Indiana reassessment • measurements • grades & conditions • effective year • law & safety
At-a-glance field workflow
Designed for fast checking in the vehicle. This is a general reference, not a replacement for Montgomery County procedures or DLGF valuation guidelines.
Before approaching
Confirm parcel and location; compare GIS, sketch and prior PRC.
Check the parcel's existing buildings, recorded dimensions and photos.
Wear/show county identification; assess safety and access.
On site
Verify buildings, additions, deletions and changes in use.
Confirm dimensions, stories, construction, exterior condition and utilities when observable.
Record pictures and objective observations; note inaccessible features.
Before leaving
Check sketches against physical improvements.
Record any taxpayer conversation and access limits accurately.
Follow county photo-tag, note and data-entry procedures.
4 yearsIndiana cyclical reassessment cycle
~25%Parcels inspected in each annual group
2026–2030Current reassessment plan cycle
County assessment tool
Effective Year Calculator
0%Remodeled
100%Original
1960Effective Year
Enter how much of each component was remodeled. The percentage assigned to each component is fixed; the remodeled amount can be adjusted from 0% to 100%.
Calculator integrated into this page for offline field use. This version follows the visible labels and ten component weights of your linked calculator, using the weighted-year formula demonstrated in your training worksheet. It is a reconstruction rather than the original site code.
Quick field math: add, subtract, multiply, and divide.
L-shape / multiple rectangles
Break an irregular footprint into rectangles. Calculate and add each area. Subtract open cutouts. Verify treatment of porches, garages, stories and finished areas using the applicable guidelines.
Sketch footprint ≠ finished living area. Do not automatically count every level or roofed space as finished area.
Construction completion — running total
Reference percentages supplied for field use; confirm against office-approved completion methodology. Running totals apply only when prior stages are fully complete.
Stage
Stage %
Total
The supplied stage list references floor covering twice; retain only after verifying the office schedule. For out-of-order construction, sum the applicable component percentages rather than using the running total.
Condition examples — picture + explanation
These photos and descriptions come from your uploaded Assessing Grade, Condition, & Effective Year Residential Dwellings worksheet. Each card now shows both a picture and a plain-language explanation.
Condition reflects maintenance, deterioration, and utility. Compare the whole structure—not just one defect—and use the official DLGF guidance and county practice when assigning the final rating.
Conditions render the structure unusable or extremely limited in use and market value.
The building is approaching abandonment and needs major reconstruction to have effective economic value.
Extremely unfit for habitation or use.
May be described as condemned or “not habitable.”
The Poor card has been corrected to use a poor-condition example instead of a D-grade exterior example. Tap any photo to enlarge it.
Residential construction grades
Photos and examples from your corrected 70-page training worksheet. Grade measures construction quality and design; condition measures current wear and maintenance. These should be assessed separately.
A higher grade is not simply a nicer-looking or freshly maintained house. Consider materials, customization, framing, windows, roof complexity and workmanship together.
Grade A
Custom or superior residential construction
Exterior example Worksheet pages 8–12; photo p. 10
Typical features from the handout: 2x6 or 2x8 framing; select stone, brick or marble masonry; custom doors with sidelights or transoms; high-quality energy-efficient windows; complex, steep rooflines and 12–24-inch soffits.
Grade B
Above-average materials and design
Exterior example Worksheet pages 13–16; photo p. 14
2x6 or 2x4 framing; brick or stone veneer; wood-shake or cedar, steel or vinyl lap siding; insulated or solid doors with sidelights; upgraded windows; moderate-pitch gable, hip or gambrel roofs, with 12–24-inch soffits.
Grade C
Standard residential quality
Exterior example Worksheet pages 17–24; photo p. 23
2x6 or 2x4 framing; composite, aluminum, plywood or vinyl siding; optional brick or stone veneer; common insulated doors and double-hung windows; moderate-pitch roof and asphalt shingles. Typically production or tract-style quality.
Grade D
Economy or basic construction
Exterior example Worksheet pages 25–29; photo p. 26
The handout emphasizes 2x4 framing with 24-inch spacing; economical siding; no brick or stone veneer; basic wood or steel doors; standard windows; moderate-to-low pitched gable roof; 12-inch or smaller soffits.
Grade E
Lowest-grade basic construction
Exterior example Worksheet pages 30–31; photo p. 31
The handout uses mobile/manufactured homes and extremely basic materials as examples, including composite lap siding or textured plywood, wood doors and no soffit overhangs. Not all manufactured homes necessarily have the same grade.
Images are training presentation examples, not definitive grade determinations. See Indiana Real Property Assessment Guidelines, Appendix A, and local grading practice. The worksheet also includes intermediate grade factors such as C+1 and D+1.
Indiana inspection authority & field boundaries
Indiana Code § 6-1.1-4-15(b): For assessment, the assessor or authorized representative may enter and examine assessable buildings and structures after first making known the intent to the owner or occupant. This is legal authority for assessment work, not a general license to force entry.
Assessors: do
Identify yourself and explain the official reassessment purpose.
Document observable property features and improvements.
Seek access in a lawful, safe manner and follow office policy.
Record refused or limited access and report to supervisor.
Assessors: do not
Force open doors, gates or locked buildings.
Argue with or threaten an occupant.
Enter an unsafe area or confront an aggressive animal.
Describe inspection authority as a right to search unrelated personal items.
Taxpayers: may
Ask for identification and the reason for inspection.
Verify the representative with the county assessor's office.
Explain concerns or dispute property characteristics through official channels.
Taxpayers: important limits
Declining an inspection does not eliminate the property tax assessment.
Threats or violence are not an appropriate response to a visit.
Where a person objects to access, do not imply that law authorizes forced entry. Stop, document, and refer the issue to the office. Specific situations may require legal review.
Safety & difficult situations
Restricted/unsafe access
Locked gate, posted signs, loose dogs, hazardous site: do not force access.
Do not open doors or move property to gain access.
Use safe public/authorized vantage points where possible.
Record exactly what was visible and what was inaccessible.
Simple taxpayer explanation
“I'm with the county assessor's office completing routine reassessment. We verify the property record, including buildings, dimensions and exterior improvements. Indiana law provides for reassessment inspections. You're welcome to verify my identification with our office.”
Official source links
Links work when connected to the internet; the rest of this page works offline once saved locally.
This page is a general field aid; valuation schedules, land classification, grades, depreciation, sketch conventions, inspection documentation, and legal responses should follow current DLGF guidance and Montgomery County procedures. Last assembled October 22, 2026.
