County Assessor

County Assessor:
Barb Scott
609 E. National Ave. RM 118
Brazil, IN  47834
(812) 448-9013
Fax: (812)442-9600

The office of the Clay County Assessor is responsible for accurately and uniformly determining the market-value-in-use of every property in the county.
This is achieved by using three approaches to value: Cost, Income and Sales Comparison. The State now requires annual adjustments of assessments to reflect changes in the market.
The County Assessor identifies, lists, and calculates the assessed value of all real and personal property in the County.

The County Assessor and Staff:
 • Oversees the general reassessment process.
 • Serves as member/secretary of the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals.
 • Insures countywide uniform property assessment equalization.
 • Discovers and identifies omitted property.
 • Calculates the total assessed value of each taxing district.
 • Certifies current assessment to the County Auditor’s Office
 • Utilizes recent sales of land to establish base market value in each neighborhood, adjusts the base values for location, nearness to amenities and other influence factors.
 • Is responsible for the selection of assessment software.

Why did my assessment increase this year?

The reassessment process for all counties in Indiana is required and monitored by the State. This process is a 4-year cycle in which the Assessor's Office inspects 1/4 of the county properties each year. At the end of the 4-year cycle, the office begins again back at the first 1/4th. We do this by conducting physical on-site inspections, reviewing permits, and also reviewing sale listings and sales disclosures. Any given day you may see our deputy driving around in a marked vehicle conducting the year's reassessment and ensuring that we have all our information correct. The state Department of Local Government and Financehas also updated the cost tablesthat we are mandated to use, based on the current pricing of construction building materials. For residential dwellings this increased an average of 10%-15% depending on the type of build. For commercial this increased the assessment by an average of 11%.

In addition to designing the reassessment format, the State of Indiana also mandates that each county completes an annual study comparing the county's assessed value of parcels to the prices that they have sold for. It is a requirement for our office to have parcels assessed at a value, on average, within 10% of the sale price. To do this we begin by looking at all sales that occur between the first and last day of the calendar year (in this case 01/01/2021-12/31/2021). We then eliminate certain sales that have unusual circumstances, such as major renovations that the assessmentdoes not yet reflect.

Properties are then compared to others in their respective township and are divided into "neighborhoods" based on geography, having similar characteristics, size, year built, condition, and type of construction. Based on calculations involving the sales comparisons, we then raise or lower the assessments on all properties in that “neighborhood”. Changes are only made to groups if there are enough sales to accurately represent the market. The sales prices of homes and materials rose sharply this past year, and as a result so did assessed values of properties in Clay County. To be compliant with the low end of the State's assessment-to-sale price comparison, we are seeing a rise of roughly 13% county wide.

Land Rates

The State classifies land in three main groupings: residential, commercial/industrial, or agricultural. To be considered Agricultural land the land must be farmed. The land rate for Agriculture is set every year by the State and can fluctuate, this year (the 2022 payable 2023 year) rising from $1,280 per acre to $1,500. This will raise assessed values on agricultural land by roughly 15% from the prior year.

Our office goal is to ensure accurate and fair assessments county wide while maintaining compliance with the State's standards and mandates. For any further questions or concerns, please reach out to us at the Clay County Assessor's Office.

Thank you,

Barb Scott, Clay County Assessor