Keep what the county already over-collected.
Most Virginia homeowners who appeal pull the record card, walk it line by line, and recover what the county took in error — the refund isn't a favor, it's an adjustment. The filing window runs 3 years from the assessment date — the Va. Code § 58.1-3984 window the county Board of Equalization enforces, with circuit court review on a denial under § 58.1-3984(C). The packet walks one homeowner through pulling the record card, building a defended packet, and showing up to the county BOE hearing prepared. Pay $37 once. Keep every dollar of the savings.
Pick the right county — the deadline on this page updates with the URL.
Land on /virginia?county=Fairfax (or Arlington, Virginia Beach, Henrico, Loudoun) to see that county’s Va. Code § 58.1-3984 filing window. Every other Virginia county ships “data pending” rather than a manufactured countdown.
Three steps. One Virginia appeal.
- 01Step 1
The assessment notice arrives
Virginia county assessors mail the assessment notice each cycle. The 3-year appeal window per Va. Code § 58.1-3984 runs from the assessment date on the notice — not from when the assessor mailed it or the start of the tax year. The deadline on this page is keyed to that citation, with the county-published BOE sitting calendar called out in plain prose.
- 02Step 2
Build the packet
The packet is sequenced the way you actually build the appeal: walk the county record card, pull three comps, draft the right letter (equalization, value, or factual error), slot the whole case into the evidence-packet template. Virginia county Boards of Equalization accept the filing by mail, online through the county portal where supported, or in person at the courthouse clerk's office.
- 03Step 3
File before the § 58.1-3984 window closes and show up
File the appeal within 3 years of the assessment date on the notice. Each county BOE sits on its own published calendar — sitting dates vary by county and the § 58.1-3984(C) circuit review runs on the same 3-year reference — so confirm the published window before scheduling. Then read the four-line script once the morning of the hearing, bring the packet, and answer the objections as rehearsed — not improvised. The morning-of packet is what the BOE chair flips through first.
The four moving parts.
Every Virginia county BOE appeal runs through the same four checkpoints. The packet targets each one, so the file the board reads is built the way the procedure expects.
- Appeal body01
Board of Equalization (county)
Every Virginia county convenes its own Board of Equalization, meeting in person at the county courthouse on the county-published sitting calendar. The same BOE hears every appeal in the county for that cycle. After a denial, the further-review path is the circuit court under Va. Code § 58.1-3984(C), operating on the same 3-year reference window the BOE enforces.
- Procedural grounds02
Equalization, value, factual error
Three grounds carry almost every winning Virginia case: equalization (your assessed value is out of line with comparable parcels in the same neighborhood code), value (your assessed value is above fair market value as of the assessment date), and factual error — wrong square footage, misgraded condition, an outbuilding counted twice. The packet ships separate templates for each; equalization and value are the most common.
- Filing window03
3 years from the assessment date
Per Va. Code § 58.1-3984, an application for relief from an assessment must be filed within 3 years of the assessment date on the notice — not the mail date, not the start of the tax year. Virginia county BOE calendars are set per county: Fairfax, Arlington, Virginia Beach, Henrico, and Loudoun each publish their sitting dates on the county site. The § 58.1-3984 3-year rule binds for all of them.
- Hearing format04
In-person at the county courthouse
Hearings run on the county-published calendar — most counties schedule their BOE sittings in the early part of the assessment cycle. The packet is what the BOE reads first; bring it bound, tabbed, paginated. The board will walk the comps with you and respond to the assessor's evidence on the record. After a denial, the packet ships notes for circuit review under Va. Code § 58.1-3984(C).
The five things Virginia
homeowners ask first.
The same questions come up before the appeal — and the same honest answers apply to a Va. Code § 58.1-3984 BOE appeal as anywhere else.
The five things people
ask before filing.
Read this once before paying. The same questions show up every time — and the honest answer to each is below.
Pay $37 once. Keep every dollar of the savings.
Start at the $37 packet and pay by card. Toggle the +$17 hearing-script bump on the way to Stripe if you want the four-objection rehearse sheet included — or upgrade to the $89 Pro tier and get the script, the comps worksheet, and the four-county packet index all in one.
What the Virginia kit covers
- · A Virginia-record-card audit checklist.
- · Comps worksheet + free comp sources list.
- · Three appeal-letter templates (equalization / value / factual error).
- · Evidence-packet template, BOE-formatted.
- · Va. Code § 58.1-3984 deadline guide for Virginia counties.
Questions first? overruled-2@polsia.app
Back to the broader kit → /#kit
Not legal advice. Overruled ships information and templates — checklist, worksheet, letter forms, evidence-packet template, and a Va. Code § 58.1-3984 filing-window guide — so you can prepare and represent yourself at a county Board of Equalization hearing. The further-review path on a denial is circuit court under Va. Code § 58.1-3984(C). It is not a substitute for a property tax attorney, especially for rentals, multi-property, commercial, or matters in active litigation. Paid firms typically take a percentage of your first-year savings; the packet exists so that money stays yours.