Grievance and Appeals Process

Per state statute, 32 V.S.A. § 4111, an abstract of the Grand List must be filed with the town clerk each year of all the property values in the town.  In Mendon, the list is typically filed beginning of June yet per statute the deadline is June 24th. This is known as the Abstract of Individual Lists

When the list is filed, a Change of Appraisal notice is sent to any property that has a change in value. 

Anyone can appeal their value regardless of whether there was a change or not, in any given year.  All assessments are subject to appeal by the respective property owners.  Anyone who wishes to appeal must file a timely Grievance Application with our office no later than the close of business on the first day of the official Grievance Hearing. 

There could be more than one reason you may receive this notice. It may be there was a value change in your property assessment or you may have a new allocation of your homestead/house site. Also, if you are in the Current Use program, a letter is sent of your new value allocations.  

Grievance is an official time period by statute and is the first level of the appeals process. Once it begins and if you have not filed, you will not be able to appeal until the next year.  To appeal to any other level in the appeals process, you must have participated in the grievance appeal process first.

The office will post an official notice to the public on this website and 4 public places (Town office inside, Town office outside, Town Garage, De Palo Coffee). This usually occurs beginning of June. 
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You may grieve in 1 of 3 ways:

• By mail or email
• In person
• By representation (with written permission of the owner)

In all instances, you must file the grievance form with the assessor’s office. You can download a copy of the 2024 grievance form here :

Grievance Application Form 2025

A meeting with the assessor can be scheduled once the grievance form has been submitted. A meeting with the assessor is not mandatory although it is available to anyone filing a grievance. Please note that a grievance form must be submitted to have a meeting with the assessor. Any meeting arrangements that have been made without a timely grievance form will be declined. Meetings will be held in person, by phone, or virtual. To schedule a meeting with the assessor you can call the Town office at 802-775-1662.

Appeal Inspections

An interior inspection of the property under appeal is advised although is up to the discretion of the appellant. 
It is important to note that at the next local level of appeal, the Board of Civil Authority (BCA), an interior inspection is required by law as part of the proceedings.

Notices of Grievance Results

Notices of Grievance Results will be mailed within 2 weeks after hearings are closed. This notice will contain information regarding the procedure for appealing the decision of the Assessor to the BCA.

Appeals beyond the local level go to either the Vermont Superior Court or to the Director of Property Valuation and Review. Each level of appeal must be completed before the next can be scheduled. Please make sure you understand the deadlines and procedures for each appeal level for the dates are firm in statute.32 V.S.A. § 4111

For additional information, see the Property Appeals Handbook in Additional Information here:

An appeal from the Assessor to the BCA begins with a written appeal from the taxpayer, filed with the town clerk, listing the grounds for the appeal. 32 V.S.A. § 4404(a). This notice must be filed within 14 days of the date of mailing of the result of grievance notice.