Real property tax valuation: Ohio Supreme Court ruling gives force to legislative changes

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat Fischer

In a case that was previously discussed here,  the Ohio Supreme Court issued an important ruling in a real estate valuation case, Terraza 8, LLC v. Franklin County Board of Revision, 2015-2063, yesterday.

R.C. 5713.03 was amended in 2012 – allowing that the auditor may consider a recent sale price as the true value of real estate rather than shall, and requiring that the property be valued “as if unencumbered.”

Writing for a unanimous Court, Justice Fischer agreed with the property owner that recent changes to R.C. 5713.03 mean that County Auditors are no longer required to adopt a recent sale price as the true value of real estate, and that the purchase price in sale and lease back transactions can be rebutted by a showing that the sale price does not reflect the value of unencumbered fee-simple estate. The decision is available online here.

Finney Law Firm
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