Anchorage assessment appeals hit a record, and the board filled up to cope

Anchorage property owners filed a record 1,990 assessment appeals this year, more than four times the number a year earlier, and the board that hears them filled every seat for the first time in over two decades to keep up.

The surge, laid out in a resolution the Assembly takes up Tuesday, dwarfs recent years. Owners filed 455 appeals in 2025 and had never before topped the 1,058 filed in 2009. To handle the flood, the Assembly appointed twelve new members in March, bringing the Board of Equalization to its full 21 seats. It had historically run with fewer than half of them filled.

Even so, the board completed 118 hearings this year, nearly double its usual 63, and the resolution honors its volunteer members for the effort.

Most appeals never reach a hearing. Owners file with the municipal assessor within 30 days of getting their assessment notice, and the board only hears cases the two sides can't settle first. Last year, 85 percent of appeals were resolved before ever reaching the board. Owners can challenge an assessment as too high, out of line with comparable properties, or simply made in error, and pay a deposit of $30 to $1,000 depending on the property's value.

Hearings continue at City Hall this week.