About Us:

Mission Statement:The mission of the Assessor's Office is to value real and personal property efficiently, fairly and accurately, in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts fair cash value; to administer motor vehicle excise program, process exemptions, and abatement programs; and to address concerns of members of the public efficiently and accurately. 

What do the Town's Assessors do?
The Assessor's Office is responsible for the administration of all laws and regulations regarding real property assessment and valuation. The Assessors, as required by Chapters 59, 60A, 61, 61A, 61B, 121A of the Massachusetts General Laws and various Acts of the Legislature, perform the valuation of approximately 7,200 parcels of property. This includes residential, commercial, industrial, utilities, and personal property. The Assessors process approximately 21,000 excise tax bills on motor vehicles each year. The Assessors establish the assessed value of property each fiscal year and conduct hundreds of inspections to track value changes. The office is also responsible in tracking property sales and parcel changes to adjust mapping annually. In addition, the office is required to set annual tax rates for all classes of property each year.

Contact Us:

NEW real estate EXEMPTION applications accepted JULY 1, 2025 (fy26) THROUGH APRIL 1, 2026

Both Veteran (Clause 22) and Senior (Clause 41C) can be submitted on or after July 1, 2025, for fiscal year 2026. These will be accepted until April 1, 2026. All proper documentation is required to determine eligibility. Any questions, please contact the Assessor's office. 

FY26 VALUE INCREASE AND WATERFRONT

Real estate value increases are directly related to 2024 sales, construction, and depreciation. Based on these sales, the average single-family home will increase 9% from last year, which is normal (recently increases have been 5-10% annually). However, this year land values for waterfront property are too low and need to be adjusted up significantly affecting overall waterfront assessments. Average waterfront properties are increasing in value 25%, with some more and some less depending on property age, condition etc. Any questions should be directed to the Assessor's office. A reminder any appeals are only allowed in the January window and require a full inspection of interior and exterior of structures and land which makes up your full assessment.

The Assessor office is bound by statutes MGL Ch58/S38*, to assess at fair cash value and apply these changes annually based on current sales and statistics from the market. Please contact the Assessor's office with any questions.

 *Section 38. The assessors of each city and town shall at the time appointed therefor make a fair cash valuation of all the estate, real and personal, subject to taxation therein, and such determination shall be the assessed valuation of such estate.

INSPECTIONS program (on-going)

Routine cyclical and sales inspections continue throughout the year. Verification of property changes is a large part of the assessment and valuation process. These inspections help ensure fair cash value on all properties in town per MGL CH59, S38. These inspections provide the most accurate data to produce assessments. Without the proper inspections, the assessment is estimated based on available building permit data and other sources.

We appreciate your cooperation when completing these inspections and creating fair and equitable assessments for all taxpayers. Inspections are completed all year mostly by town identified vehicles with department staff unless special projects are underway.  

Any questions or concerns on any of these items please contact the Assessor's office at 508-543-1215. 

NEW tax rate fy25

FY25 Tax Rates per thousand in valuation: 

• Residential: $13.22 (13.51 FY24)

• Commercial, Industrial, Personal Property: $17.29 (17.99 FY24)

FY25 values will be posted in the GIS/database link in December 2024

Any questions or concerns, please contact the Assessor's office at 508-543-1215.