Pottawattamie County homeowners pay a median of $3,067 a year in property tax on a median home value of $195,700. Its effective tax rate (property taxes paid as a share of home values, per the Tax Foundation) is 1.32%, the 26th highest of 99 Iowa counties. The Pottawattamie County Assessor values homes in Pottawattamie County at market value as of January 1 and mails a notice by April 1 if your value changes. Your protest goes to the local board of review. If you live in Ames, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Dubuque, Iowa City, Mason City or Sioux City, your city assessor and city board of review handle this instead.
Closed for 2026The 2026 protest window closed April 30, 2026 (June 5 in 17 disaster-declared counties), and the deadlines to appeal board of review decisions to PAAB or district court passed by early August 2026 at the latest. The next window opens in 2027, a reassessment year: notices go out by April 1, 2027, and you can protest to your board of review from April 2 to April 30, 2027. No protest window is open in October 2026 in the sources checked (the October window in Iowa Code 441.35 follows a state equalization order).
File a written protest with your local board of review between April 2 and April 30 of the assessment year. Mail it (postmark by April 30) or deliver it to your city or county assessor's office. Some boards also accept protests electronically (online) if they have chosen to allow it. Some county assessors say that if April 30 falls on a weekend, the deadline moves to the next business day (Polk County says this); the statute itself does not say so, so confirm with your assessor if April 30 is a weekend. In a county declared a disaster area (or under a state disaster emergency proclamation) after March 1 and before May 20, the filing period is extended to June 5. Example: Polk County took 2026 protests from April 2 to April 30, 2026; in 17 counties under 2026 disaster declarations as of May 20 (such as Woodbury, Clay and Henry), the deadline was extended to June 5, 2026.
Phone: 712-328-5617
Address: 227 S 6th St, Council Bluffs, IA 51501
County Assessor: Joe Casson
County website: pottcounty-ia.gov (look for the county assessor page)
The county assessor sets your home's assessed value, mails change notices by April 1, handles informal reviews April 2–25 (May 25 in disaster-declared counties), and accepts protests for the board of review.
If your assessment goes up, the assessor must mail you a notice postmarked no later than April 1. If your value goes down, you also get a notice. If nothing changed, you usually get no notice, but you can still protest. From 2027, if a home's value rises 10% or more compared with either of the two prior years, the assessor must give you the reasons for the increase.
Look up your home on the Pottawattamie County Assessor website and check square footage, bathrooms, condition and features. Mistakes are the easiest wins. Use our record card checklist.
Mail (postmark by April 30) or deliver the signed Petition to Local Board of Review (form 56-064) to the Pottawattamie County Assessor between April 2 and April 30, with your evidence; some offices also accept protests online. If your home is in a city with its own assessor, file with the city assessor instead.
Sales of three to five similar homes near you that sold for less than your assessment; A recent appraisal, or your own purchase price or a listing if you bought or tried to sell recently; Photos, repair estimates or inspection reports showing problems such as a damaged foundation or wet basement; Corrections to your property record (square footage, basement finish, garage, condition).
You must prove your case. But once you offer competent evidence that your home's market value is different from the assessor's value, the burden shifts to the assessor and board of review to support their value. At PAAB and in district court there is no presumption that the assessment is correct. From 2027 assessments, if your home's value rose 10% or more compared with either of the two prior years, and not because of new construction, improvements or a change in use, the assessor carries the burden of proof from the start.
Next step: Property Assessment Appeal Board (PAAB) or district court. Within 20 days after the board of review adjourns or May 31, whichever is later. If the board adjourned by May 31, that means June 20 (or the next business day if June 20 is a weekend or holiday). If the board stayed in session past May 31, for example in a disaster county, you have 20 calendar days from its adjournment. PAAB cannot extend this deadline. File with PAAB online through its eFile system, or mail the Appeal from Board of Review Action form to PAAB, PO Box 10486, Des Moines, IA 50306, or deliver it in person. PAAB does not accept appeals by email or fax. There is no filing fee. PAAB does not get anything you gave the board of review, so you must file your evidence again as exhibits. You can ask for a hearing (in person, by phone or by video) or a decision on written evidence. PAAB decides the value anew and issues a written decision after the hearing or written consideration. Instead of PAAB, you can appeal straight to district court in your county within the same deadline; court filing fees and rules apply. PAAB decisions can be taken to district court within 30 days.
The official appeal form is 56-064: Petition to Local Board of Review – Regular Session.
Open Form 56-064Enter the market value on your assessment notice and what you think the home would really sell for. We estimate the yearly saving if the board agrees with you.
Some states cap how fast the taxable value of a home can rise (California, Florida, Michigan and Texas homesteads, for example). If your taxable value is already held below market value by a cap, a lower market value may not lower this year's bill.
Fill in your details and download a written appeal statement as a PDF or Word file. Most boards also require their own appeal form: file the form and attach this letter and your evidence to it.
Tax Appeal Map is a free information site, not a law firm or appraiser. The letter is a template, not legal advice.
File a written protest with your local board of review between April 2 and April 30 of the assessment year. Mail it (postmark by April 30) or deliver it to your city or county assessor's office. Some boards also accept protests electronically (online) if they have chosen to allow it. Some county assessors say that if April 30 falls on a weekend, the deadline moves to the next business day (Polk County says this); the statute itself does not say so, so confirm with your assessor if April 30 is a weekend. In a county declared a disaster area (or under a state disaster emergency proclamation) after March 1 and before May 20, the filing period is extended to June 5. Example: Polk County took 2026 protests from April 2 to April 30, 2026; in 17 counties under 2026 disaster declarations as of May 20 (such as Woodbury, Clay and Henry), the deadline was extended to June 5, 2026.
File a signed Petition to Local Board of Review with the Pottawattamie County Assessor (or your city assessor if your city has one) between April 2 and April 30; if the board of review denies it, you can appeal to the Property Assessment Appeal Board or district court.
Phone 712-328-5617.
No fee.
Contact details change; call or check the office website before you visit.