Ward County Director of Tax Equalization
North Dakota law requires the Ward County Assessor's Office to
uniformly and fairly value all parcels of land and buildings for tax purposes.
This is an ongoing process that consists of gathering and reviewing information on properties
through field inspections, measuring and listing new construction and analyzing market sales to
determine fair values for existing and new construction properties. We use a Computer Assisted
Mass Appraisal system to help fairly arrive at a true and full value for each property. Each year,
a sales ratio is conducted to determine how close the assessor's values compare to sales and how equitable
various types of property are being valued.
All real property subject to taxation is assessed as of February 1st of each year. A Notice of Real Estate Assessment will be delivered to all property owners at least 15 days before the meeting of the local board of equalization.
Property taxes are determined by our elected officials (city & county commissioners, school & park board members
, etc.) setting their budgets. That is what determines the total amount of property tax to be paid in any
given year in Ward County.
