Appealing a property assessment in Connecticut

The steps

1. Application to the town's Board of Assessment Appeals. A written application to appeal an assessment on the October 1 grand list is filed with the town's Board of Assessment Appeals "on or before" February 20 (for the October 1, 2025 grand list: Friday, February 20, 2026).

2. Hearing before the Board. The Board schedules a hearing, and "the appellant or their attorney/agent must appear in person at the hearing".

3. Appeal to the Superior Court. An owner still aggrieved after the Board's decision may bring a further appeal by filing with the Superior Court within two months.

What the assessment is measured against

"An assessment is equal to 70% of the fair market value of real estate", and "State Law requires that all taxable real property be revalued once every five years." Property is listed as of October 1 of the grand list year, and the tax is the assessment multiplied by the mill rate: 1 mill is $1 of tax per $1,000 of assessed value. (Town of Westport Assessor's Office, Frequently Asked Questions)

The arithmetic follows from the 70% rule: an assessment divided by 0.70 is the value the town placed on the property at its revaluation date. A $300,000 assessment stands for $428,571. On the median 27.47 mills, every $10,000 of assessment costs $274.70 a year; in Hartford, the highest at 69.95 mills, it costs $699.50.

Municipalities above the Connecticut median

The rate does not show an over-assessment, but in high-rate towns each dollar of excess assessment costs more. Municipalities above the 27.47 mills median for FY 2027, highest first:

Hartford 69.95 · Hamden 53.67 · East Hartford 47.24 · West Hartford 46.77 · Waterbury 43.34 · Manchester 41.00 · Naugatuck 40.44 · Wethersfield 39.98 · New Haven 39.962 · New Britain 39.18 · Derby 38.44 · Stratford 37.73 · Trumbull 37.42 · South Windsor 37.01 · Hebron 36.96 · Portland 36.36 · Vernon 36.31 · Plainville 35.86 · East Haven 35.78 · Bristol 35.30 · Granby 34.47 · Bloomfield 34.40 · Norwich 34.15 · Woodbridge 33.99 · Bolton 33.97 · Glastonbury 33.73 · Simsbury 33.67 · Torrington 33.46 · Middletown 33.30 · Canton 33.20 · Easton 33.15 · Enfield 33.11 · Chaplin 32.884 · Scotland 32.62 · Norwalk 32.00 · Middlefield 31.96 · Avon 31.80 · Bethel 31.71 · Rocky Hill 31.70 · Andover 31.58 · Montville 31.43 · Cheshire 31.36 · Berlin 31.15 · East Granby 31.10 · Columbia 30.75 · Sprague 30.70 · North Haven 30.56 · Redding 30.47 · Salem 30.20 · Watertown 30.04 · Winchester 30.00 · Bethany 29.99 · Meriden 29.99 · Brookfield 29.97 · Colchester 29.92 · Monroe 29.88 · Ansonia 29.46 · Newington 29.41 · Cromwell 29.28 · Newtown 29.26 · East Lyme 28.95 · Wolcott 28.90 · Windsor 28.88 · North Branford 28.81 · Plymouth 28.73 · East Haddam 28.67 · Milford 28.67 · Seymour 28.64 · Killingworth 28.47 · Prospect 28.47 · Stamford 28.47 · Guilford 28.40 · Ridgefield 28.36 · Durham 28.00 · Bridgeport 27.95 · Griswold 27.87 · Windham 27.85 · Ashford 27.80 · East Hampton 27.79 · Chester 27.78 · Tolland 27.78 · Lisbon 27.70 · New Hartford 27.57 · New Fairfield 27.54 ·

The full ranking is on the Connecticut rates page.

Sources: Town of Pomfret, Board of Assessment Appeals Application to Appeal (October 1, 2025 grand list); Town of Westport Assessor's Office, Frequently Asked Questions. Last checked October 21, 2026. This page summarises the official procedure; it is not legal advice, and the statutes and the boards' rules govern.