East Cobb homeowners on a county list could see a property appraiser in their driveway over the next month.
The Cobb County Tax Assessors Office published a notice Wednesday, July 15, alerting property owners that appraisers will conduct site visits within 30 days to update records and determine fair market values. The window runs through approximately Friday, August 14.
The visits are required under Georgia law (OCGA 48-5-264.1), which authorizes county appraisal staff to go onto property outside of buildings to carry out valuations. The statute applies even to posted land.
What the appraiser will do
According to the notice, the appraiser will collect exterior information only: measurements, coding, and photographs. No interior access is required or requested.
The appraiser will carry a photo identification badge and drive a marked vehicle. If no one is home, a door hanger will be left indicating the visit occurred.
If an adult is home, the appraiser may ask questions to verify the accuracy of county records. The office's notice states that answering is "purely voluntary."
The appraiser does not set property values during the visit. That determination happens later, when the Tax Assessors Office uses the collected data alongside other factors to calculate fair market value.
How this affects your tax bill
Under Georgia law, property is assessed at 40 percent of fair market value, according to the Georgia Department of Revenue. The Cobb County Board of Tax Assessors conducts that assessment for all properties in unincorporated East Cobb.
The site visits themselves do not trigger an appeal deadline. That clock starts only when a formal assessment notice is mailed to the property owner, according to state law (OCGA 48-5-311). Property owners who disagree with their assessed value at that point may file an appeal to the county board of equalization, a hearing officer, or arbitration.
How to verify and respond
Residents who want to confirm an appraiser's identity can call the Tax Assessors Office at 770-528-3100. The office is at 736 Whitlock Ave., Suite 200, Marietta, and is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The county's notice links to a property list on the qPublic platform, the same system used for Cobb County's online real property search. Residents can check whether their address appears on the scheduled visit list there or by calling the office.
No individual spokesperson from the Tax Assessors Office was named in the notice, and no count of how many East Cobb properties are on the list was provided.
