Town of Didsbury

 Assessment is calculated using information from property files, verified sales data, field surveys, building permits, and site visits. Qualified assessors also value properties based on variables including lot and home size, basement finish, construction quality, and location. If you wish to see a guide for property assessment and taxation in Alberta, please visit the Alberta Municipal Affairs Property Assessment and Taxation webpage.

"Market Value Assessment" is a method of assessing the value of properties within most North American communities. It is the value your property would likely sell for in the marketplace. The Market Value Assessment will reflect the market value of the land and the market value of the building(s) on that land. The more a property is worth, the higher it's market value assessment, and the more the owner is expected to contribute to municipal and provincial education taxes.

Assessment values are determined as of July 1st of the previous year.  What this means is that the 2023 assessment values were determined based on the assessed market value of your property as of July 1, 2022.  This assessment value will be used by the Town of Didsbury when we calculate your 2023 taxes.

Property values are updated yearly, which means that your assessment may change every year. This is because market assessment reflects changes in home sale trends like location, property and neighborhood improvements, and general economic trends. If the value of properties has changed in the past year, residents can expect their assessments to change as well.

Property taxes are used to fund, in part, municipal services that are of overall benefit to people who live in the community, such as roads, lighting, and snow removal. Every property in Didsbury is assessed to determine the amount of municipal tax each property owner should pay. The tax rate is set yearly by the Town Council.

 Compare with others. Is your assessment in line with neighbors who have similar properties or with properties for sale in your neighborhood? What would you ask for your property if you were to sell it today? If your Market Value Assessment of your property is within 10% of your estimated selling price, it would be considered a fair valuation. 

 If you are still of the opinion that your assessment is not accurate, please do the following:

• Come and talk to our Tax Officer. You may ask for an assessment of three comparable properties in your neighborhood when you call. Also, if you have a current appraisal that is different than your assessed value, present that to us as well. If our assessor agrees that your assessment is inaccurate, we can send you a corrected assessment.
• File a formal appeal at the Town Office. If you are still certain that this assessment is not what your property would probably sell for, you may appeal to the Regional Assessment Review Board. Your appeal must be received by the date indicated on your assessment notice and on the official Assessment Review Board Claim Form and if necessary, the Agent Authorization Form. There is a $50 fee to lodge an appeal on residential properties and a $250 fee on commercial properties. You must still pay your taxes on time and if your appeal is successful, an adjustment will be made to your tax account.

As many of you know, Alberta’s property assessment complaints system underwent a significant consultation and review in 2009 by the ministry resulting in many changes to the provincial property assessment and taxation system.

One of the recurring issues raised by taxpayers during this consultation was a lack of access to assessment information. Stakeholder feedback indicated support for an enforcement mechanism for ensuring compliance with these sections.

Section 299 and section 300 of the Municipal Government Act provides taxpayers with the right to access information on how their property assessment was prepared, as well as access to a summary of an assessment for any property. These sections were amended as a result of the consultation by adding provisions outlining what types of information taxpayers are entitled to access.

If you feel the municipality has failed to disclose the assessment information upon your request; you may request a compliance review.  A Compliance Review must be made within 45 days of the assessed person’s request under section 299 or 300 of the Act. The "Municipal Government Act section 299 or 300 – Compliance Review” Form (LGS1408) is available by going to the Alberta Municipal Affairs website.

For more information regarding taxation, please email taxation@didsbury.ca or call 403-335-7724.

Linear assessment is the assessment for pipelines, wells, electric power generation, transmission and distribution, cable distribution, telecommunication carriers, and gas distributors.  Linear assessments and notices are processed by the provincial government.  

A complaint about linear property assessments is to be filed with the Administrator of the Municipal Government Board at:

Administrator

Municipal Government Board
2nd Floor, 1229 91 Street SW
Edmonton, AB. T6X 1E9 

Deadlines for filing a complaint will be announced by the provincial government and updated here at that time. If you require more information about filing a complaint, please contact the Municipal Government Board directly at 780.427.2444 or at lprt.appeals@gov.ab.ca