Georgia Code
Part 2 - County Boards of Tax Assessors
§ 48-5-299. Ascertainment of Taxable Property; Assessments Against Unreturned Personal Property; Penalty for Unreturned Property; Changing Real Property Values Established by Appeal in Prior Year or Stipulated by Agreement

History. Ga. L. 1913, p. 123, § 7; Code 1933, § 92-6913; Ga. L. 1937, p. 517, § 3; Ga. L. 1976, p. 1042, § 1; Ga. L. 1976, p. 1071, § 1; Code 1933, § 91A-1440, enacted by Ga. L. 1978, p. 309, § 2; Ga. L. 1994, p. 786, § 1; Ga. L. 2000, p. 873, § 1; Ga. L. 2006, p. 431, § 1/HB 560; Ga. L. 2015, p. 1219, § 12/HB 202; Ga. L. 2016, p. 166, § 4/SB 258; Ga. L. 2017, p. 774, § 48/HB 323.
The 2015 amendment, effective January 1, 2016, substituted the present provisions of subsections (b) and (c) for the former provisions, which read: “(b)(1) In all cases where unreturned property is assessed by the county board of tax assessors after the time provided by law for making tax returns has expired, the board shall add to the amount of state and county taxes due a penalty of 10 percent of the amount of the tax due or, if the principal sum of the tax so assessed is less than $10.00 in amount, a penalty of $1.00. The penalty provided in this subsection shall be collected by the tax collector or the tax commissioner and in all cases shall be paid into the county treasury and shall remain the property of the county.
“(2)(A) The provisions of paragraph (1) of this subsection to the contrary notwithstanding, this paragraph shall apply with respect to counties having a population of 600,000 or more according to the United States decennial census of 1970 or any future such census.
“(2)(B) In all cases in which unreturned property is assessed by the board after the time provided by law for making tax returns has expired, the board shall add to the assessment of the property a penalty of 10 percent, which shall be included as a part of the taxable value for the year.
“(c) Real property, the value of which was established by an appeal in any year, that has not been returned by the taxpayer at a different value during the next two successive years, may not be changed by the board of tax assessors during such two years for the sole purpose of changing the valuation established or decision rendered in an appeal to the board of equalization or superior court. In such cases, before changing such value or decision, the board of assessors shall first conduct an investigation into factors currently affecting the fair market value. The investigation necessary shall include, but not be limited to, a visual on-site inspection of the property to ascertain if there have been any additions, deletions, or improvements to such property or the occurrence of other factors that might affect the current fair market value. If a review to determine if there are any errors in the description and characterization of such property in the files and records of the board of tax assessors discloses any errors, such errors shall not be the sole sufficient basis for increasing the valuation during the two-year period.” See Editor’s notes for applicability.
The 2016 amendment, effective April 26, 2016, substituted the present provisions of the introductory paragraph of subsection (c) for the former provisions, which read: “When the value of real property is reduced or is unchanged from the value on the initial annual notice of assessment and such valuation is established as the result of either an appeal decision rendered pursuant to Code Section 48-5-311 or stipulated by agreement of the parties to such an appeal that this subsection shall apply in any year, the valuation so established by appeal decision or agreement may not be increased by the board of tax assessors during the next two successive years, subject to the following exceptions:”; and, in paragraph (c)(3), substituted “Unless otherwise agree in writing by the parties, if” for “If” at the beginning, inserted “the board of tax assessors,” in the middle, and substituted “taxpayer” for “parties” near the end.
The 2017 amendment, effective May 9, 2017, part of an Act to revise, modernize, and correct the Code, substituted “writing by both parties” for “writing by the parties” near the beginning of paragraph (c)(3).
Code Commission notes.
Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 2016, “agreed” was substituted for “agree” near the beginning of paragraph (c)(3).
Editor’s notes.
Ga. L. 2015, p. 1219, § 27(c)/HB 202, not codified by the General Assembly, provides, in part, that Sections 9, 12, and 15 of this Act shall be applicable to all appeals filed on or after January 1, 2016.
Law reviews.
For survey article on real property law, see 59 Mercer L. Rev. 371 (2007).
For annual survey on local government law, see 71 Mercer L. Rev. 189 (2019).

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