The Annual Statewide Tornado Drill is at 9:00am MST, Wednesday, April 25th.

A new landowner map book has been published for Oglala Lakota County.  Map pages can be viewed on the GIS webpage here.  A printed and bound version of this map can also be purchased from the DOE office located at 1029 N River St, Hot Springs, SD 57747.

The deadline to appeal your property assessment value is Tuesday, April 3rd.   Assessment appeal forms must be mailed or filed with the county auditor by that date.

What are grounds for an appeal?

• Inaccuracies on your property record (You have one bath, not two. You have a carport, not a garage. Your house’s square footage is incorrect.)
• You have evidence that properties similar to your own have sold for less than the assessment value of your property.
• The assessment value of your property is higher than the assessment value of similar properties in your neighborhood.

The assessment value of your property affects the taxes you will be responsible for next year.  It is not possible to appeal your taxes only your assessment value.  Dates for appealing and forms are available here or with the Director of Equalization’s office at 1029 N River St, Hot Springs.

The Freeze on Assessments Program prevents the homeowner’s property from increasing in value, for tax purposes. This means that as the value of the home increases, the homeowner will pay tax on the former (lower) value. Property is defined as the house, garage, and the lot upon which it sits, or one acre, whichever is less.

To qualify:

• you must be 65 year of age or older, or disabled
• you must own the home or have retained a life estate in the property
• your federal gross income plus any income not included in that figure (this includes Social Security Payments) must be lower than:
  • $27,697.78 for single member household (2018 value, values change every year)
  • $34,622.21 for multiple member household  (2018 value, values change every year)
• The full and true market value of the property must be less than $190,122.74 unless the applicant has received the assessment freeze in a preceding year on that property.

Form: Assessment Freeze for the Elderly & Disabled

Forms should be turned in to the Fall River County Treasurer on or before April 1st. The assessment freeze must be applied for yearly. Questions concerning applications and income should be directed to the Treasurer at 605-745-5145.