayer has the right to appeal the assessed value reported on Form 11 (Notice of Assessment of Land and Structures) up through June 15th of the year the Form 11 is dated.  The filing of an appeal initiates a review of the property and constitutes a request by the taxpayer for a preliminary informal meeting with the Assessor.

The Assessor will hold an informal hearing with the taxpayer to resolve as many issues as possible.  Not later than 10 days after the meeting, the Assessor must forward results of the preliminary meeting to Auditor and the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals (PTABOA).  If no agreement is reached, the PTABOA must hold a hearing within 180 days of the filing of appeal.  PTABOA must give the taxpayer 30 days notice of the hearing date.  The taxpayer may request a continuance at least 20 days before the hearing date.  PTABOA must rule on continuance within 10 days of the request.  The taxpayer may request action without his presence or withdraw a petition at least 8 days before the hearing.  A PENALTY OF $50 WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE TAXPAYER OR REPRESENTATIVE FOR AN UNEXCUSED FAILURE TO APPEAR AT THE HEARING PER PARCEL.

During the PTABOA hearing the taxpayer may present his/her evidence of disagreement.  The Assessor must present the basis for the assessment decision and refute the taxpayer’s evidence.  No appraisal is required by the taxpayer.

The Taxpayer may appeal the PTABOA action to the Indiana Board of Tax Review (IBTR).  The taxpayer must file the Form 130 (Petition to IBTR for Review of Assessment) within 45 days of the date of the PTABOA decision mailing a copy of the petition to all parties involved.

Personal Property Filing Requirements

Effective January 1, 2016, January 1st is the lien date for all personal property in the State of Indiana. May 15th is the filing date for this property. To avoid a late penalty, a taxpayer must file a personal property return with the Wells County Assessor’s Office by May 15, of each year.
The penalty imposed for failure to file a timely personal property return is $25.00. If the return is not filed within thirty days of the filing date, there will be another penalty of 20% of the tax finally determined. IC 6-1.1-37-7.
All business tangible property is also to be filed at this time. Leased property is included in these filing requirements. If the taxpayer has leased equipment in their possession or own property that has been leased to someone else, they must report this on a Form 103-N or 103-O.

Business Personal Property Exemption

Starting January 1st, 2022 the Indiana Legislature exempted any taxpayer from filing a Business Personal Property Return if the COST of all of the business personal property owned in Wells County, as of January 1 was less than $80,000.

Churches and religious societies that filed business personal property tax for five years and who were exempt for 5 years will not have to file personal property returns going forward, unless there is a change in ownership or there are changes resulting in the Personal Property no longer being eligible for an exemption. As added by P.L.80-2014, SEC.1. Amended by P.L.249-2015, SEC.3; P.L.199-2016, SEC.1; P.L.273-2019 SEC.2; P.L.153-2021, SEC.1; P.L. 137-2022, SEC.11.

The exemption is automatic—AND—the taxpayer is NOT required to file a Form 103 with the Wells County Assessor. 

(f) Beginning after December 31, 2022, a taxpayer that has included the information required under subsection (e) on the taxpayer's personal property tax return to claim the exemption under this section is not required to file a personal property return for the taxpayer's business personal property for an assessment date that occurs after the assessment date for which the information is first provided under subsection (e), unless or until the taxpayer no longer qualifies for the exemption under subsection (d) for a subsequent assessment date.

As added by P.L.80-2014, SEC.1. Amended by P.L.249-2015, SEC.3; P.L.199-2016, SEC.1; P.L.273-2019, SEC.2; P.L.153-2021, SEC.1; P.L.137-2022, SEC.11.

 In the event a person commits perjury in signing the certification, the county’s recourse is to confer with its prosecuting attorney.

To view the REVISED IC 6-1.1-3-7.2 concerning this $80,000 exemption, issued by the Department of Local Government Finance June 18, 2021, please click here.

Forms may be acquired from the Assessor’s Office or here on our site

To view the Frequently Asked Questions, Assessment of Personal Property, issued by the Department Of Local Government and Finance on December 2, 2020, please click here.  -FAQ-PPOP-IN

Personal Property Online Portal: PPOP-IN

To Learn More Information:  DLGF: Personal Property (in.gov)

What is PPOP-IN?
Taxpayers and their authorized agents now have the option to file their personal property Forms 102, 103-Short, 103-Long, 103-N, 103-O, 104, and 106 online in the new Personal Property Online Portal for Indiana (“PPOP-IN”). Taxpayers also have the ability to upload additional personal property forms and any necessary supporting documentation. Taxpayers have until Monday, May 15, 2023, to file their business personal property filings either online at https://ppopin.in.gov or by the traditional paper forms.

Application for Property Tax Exemption- NON PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS -Form 136

Application for exemption must be filed before April 1 of the assessment year with the county assessor. The application must be re-filed every even year unless: (1) the exempt property is owned, occupied and used for educational, literary, scientific, religious or charitable purposes; (2) the property continues to meet the requirements of IC 6-1.1-10-16 or IC 6-1.1-10-21; and (3) an application was properly filed at least once in accordance with these statutes.

Form 136: Application for Property Tax Exemption
Predominate Use Worksheet  Any exempt applicant with improvements on real estate must file this form with the Form 136.
Affidavit of Parsonage  Any religious organization filing for exemption on Form 136 must file this form.

 

Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals (PTABOA)
Notice of Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals Hearing

The Wells County Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals (PTABOA) will meet for the first time in 2023 will be January 23, 2023, in the Commissioner’s Room in the Courthouse Annex at 223 W Washington Street, Bluffton, Indiana at 8:30 a.m. The Board will consider any appeals of property tax assessment or other business properly brought to the board .
Upon completion of the business at hand, the Board will recess until the next succeeding second Monday of the month adjourning sine die in December 2023.

Normally the meetings are open unless and until private financial information of the appellant is being presented.

 

 

Property Tax Calculator

Once the budgets for local units are certified, anyone interested in estimating their property tax bill may do so using the DLGF’s online property tax calculator at http://www.in.gov/dlgf/4932.htm. Individuals will need their property’s assessed value, deductions, and taxing district to use the tool. The ESTIMATES provided are PROJECTIONS ONLY and SHOULD NOT be taken as a statement of true tax liability, which is determined by the county.

Property Forms

Visit the Department of Local Government Finance website for current forms here.

Click the forms below to view the PDF version. Right click to download.

Procedure for Appeal of Assessment Effective October 1, 2020.

Form 130:  Taxpayer’s Notice to Initiate an Appeal

RENTAL WORKSHEET

RENTAL WORKSHEET MULTI UNIT

FORM 131: Petition to the Indiana Board of Tax Review

FORM 133: Petition for Correction of Error

FORM 135 : Affidavit of Destroyed or Removed Property

Power of Attorney Form

Sales Disclosure Form

* Visit www.salesdisclosuresonline.com to access previously filed forms. Click on the SEARCH option on the left hand side.

* To search for only Wells County data scroll down and click the plus (+) sign next to PROPERTY DETAILS. You will then be able to choose Wells County along with other details you may want to include for your search.

For all other forms please visit the state web site at www.in.gov/dlgf and follow the link to DLGF Forms.

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