Missed the Reassessment Window? Here’s What You Can Still Do

For many Kentucky counties, the 2026 Open Inspection Period runs May 4–18. Check your county PVA notice or website to confirm your local deadline.

If you opened your PVA letter back in April, set it on the kitchen counter, and meant to deal with it “later” — well, later showed up faster than you thought. The Open Inspection Period in Kentucky is set by statute. It runs 13 days starting the first Monday in May, which means the window for the 2026 appeal in most counties closes today, May 18.

If that’s you, take a breath. You haven’t completely run out of road, and it’s worth knowing what’s still available. And if you’re on the Indiana side of the river, your story this year is very different — and probably better than you think.

The Kentucky Side: What You Still Can Do

First, the honest part: If you did not request/complete the required PVA conference during the Open Inspection Period, you may have lost the normal path to a formal 2026 local appeal. There’s no extension, no late-pass, no calling in a favor. The statutory process is tight, and counties generally do not have much flexibility after the deadline.

But that doesn’t mean you have to just write the check and forget about it.

1. You can still call your PVA office. The formal appeal window is closed, but the PVA’s door isn’t. Many offices will take an informal conversation any time of year, especially if you can show them a clear error — wrong square footage, wrong condition rating, or a feature you don’t actually have. If they agree the record is wrong, they can sometimes correct it for the following year’s roll without you having to fight your way through an appeal.

1. You can start preparing now for next year. Reassessment isn’t going away. Most counties around here — Daviess included — work on a rolling four-quarter system, meaning roughly one quarter of the county gets a deep reassessment every year. If your area got hit hard this year, you’ll likely be in a similar boat next year as the market continues to move. Spend the next eleven months gathering what you’d need: recent neighborhood sales, photos of any condition issues, notes on anything the PVA’s record gets wrong. Then when the April 2027 letter shows up, you’re not scrambling.

1. You can get an appraisal now and use it later. This is one most people don’t think about. An appraisal of your home today, while the appeal window is closed for 2026, can still be used as evidence for next year’s appeal. Property values don’t usually swing wildly in twelve months, and a current, professional appraisal in your file gives you a credible starting point for the 2027 PVA conference. It also gives you peace of mind about where your home actually stands compared to where the PVA has you valued.

The Indiana Side: Some Actual Good News

Now flip across the river. The story in Indiana this year is genuinely different.

In 2025, Governor Braun signed Senate Bill 1 — the biggest property tax reform in Indiana since 2008. The reforms phase in over six years, but several pieces kick in for the 2026 tax bill:

1. SB 1 phases down the standard homestead deduction while increasing the supplemental homestead deduction — listed at 43% for 2026, rising in later years — and raises the homestead property tax credit to 10%, capped at $300.
2. A one-year levy freeze that holds total dollars collected by each taxing unit at 2025 levels.

The bottom line, according to the state’s own projections: two-thirds of Hoosier homeowners are expected to see a lower 2026 property tax bill than they paid in 2025.

That’s the good news. The not-quite-as-good news? Statewide assessed values still rose roughly 12% from 2024 to 2025, and the levy freeze is a one-year deal. So in 2027 and beyond, when local governments can grow their levies again, the math may shift. Plan accordingly.

Also worth noting:  Indiana appeal deadlines are different from Kentucky’s and are often tied to the Form 11/assessment notice timeline, with June 15 being the common deadline. Confirm the deadline with your county assessor.  So if you’re an Indiana homeowner who feels your assessment is off, you have more runway than your Kentucky neighbors do right now. Don’t wait until the bill arrives to start gathering evidence.

What to Have Ready When You’re Ready to Appeal

Whenever your next chance comes — whether it’s an informal PVA conversation this fall, an Indiana appeal after your tax bill arrives, or next May’s formal Kentucky window — a few things help:

1. Recent, relevant sales from your neighborhood. Now, if you’re in a $400,000 home, don’t bring a $90,000 foreclosure from across town. A sale that dissimilar usually won’t carry much weight.

1. Updates, or the lack thereof. When was the last meaningful improvement on your home? If it’s been since Clinton was in office, it’s worth noting. Basement that floods? Furnace that’s been on its last leg for three winters? Roof that leaks? Write it down.

1. Neighborhood context. The appraiser probably knows your neighborhood, but might not know about the rental property two doors down that’s been a constant problem, or the proposed Dollar General in the empty field across the street.

One Important Reminder About How This Works

Here’s the part most people don’t expect: an appraiser, acting as an appraiser, can’t advocate for your cause. We know you want your taxes lowered. That’s a given. So please don’t say, “I want a low-ball appraisal!” The appraiser’s greatest asset — the whole reason the report carries any weight with the assessor — is the ability to remain independent and unbiased.

If the number comes in lower than your assessment, great, you’ve got real evidence. If it comes in at or above, you’ve at least confirmed the PVA isn’t off base. Either way, you got the truth.

The Bottom Line

If you’re a Kentucky homeowner who missed the 2026 window, you haven’t lost forever — you’ve lost this year. Use the next eleven months. If you’re in Indiana, you’ve got more time and, for once, some genuine policy relief on your side.

If you’re in Western Kentucky or Southwestern Indiana and you want to figure out whether an appraisal makes sense for your situation — whether it’s preparing for next year’s appeal or sorting out the Indiana side — give us a call for a free consultation. We’d rather tell you it doesn’t make sense and save you the money than take an assignment that won’t help you.

Ryan Bays, SRA, AI-RRS, is the owner of Riverfront Appraisals in Owensboro, Kentucky, serving Western Kentucky and Southwestern Indiana since 2008. Reach the office at 270.281.0260 or info@riverfrontappraisals.com.