Assessment Services FAQ

Property assessment is the process of assigning a dollar value to a property for taxation purposes. In Alberta, property is taxed based on the "ad valorem" principle. Ad valorem means "according to value." This means that the amount of tax paid is based on the value of the property.

The municipality is responsible for ensuring that each property owner pays his or her fair share of taxes. Property assessment is the method used by municipalities to distribute the tax burden among property owners in a municipality.

The Assessment & Taxation process is governed by Provincial legislation; your 2018 Taxes are based on July 1, 2017 market values, as established using mass appraisal techniques.

Your property characteristics are measured against other properties that have sold, to calculate a market value. Characteristics such as location, age, size, quality, and others are all considered. You can confirm your property characteristics or compare other properties, by using our Sturgeon Gateway Property Viewer.

Alternatively, an Assessor is available to answer your questions via phone at 780-939-0601.

Payments must be postmarked on or before June 30 or received at Sturgeon County Centre before the end of business, 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 29, 2018 to avoid penalty charges.

Late penalty charges are as follows:

• 6% of current levy July 1, 2018

• 6% of current levy August 1, 2018

• 12% of total owing March 1, 2019

Outstanding property taxes from prior years will be subject to a 12% penalty effective March 1, 2018.

Payment by cash, cheque or debit card only, must be received at Sturgeon County Centre before the end of business, 4:30 p.m., February 28, 2018.

If you have recently purchased a property in Sturgeon County you would have received a sales verification form in the mail. The majority of municipalities in Alberta use sales verification forms to ensure that all properties which sold have the correct data, and assist assessors to determine if the sale represents a true market value transaction. The sales data gathered will determine assessed values for similar properties in the various areas of the county.

If you received a Request for Information form in the mail your property is either part of the current years 5 year cyclical plan, or you have recently purchased a property in Sturgeon County. Sturgeon County maintains a five year inspection cycle for all properties in its inventory in order to conform to provincial assessment standards. The five year re-inspection cycle ensures that property information held by Sturgeon County is as current as possible, and helps to ensure equitable assessments for all its residents.

• A re-inspection of a property will result in assessment changes if there is a change in the property that affects value (for example, a new garage, renovations or additions to the home).

• Any changes to the assessment of the re-inspected property will typically be reflected in the tax year after the re-inspection was conducted.

The options for tax payments are:

• By mail to Sturgeon County 9613-100 St., Morinville, Alberta T8R 1L9
• At the County Centre; cash, cheque or debit card only. Offices are open Monday to Friday during business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• At the County Centre through the mail slot; cheque only. Non-business hours, weekends and holidays.
• At most chartered banks, trust companies, credit unions and caisse populaire.
•  Via Telephone/Internet Banking through most major banks.
• Tax Installment Program (see below) for future years only.

 (Send tax bill remittance portion with your payment.)

• Make your cheque payable to Sturgeon County.
• Your cancelled cheque is your receipt. Please do not send cash through the mail.
• For your convenience a post dated cheque is acceptable.

Interested in joining the Tax Installment Payment Plan? Please visit the brochures page and follow instructions on the T.I.P.P. form to join this program. T.I.P.P is only available for future years.

• Guide to Property assessment and taxation in Alberta
• Municipal Affairs Property Assessment and Taxation
• Matters Relating to Assessment
• Education Property Tax Inquiries Phone: 780-422-7125 (Government of Alberta)

If you are concerned with the information stated on your assessment notice, we encourage you to use the following resources to receive answers to any assessment-related questions you might have.

Online resources

Our website (Sturgeon Gateway Property Viewer) gives you access to reports on physical characteristics and assessment details of your property and sales information of properties similar to yours

One-on-one support

 If you’ve come across an error in your assessment notice, contact us first. Most assessment-related concerns can be resolved by speaking with an assessor —with no formal complaint fees required. Call: 780.939.0601 Email: assessmentservices@sturgeoncounty.ca

Formal complaint

If you disagree with your property's assessment, you can file a formal complaint with the Assessment Review Board. For detailed information, please refer to ‘Assessment Complaint Process’. Remember that your duly completed complaint form and filing fee must be received by the Assessment Review Board no later than the deadline date indicated on your assessment notice. Complaints received by the Assessment Review Board after the deadline date will not be heard.

All complaints are sent to the clerk of the Assessment Review Board for Sturgeon County. For more information, please refer to the ‘How to file a complaint’ information package.

Supplementary property assessment is a process that Sturgeon County uses to establish the value added to your property due to new construction during the current taxation year. This process ensures that newly built properties are fairly assessed and are taxed equitably during the taxation year.

You will receive a supplementary assessment and tax notice if construction has been completed or occupied within the current tax year. The added value would not have been included in the annual property assessment and tax notices. Your supplementary property assessment notice indicates the amount your property assessment has increased due to new construction. If you have any questions, please call Sturgeon County Assessment Services at 780-939-0601.

Your property tax is made up of three components, including the municipal levy, the education levy and the seniors levy.

For every residential property tax dollar, 59% pays for municipal services, 39.5% is collected on behalf of Alberta Education and 1.5% supports the seniors housing as operated by the Sturgeon Foundation in the towns within Sturgeon County and the City of St. Albert.