Assessors

Mission Statement

The Assessors' Office is responsible for the administration of all laws and regulations regarding property tax assessment. The Assessors, as required by Chapters 59, 60A, 61, 61B, 121A of the Massachusetts General Laws and various Acts of the Legislature, perform the appraisal of approximately 14,700+/- parcels of property. This includes residential, commercial, industrial, utilities, and personal property. The role of the Assessors Office is the valuation of all real and personal property throughout the City of Salem in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Assessed values in Massachusetts are based on “full and fair cash value”, or 100 percent of the fair market value as of January 1st of each year.  Assessors submit these values for approval to the State Department of Revenue every year. To meet these requirements, the Assessors are obligated to revalue all properties yearly and, once every five years, undergo a state recertification audit. This is accomplished through inspections, maintenance and administration of all property tax data records. In addition, the Assessors Office responsibilities include processing deeds and ownership information, tax map maintenance, property tax abatements, personal exemptions, motor vehicle and boat excise tax, and various real estate related inquiries.

FY2024 Tax Rates:

Residential:       $11.62
Commercial:      $23.69
Industrial:          $23.69
Personal Prop:  $23.69

Staff Contacts

Name Title Phone
Stephen Cortes Director of Assessing (978) 619-5606
Jim Bond Assistant Assessor (978) 619-5607
Gloria Felix Principal Clerk (978) 619-5608
James Hall Assistant Assessor (978) 619-5609
Claudia Forgione Principal Clerk (978) 619-5618

Exemption applications, Boats/Moorings, Excise abatements, Inspection scheduling

Abutters List, Deeds/Ownership, Excise abatements, Address changes, Inspection scheduling

Business Personal Property assessments, Property inspections

Building Permit inspections, Cyclical inspections, Sales Verification Inspections

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