Assessing

Overview

Michigan law requires the assessor to annually value all taxable property at 50% of market value. Taxable properties include farms, homes, factories, commercial properties and vacant land. It also includes personal property for commercial and industrial businesses.

The Assessing Division also keeps records on ownership, addresses, homestead exemptions, sales, and land and building details for about 25,000 properties located within the city.

The city, schools, county, library, community college, and state use the annual values to generate revenue. This is in the form of property taxes. It is the fairest way available to them for collecting the money they need to finance their services.

Residential/ Commercial Re-inspection Program

The State Tax Commission recommends all properties be re-inspected every 5 years to update property information and assure more accurate and equitable assessments.

City property appraisers will be conducting inspections on building and other permits and owner requested inspections.  Due to COVID-19, safety protocols will be used for both interior and outside inspections.  If an interior inspection is required and the property owner is not at home, a door tag with the Assessing telephone number will be left. Those receiving a door tag are encouraged to call and schedule an inspection. Property owners may call the Battle Creek Assessor’s office at 269-966-3369 with any questions or to schedule an appointment.

Another option now available is to complete a short on-line questionnaire to help verify some basic information about your property.  In the I'm looking for ... search field above, enter "update property" and click on the first link.

Tax Rate Breakdowns

• Average Homestead Tax Rate: 45.34 per thousand
• Average Non-Homestead Tax Rate: 63.52 per thousand

For a breakdown of taxes by school district, look at our reports. These reports are made available in Adobe Acrobat format. If your browser does not already have the Acrobat Reader plug-in that is required to view these documents, visit the adobe website to access a free copy of the software.