Jan. 9th Last Day To Request Re-Assessment For Storm Damage

Property owners have through January 9th to notify the local tax assessor or county tax board either in writing or by using an online application at the county website to file for re-assessment of storm-damaged buildings.

The online form is available here:  http://oprs.co.monmouth.nj.us/DRPortal/Home.aspx.

There is a note on the top of that web page that says the portal will close for submissions on January 9th.  January 10th, however, is the date that has been widely circulated in the media as the deadline.  I called the Monmouth County Tax Board (732-431-7404) to check. 

Monmouth County Tax Administrator Matthew Clark advised that the statute actually says that notice must be provided “prior to January 10th”, which makes Wednesday, the 9th the last day.  Given the confusion about the deadline, I asked how written notice received on the 10th would be handled.  Mr. Clark said that decisions would be made on a case by case basis.

A staffer at the Middletown Tax Assessor’s office said that at this point they feel that most applications have been submitted, such that late filing is not expected to be a significant issue.   

In addition to the county’s online form, the Middletown Tax Assessor’s office has advised that an email will also suffice as written notice.  You can email the Middletown Tax Assessor using the following link on the Township’s website: http://www.middletownnj.org/content/contact-us.html?contact=Tax%20Assessment.  Include name, address, and phone, and also block & lot number if you have them handy.  Also, it’s a good idea to request a brief reply to confirm timely receipt of your email.  The phone number for the Middletown Tax Assessor is 732-615-2089.

Re-assessment is for the 2013 tax year for properties that remain significantly damaged beyond January 1st.