Assessor

Overview & Department Function 

The Assessing Department consists of the city assessor and an appraiser 3. Both employees are certified by the State Tax Commission as Michigan Advanced Assessing Officers.

The Assessing Department is the first link in the property tax revenue chain. The Assessor's responsibility is the discovery, listing, and valuation of all properties within the assessing jurisdiction. The primary purpose of the Assessing Department is to estimate the fair market value, or "true cash value," of all real and personal property located within the City of St. Clair Shores.

The Assessor has the responsibility to study the transactions of the market and to appraise all property in accordance with market trends. The Assessing Department also keeps track of ownership changes, maintains maps of parcel boundaries, maintains legal descriptions for all land, and prepares sketches of all buildings and summarizes their characteristics. The office also tracks individuals and organizations eligible for exemptions and other forms of property tax relief.

Inspection of Records

• Records are available for inspection at the Tax, Water & Assessing Department located at City Hall during normal business hours Monday through Friday except for holidays. 
• Property details may also be found online 24 hours a day at no cost by clicking the property information search link to the right. 
• Direct inquiries may be made to either:
  • Teri Socia 
  • Vicky Shipman

If phone lines are busy, please leave a detailed message and your call will be returned within 2 business days.  If inquiring by email, please also allow 2 business days for a response.  If no response is received within that timeframe, your inquiry may have been blocked through our firewall.  Please follow up with a phone call. 

While assessing staff are usually available during the day, if you wish to meet with an assessor regarding your inquiry, please contact the office prior to coming in as some days the staff is in the field and tax employees may not be able to assist with detailed questions.

The Assessing Office maintains 20 years of assessment rolls. For copies of documents prior to 2011, a FOIA request must be filed at the City Clerk's office. Once received, the assessor will comply with the FOIA timeline. Copies of any assessment documents readily available will be made at the time of request at the office for $1 per page.  

If you review your record card and find an error after the assessment notice has been issued but prior to the March Board of Review, please contact our office to see if the error can be fixed without formally appealing to the Board.