Property Tax Appeal Success Rates: What the US Data Actually Shows

Commercial property tax appeals generally succeed more often than not — especially when backed by solid evidence. In states like Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, professional representation can push success rates to 85% or higher. The key is presenting market data that demonstrates the assessed value exceeds actual market value. Get a free review to see if your property qualifies.

On successful commercial appeals, reductions typically fall in the 10–30% range — sometimes higher when the assessment was significantly off. On a property assessed at $2M with a 1.5% effective tax rate, a 20% reduction returns roughly $6,000 per year, every year, until the next reassessment. The dollar impact compounds because many jurisdictions phase in or carry forward the lower value. See our appeal cost guide to weigh the savings against fees.

Often, yes — informal appeals (the assessor review or local board stage) tend to have higher success rates because both sides are motivated to settle without a hearing. National observation puts informal commercial appeals well above 50% when evidence is solid; many are resolved in days. Formal appeals (tribunal or board of revision) take longer and have more procedural risk, but the average reduction when you win is typically larger. The appeal process guide walks through both stages.

Yes — and the gap is large. Commercial appeals win more often because the evidence (income statements, leases, comparable sales, cap rates) is concrete and assessors are receptive to it. Residential appeals rely more on comparable sales alone, and homeowners filing without representation often miss procedural steps. Industry data consistently shows represented commercial owners outperforming unrepresented homeowners by 30+ percentage points. EPTA serves commercial owners — for residential matters, your county assessor's office can usually point you to a homeowner appeal form.

The strongest appeals are supported by comparable sales data, actual income and expense figures, and documentation of property-specific issues like vacancy, deferred maintenance, or unfavorable lease terms. Filing on time with complete documentation also matters. Learn more about what evidence you need for a successful appeal.

Yes — and a recent purchase can actually strengthen your case. If you bought the property at arm's length for less than the assessed value, that sale price is strong evidence of market value. Assessors and tribunals give significant weight to recent sales data, making this one of the most straightforward appeals to win — particularly for Office Property Tax Appeals where recent transaction data is readily available.

Savings depend on how much your property is over-assessed, but reductions of 10-30% are common in commercial appeals. For a property assessed at $2 million, even a 15% reduction could save tens of thousands of dollars per year in taxes. Learn more about appeal costs and fee structures, compare your options in our DIY vs professional appeal guide, and check our appeal timeline guide to understand the financial picture.

If your appeal doesn't result in a reduction, you simply continue paying your current tax amount — your taxes won't increase as a result of appealing, and there is no penalty for filing and losing. With EPTA, there's no financial risk either: we work on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we save you money. Because our engagement is contingency-based, we are genuinely selective about which cases we take on — meaning when we agree to handle an appeal, it is because the evidence gives us real confidence of a reduction. See the appeal cost guide for how the fee model works, or request a free review to get started.

Yes — win rates and average reductions vary meaningfully by property type because valuation methodologies differ. Industrial and warehouse appeals tend to have high success rates because functional obsolescence, specialized build-outs, and owner-occupancy create large gaps between cost-based assessments and market reality. Office appeals have become especially fruitful post-pandemic as vacancy and rent softness weaken the income approach numbers assessors are still using. Retail and big-box cases win regularly through dark store arguments and comparable sales. Our dark store theory guide explains the retail angle in detail.

In some states, yes — particularly in Michigan, where long-held properties benefit from the Proposal A taxable value cap until a transfer triggers uncapping. Owners who have held a property for many years typically have the largest gap between taxable value and state equalized value, which means a successful SEV appeal compounds savings for years to come. In Ohio and Indiana, hold period matters less because values reset on reappraisal cycles. Either way, long-term owners who have never appealed often have the most to gain from a first appeal.