Board of Listers

Appeals / Grievances**

**For specific 2024 information please see 2024 Information re: Assessment Appeals / Grievances.

In Vermont, appeals of property assessments (property values) are known as Grievance Hearings with the Board of Listers.

Per state statute, 32 V.S.A. § 4111, an Abstract of the Grand List must be filed with the Town Clerk each year of all the property values in the town as of April 1 of that year.  In Maidstone, the list is typically filed in May.  By statute, the Abstract must be filed by June 4.

When the Abstract is filed, a Change of Appraisal notice is sent to any property that has a change in value. There could be more than one reason you may receive this notice. It may be there was a value change in your property assessment, or you may have a new allocation of your homestead/house site. Also, if you are in the Current Use program, a letter is sent about your new value allocations.

Anyone can appeal their property value regardless of whether there was a change or not, in any given year.  All assessments are subject to appeal by the respective property owners.  Anyone who wishes to appeal must file a timely Grievance Application with our office no later than the close of business on the first day of the official Grievance Hearing.

Grievance is an official time period by statute and is the first level of the appeals process. Once it begins and if you have not filed, you will not be able to appeal until the next year.  To appeal to any other level in the appeals process, you must have participated in the grievance appeal process first.

The Board of Listers will post an official notice of the timing of Grievance Hearings on this website and 5 public places (Town Clerk’s Office, Town Hall Bulletin Board, Maidstone Lake Bulletin Board, Roger Irwin Photography, Ed Tully Farm Stand). This usually occurs at the same time as the filing of the Abstract of the Grand List.

You may grieve in 1 of 3 ways:

• • • By mail or email
    • In person
    • By representation (with written permission of the owner)

In all instances, you must file the grievance form with the Listers’ office. You can download a copy of the grievance form here :

(A link to the grievance form will be provided as soon as possible.)

Appeal Inspections

An interior inspection of the property under appeal is advised although is up to the discretion of the appellant.
It is important to note that at the next local level of appeal, the Board of Civil Authority (BCA), an interior inspection is required by law as part of the proceedings.

Notices of Grievance Results

Notices of Grievance Results will be mailed within 2 weeks after hearings are closed. This notice will contain information regarding the procedure for appealing the decision of the Assessor to the BCA.

Appeals beyond the local level go to either the Vermont Superior Court or to the Director of Property Valuation and Review. Each level of appeal must be completed before the next can be scheduled. Please make sure you understand the deadlines and procedures for each appeal level for the dates are firm in statute.32 V.S.A. § 4111

An appeal from the Listers to the BCA begins with a written appeal from the taxpayer, filed with the Town Clerk, listing the grounds for the appeal. 32 V.S.A. § 4404(a). This notice must be filed within 14 days of the date of mailing of the result of grievance notice.