Georgetown, Del., April 1, 2025: For all its bluster, Sussex County’s property reassessment, in the end, is going out like a lamb.

Monday, March 31, marked the final date Sussex County property owners could submit a formal appeal of their property assessments for the forthcoming tax year, and follows a yearslong process to update values in accordance with a 2021 legal settlement.

With nearly 200,000 residential and commercial parcels in Sussex County now reflecting real estate market rates as of July 1, 2023, fewer than 800 appeals were lodged with the County for consideration by the County’s Board of Assessment Review. The appeals represent about 1 percent of the total number of parcels in southern Delaware that could be revised.

County Administrator Todd F. Lawson said the final assessment speaks for itself. “Framed another way, the owners of 99 out of 100 parcels apparently saw no reason to contest, and I think that’s a testament to the fairness of a fact-based process,” Mr. Lawson said. “The credit goes to our staff, led by Finance Director Gina Jennings and Assessment Director Chris Keeler, for guiding us through this very cumbersome project, and certainly the public for their patience.”

As the project nears completion, the next step will be for County Council to adjust downward the property tax rate, in accordance with Delaware law, to ensure the County remains ‘revenue neutral’ in terms of the total amount collected. The new tax rate will be adopted as part of the County’s FY2026 budget in late June, and reflected in tax bills that go out this August.

For more information on the project, visit www.sussexcountyde.gov/reassessment.

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