Assessor

Mission Statement

The mission of the Steele County Assessor’s Office is to serve the taxpayers of Steele County by uniformly valuing and classifying real property in an accurate, equitable, and cost-effective manner, as prescribed by the statutes of the State of Minnesota.

Responsibilities

The Steele County Assessor’s Office is responsible for identifying, valuing, and classifying all taxable real and personal property in the county. All assessments follow professional appraisal standards and comply with the Minnesota Department of Revenue and Minnesota Statutes.

Significant Elements of the County Assessor's Department

In Minnesota, property taxes fund most local government services. Steele County is responsible for collecting these taxes and distributing the funds to the county, cities, townships, and school districts.

Each property’s share of the total tax burden is determined by its value, use, and the levies set by local taxing authorities. The assessment function is governed by Minnesota State Law. According to Minnesota Statute 272.03, all real property must be valued at market value, which is defined as the usual or most likely selling price as of January 2nd each year.

Assessors do not set or predict property values. Instead, they act as historians, analyzing past real estate transactions to measure and reflect the actual market trends.

Primary Duties:

• Locate all taxable property within Steele County

• Determine use of each property to assign proper classification

• Estimate market value for each property and calculate tax capacity based on classification

• Notify taxpayers annually of their property's classification and market value

• Determine homestead eligibility for qualifying properties

Assessor Informative Videos