Allegheny County must begin full property reassessment by 2027, judge rules

Allegheny County is set for a major change in how properties are valued after a judge ordered the county to begin a new, full property reassessment by July 2027.

The order, signed Monday by Court of Common Pleas Judge Kenneth Valasek, comes after more than a decade of debate and litigation over the county's property assessment system.

The county's last full countywide reassessment took place in 2012. Since then, Allegheny County has continued to use those 2012 market values as the basis for property assessments.

The order came in the case of Flavia Laun v. Allegheny County. Laun, a local property owner, sued the county and ultimately helped push the issue back into the spotlight. Mike Suley, chairman of the Allegheny County Board of Property Assessment Appeals, told KDKA-TV on Monday that the reassessment will create winners and losers.

"There are winners and losers now, but they don't know it," said Suley. "There are people paying way less than they should be paying in property taxes. They don't even know it. There are people paying thousands of dollars more than they should be paying."

The judge's order also lays out requirements for how the reassessment will be conducted, including the appointment of a person to oversee the process.

"There will be a master appointed within 60 days. A master is like getting [Pittsburgh Steelers] coach [Mike] McCarthy to run the team. So, the county isn't going to be running this, and the plaintiffs won't. The master will report directly to the judge," said Suley.

A countywide reassessment will not necessarily mean every homeowner's taxes will go up or down by the same amount. Suley said on average about 15% of people will appeal. The last reassessment in 2012 saw 90,000 appeals. 

"The state constitution says there must be uniformity in taxes and if you and I live next door to each other and have the same house, we should have the same tax bill," said Suley.

State Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-42nd District, has been pushing legislation that would require property reassessments across Pennsylvania. Fontana said he understands why the judge ordered Allegheny County to act, but he is disappointed the Commonwealth Court did not issue a broader ruling.

"In this case, you have a reassessment going on in Allegheny County, but there's not reassessments going on in counties around it," said Fontana. "It's not fair to Allegheny County."

Fontana also warned that differences between counties could potentially influence where people choose to live.

Ira Weiss, an attorney representing Pittsburgh Public Schools, issued a statement saying, in part, "This is a win for all those who have claimed for years that the system was broken and illegal. We look forward to a fair and timely process."

Pittsburgh Public Schools is among the local taxing bodies that could be affected by changes to property assessments.

Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said the county will comply with the court order and will continue making protection of taxpayers a top priority.

Innamorato said, "Regular countywide reassessments will be an improvement over the current ad hoc approach. Property owners deserve transparency about how their property is valued, while school districts and municipalities deserve predictability as they plan their budgets."

The court-ordered reassessment is expected to begin by July 2027.