Petersham Board of Assessors
3 South Main Street, P.O. Box 87 Petersham, Massachusetts 01366
Office Hours: Monday thru Wednesday 7:30am - 3:30pm or by appointment.
Contact Name: Ellen Anderson, Chair
Contact Phone: 978-724-6658 / 978-724-6660 (fax)
Contact E-mail: [email protected]
Board members:
Ellen Anderson, Chair
Jean Robinson, Clerk
Jamie Hatch, Member
Andrea Gale, Assistant Assessor
THE ROLE OF ASSESSORS IN MUNICIPAL FINANCE
In Massachusetts, Assessors are either appointed or elected to three-year terms. State law requires that Assessors value all Real Estate and Personal Property subject to taxation. Assessed valuations are based on “full and fair cash value” as of the January 1st preceding each fiscal year. All of the Assessors’ activities are intended to insure that taxpayers pay an equitable tax. Every year Assessors conduct market studies to determine what value interim adjustments are required to maintain property values at or near 100% of market value. The State Department of Revenue (DOR) requires Assessors to submit their valuations for review and recertification every Five (5) years. Assessors do not raise or lower taxes. That responsibility falls to those citizens who choose to be involved with Town Meeting and budget preparation process. Assessors simply assess taxes in an amount sufficient to cover state and local appropriations.
In Massachusetts, Assessors are either appointed or elected to three-year terms. State law requires that Assessors value all Real Estate and Personal Property subject to taxation. Assessed valuations are based on “full and fair cash value” as of the January 1st preceding each fiscal year. All of the Assessors’ activities are intended to insure that taxpayers pay an equitable tax. Every year Assessors conduct market studies to determine what value interim adjustments are required to maintain property values at or near 100% of market value. The State Department of Revenue (DOR) requires Assessors to submit their valuations for review and recertification every Five (5) years. Assessors do not raise or lower taxes. That responsibility falls to those citizens who choose to be involved with Town Meeting and budget preparation process. Assessors simply assess taxes in an amount sufficient to cover state and local appropriations.
PETERSHAM MAPS & PROPERTY RECORDS ONLINE
Instructions on how to access Petersham Property Maps, Vision Property Record cards, and CAI Property Record Cards are now available at this link.
The Property Cards within this system are updated yearly. If you are interested in any current property Cards, please contact the Board of Assessors Office for further assistance.
The Town of Petersham Assessor Maps are for assessment purposes only - they are not a legal document. These maps do not have any deed dimensions on them as some of the current properties still identify tracts of land "by land now or formerly owned by" within their deeds, meaning the property probably has not been surveyed. If a property has been surveyed, which is a legal document, the recorded plot/land plan can be located on the Worcester County Registry of Deeds Website. These Assessor GIS Maps do not contain any Zoning overlays. For Zoning - please contact the Town of Petersham Planning Board.
The maps will open in a new window
AXISGIS
Instructions on how to access Petersham Property Maps, Vision Property Record cards, and CAI Property Record Cards are now available at this link.
The Property Cards within this system are updated yearly. If you are interested in any current property Cards, please contact the Board of Assessors Office for further assistance.
The Town of Petersham Assessor Maps are for assessment purposes only - they are not a legal document. These maps do not have any deed dimensions on them as some of the current properties still identify tracts of land "by land now or formerly owned by" within their deeds, meaning the property probably has not been surveyed. If a property has been surveyed, which is a legal document, the recorded plot/land plan can be located on the Worcester County Registry of Deeds Website. These Assessor GIS Maps do not contain any Zoning overlays. For Zoning - please contact the Town of Petersham Planning Board.
The maps will open in a new window
AXISGIS
PETERSHAM TAX RATE AND BILLS
The Town of Petersham FY2024 Tax Rate is $14.30 per thousand of value. Tax Bills will be due and payable, April 1, 2024. Filing deadline for Real Estate or Personal Property Abatements is Monday April 1, 2024, and must be in the hands of the Board of Assessors before 3pm. Interest on late payments is 14 percent per annum. If you own property in Petersham and do not receive a tax bill, please contact Tax Collector at [email protected] or 978-724-6620.
For information about Current Fiscal Year 2024 bills,
please visit this link.
To see a chart of annual Tax Rates from 1987 to the present, please click here.
Ellen Anderson, Chair
Petersham Board of Assessors
The Town of Petersham FY2024 Tax Rate is $14.30 per thousand of value. Tax Bills will be due and payable, April 1, 2024. Filing deadline for Real Estate or Personal Property Abatements is Monday April 1, 2024, and must be in the hands of the Board of Assessors before 3pm. Interest on late payments is 14 percent per annum. If you own property in Petersham and do not receive a tax bill, please contact Tax Collector at [email protected] or 978-724-6620.
For information about Current Fiscal Year 2024 bills,
please visit this link.
To see a chart of annual Tax Rates from 1987 to the present, please click here.
Ellen Anderson, Chair
Petersham Board of Assessors
VALUATION AND TAXES OF THE TOWN OF PETERSHAM MASSACHUSETTS
Click here for the Valuation and Taxes of the Town of Petersham, Massachusetts Worcester County for the year 2021.
FY2025 RECERTIFICATION YEAR
In order to comply with the Department of Revenue (DOR) regulations, The Town of Petersham Board of Assessors and our hired contractor - Vision - is required every 5 years to complete a Recertification Process. FY2025 is our Recertification year. Therefore, there will be exterior and drive by Field Review Inspections.
Please note that our Vision Contracted Field Reviewers will be completing the inspections with the Town of Petersham.
For additional details click here.
In order to comply with the Department of Revenue (DOR) regulations, The Town of Petersham Board of Assessors and our hired contractor - Vision - is required every 5 years to complete a Recertification Process. FY2025 is our Recertification year. Therefore, there will be exterior and drive by Field Review Inspections.
Please note that our Vision Contracted Field Reviewers will be completing the inspections with the Town of Petersham.
For additional details click here.
FAQ
I BOUGHT A HOUSE—WHY IS THE PREVIOUS OWNERS NAME STILL ON THE TAX BILL?
The official real estate taxpayer (taxpayer of record) for any tax year (fiscal year) is the owner on January 1 of the calendar year that the tax year (fiscal year) begins. The taxpayer of record does not change over the course of that tax year (fiscal year), even if the property changes hands during that time. Although the tax bill will bear the name of the assessed owner (taxpayer of record/previous owner) as of January 1, the new owner is responsible for all taxes once the sale of the property is finalized. For example, Owner A sells to Buyer B in June 2015. Owner A is the taxpayer of record for the entire tax year (fiscal year) from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 and both real estate tax bills will be addressed to Owner A in care of Buyer B. During the next fiscal year, Buyer B owns the property on January 1, 2016, bills for the tax year from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017 and beyond will be addressed to Buyer B. The office of the Board of Assessors -who issue the tax bills- can mail the bill in care of the new owner at the same or a different address as long as they are notified by the new owner. If the new owner notifies the office of the Assessors of the change, the subsequent bills will then be addressed to Owner A in care of Buyer B.
I BOUGHT A HOUSE—WHY IS THE PREVIOUS OWNERS NAME STILL ON THE TAX BILL?
The official real estate taxpayer (taxpayer of record) for any tax year (fiscal year) is the owner on January 1 of the calendar year that the tax year (fiscal year) begins. The taxpayer of record does not change over the course of that tax year (fiscal year), even if the property changes hands during that time. Although the tax bill will bear the name of the assessed owner (taxpayer of record/previous owner) as of January 1, the new owner is responsible for all taxes once the sale of the property is finalized. For example, Owner A sells to Buyer B in June 2015. Owner A is the taxpayer of record for the entire tax year (fiscal year) from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 and both real estate tax bills will be addressed to Owner A in care of Buyer B. During the next fiscal year, Buyer B owns the property on January 1, 2016, bills for the tax year from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017 and beyond will be addressed to Buyer B. The office of the Board of Assessors -who issue the tax bills- can mail the bill in care of the new owner at the same or a different address as long as they are notified by the new owner. If the new owner notifies the office of the Assessors of the change, the subsequent bills will then be addressed to Owner A in care of Buyer B.
FORMS
