Assessment Complaints

Contact the Municipal Assessor

Many assessment concerns can be resolved without the necessity of filing a formal complaint, simply by discussing your assessment with the Municipal Assessor. Call the Town Office at 403-933-4348 and if administrative staff is unable to answer your questions, they will notify the Municipal Assessor who will contact you directly to discuss your concerns.

The Municipal Assessor will make every reasonable attempt to respond to your concerns and reach a mutual agreement. We request that any resident with an assessment question or concern make a reasonable effort to resolve the issue with staff assistance prior to filing a formal complaint. If, after speaking with the Municipal Assessor, you still wish to file a complaint, be sure to read the following information, as well as the information on the Property Assessments page.

Assessment Review Boards

Assessment Review Boards are "one-level" boards. There are different assessment review boards (LARB - Local Assessment Review Board, and CARB - Composite Assessment Review Board) to hear various types of complaints. The role and jurisdiction of each are outlined in An Outline of the Composition and Roles of One-Level Assessment Review Boards (PDF). You cannot appeal the decision of an assessment review board simply because you do not agree with the decision. You may request a judicial review if you believe that the board made an error on a question of law or jurisdiction.

Complaint Items

Section 460(5) of the Municipal Government Act states "A complaint may be about any of the following matters, as shown on an assessment or tax notice:

(a) the description of a property or business;
(b) the name and mailing address of an assessed person or taxpayer;
(c) an assessment;
(d) an assessment class;
(e) an assessment sub-class;
(f) the type of property;
(g) the type of improvement;
(h) school support;
(i) whether the property is assessable;
(j) whether the property or business is exempt from taxation under Part 10;
(k) any extent to which the property is exempt from taxation under a bylaw under section 364.1;
(l) whether the collection of tax on the property is deferred under a bylaw under section 364.1."

Note: You may not file a complaint regarding your taxes (i.e. the tax dollar amount)

Procedure and Deadlines

As an assessed property owner in the Town of Diamond Valley, you have 60 days from the Notice of Assessment date shown on your Assessment Notice to file a complaint with the Clerk of the Assessment Review Board.

A complaint must be filed on the prescribed Assessment Review Board Complaint Form (PDF), include the correct fee, and be filed before the end of the 60 day period.

Once the Clerk has received a valid assessment complaint, a hearing will be scheduled. The complainant will be notified of the date and location of the hearing. The Clerk will include, in the hearing notification, the schedule for the required disclosure of information.

Fees

The Town of Diamond Valley is currently working on a new Assessment Review Board Bylaw and the agreement for the same regional service that the Towns of Turner Valley and Black Diamond were part of. The fees will be made available once the new bylaw is passed. Please call the Town Office if you would like more information about Assessment Complaint Fees.

Forms and Documents

Learn More...

The Province of Alberta has published a handy brochure entitled Filing a Property Assessment Complaint and Preparing for Your Hearing (PDF) that will help you to understand and navigate the process and strict timelines correctly.

To learn more about Property Assessment within the Province of Alberta, please visit the Municipal Affairs webpages:

The required forms and other information that you may need to file an assessment appeal can be found below. Residents may also visit the Town Office and request the forms and assistance there by asking to speak with the Clerk of the Assessment Review Board.