County filing guide
How to appeal your property tax in Inyo County
Regular decline-in-value appeals. Supplemental and escape assessments have different deadlines.
Filing options
A filing-fee waiver may be available. Check with the county to see whether you qualify.
Filing instructions
Informal review
We have not established whether this county offers a separate informal review. Check the county's page.
The formal appeal window for 2026-27 has closed. The deadline was September 15, 2026.
Formal appeal
The Assessment Appeal Application, filed with the Clerk of the Board.
A detailed walkthrough is not available for this filing method.
After you file
Informal review
Confirm the informal review process with the county before submitting a request.
Formal appeal
Keep a copy of your application and filing confirmation. Watch for notices from the Clerk of the Board and follow the county’s instructions for any hearing.
Open my appeal plans →Contacts & sources
Assessor's office
Values your property, runs the informal review
760-878-0302
Clerk of the Board
Runs the formal appeal
760-878-0373 · appeals page ↗
P.O. Drawer N, Independence, CA 93526
This guide covers the regular decline-in-value appeal; supplemental or escape assessment notices follow different deadlines. Every date and fee here was checked against official sources, listed below with the date checked. If the county's page ever differs from this guide, follow the county's page.
Sources
Formal sources
Formal appeal window
- https://www.boe.ca.gov/proptaxes/pdf/lta26023.pdf · “The regular appeals filing period in each county will begin on July 2, 2026, and will end on September 15, 2026, for those counties where the Assessor mails assessment notices to all taxpayers with property on the secured roll by August 1, 2026. For counties where assessment notices are not mailed by August 1, 2026, the filing period is extended to November 30, 2026.” (checked July 10, 2026)
Filing fee
- https://www.inyocounty.us/government/board-supervisors/services-information/assessment-appeals · “Inyo County charges a non-refundable filing fee of $32 per application (a fee waiver request is available here).” (checked July 12, 2026)
Filing address
- https://www.inyocounty.us/government/board-supervisors/services-information/assessment-appeals · “Mailing Address P.O. Drawer N Independence, CA93526” (checked July 12, 2026)
Fee waiver
- https://www.inyocounty.us/government/board-supervisors/services-information/assessment-appeals · “Inyo County charges a non-refundable filing fee of $32 per application (a fee waiver request is available here).” (checked July 12, 2026)
Common questions about appealing in Inyo County
When is the deadline to appeal in Inyo County?
The 2026-27 filing period for a formal appeal in Inyo County ran from July 2 to September 15, 2026, so it has closed for this tax year.
What does it cost to file an appeal in Inyo County?
The county filing fee for a formal appeal is $32.
A filing-fee waiver may be available. Check with the county to see whether you qualify.
Informal review or formal appeal: which one first?
We have not established whether Inyo County offers a separate informal review. The formal appeal is an application to the Clerk of the Board, due September 15, 2026.
Which form do I file, and where?
We have not established which application form Inyo County requires.
The Clerk of the Board's address is P.O. Drawer N, Independence, CA 93526.
Check the Clerk of the Board's appeals page ↗ or call 760-878-0373 before you file.
How long does an appeal take?
You get written notice at least 45 days ahead, hearings are open to the public (you can watch one first), and boards are expected to decide within two years of filing. You can still settle at any point before your date.
Do homeowners actually get their assessments lowered?
More than 150,000 homes across California had temporarily reduced assessments in tax year 2025-26.
How appeals work in California
There are two tracks, and they are not the same thing
The informal review is a conversation with the County Assessor: optional, non-binding, and often enough to fix an inflated value. The formal appeal is a filed application to an independent appeals board. Only the formal filing preserves your legal rights for the year.
Start with the Assessor
The state's own guidance says to talk to the Assessor's office first: if their staff finds an error, they can lower the roll directly and you may never need to file. Missing an informal review costs you nothing; missing the formal deadline costs you the year.
The formal filing is what protects you
An informal request, an email thread, or a pending conversation preserves nothing. If the filing window closes while you wait for an answer, the year is gone. When in doubt, file the formal appeal and keep talking.
Most appeals end in an agreement, not a hearing
You and the Assessor can agree on a value any time before the hearing. The agreement is written and signed (a "stipulation") and goes to the board for approval, and the hearing is canceled.
Your evidence is comparable sales, and the law sets a cutoff
Boards decide on sales of homes similar to yours. By law, a sale that closed more than 90 days after the valuation date (January 1 for a decline-in-value appeal) cannot be admitted as evidence; submitting later sales is the most common mistake applicants make.
For your own home, the Assessor has to prove their number
For an owner-occupied single-family home, the burden of proof at the hearing is on the Assessor, who must present evidence first. You still need your own evidence, but the default favors you.
The board rules on evidence, and can move the value either way
An appeals board can lower, confirm, or raise an assessed value based on what is presented. That is why the appeal rests on comparable sales, not on how the tax feels.
Keep paying, and check again every year
Property taxes stay due while an appeal is pending; a win comes back as a refund with interest. A decline-in-value reduction applies to the year you filed for, so check your new assessed value each year and appeal again if it is still high.