A property record card is the assessor's working file on the parcel, the source the printed notice draws from. IAAO also calls that file an appraisal card.
A property record card is the assessor's working file on a parcel, the source the printed notice draws from. IAAO also names that file an appraisal card, and it lives in the office that built the roll. The 2026 notice is a short letter; the card is the longer file behind the letter.
What is on a property record card?
The IAAO glossary describes an appraisal card, also called a property record card, as the assessor's document for a building and its site. It is an office file, not a deed and not a tax bill. Land and improvement figures often live as two lines on that same file. This page names the file. It is not a walkthrough of how anyone opens or edits one.
Look up if you are overpaying.
Why does the record card matter on a tax appeal?
Because the printed assessed value was drawn from whatever that file already held. A property tax appeal, when one is filed, is a later argument about the number that file produced. FairAppeal reviews your property and decides whether to file. The Fair Appeal review does not ask the homeowner to become the clerk of the card.
Related reading: the property tax glossary and land value versus improvement value.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a property record card?
- It is the assessor's working file on a parcel, the source the printed notice draws from. IAAO also calls that file an appraisal card. The notice is the short letter; the card is the longer office file behind the letter.
- Is a property record card the same as a tax bill?
- No. The card is the assessor's file. The tax bill is the later math, assessed or taxable value times millage. A deed is a third document, about ownership, not about the value the county printed.
- Does a property tax appeal use the property record card?
- The printed value came from whatever that file already held. A property tax appeal is a later request that the number produced from the file come down. The homeowner does not need to become the clerk of the card.