Assessor

Steele County Assessor’s Quintile Reassessment (Summer 2020)

The mission of the Assessor's Office is to serve the taxpayers of Steele County by uniformly valuing and classifying real property in an accurate, equitable and cost effective manner as prescribed by the statutes of the State of Minnesota.  The Assessor's Office is responsible for placing an estimate of market value and classification of each property every year as of January 2nd. The values and classifications are used in conjunction with other factors for determining property taxes payable in the following year.

Minnesota Statutes require the assessor to physically inspect properties at least once every five years. This is called the “quintile” reassessment. You will start seeing Steele County appraisers in these areas taking photos and updating property characteristics to improve our records.

 All appraisers are required to wear a fluorescent vest with Steele County printed on the back of the vests. Each appraiser will have identification badges prominently displayed and be driving Steele County vehicles. We will inform city administration and law enforcement of the areas they’ll be working in. At this point, we will only be viewing properties from the exterior. If an interior inspection is required, we will contact the property owner to schedule an appointment.

 A map of the City of Owatonna detailing the quintile area can be seen here.

Outside of the City of Owatonna, we will be reviewing properties located in Deerfield, Havana and Aurora Townships.

Property Owners can contact the Steele County Assessor to verify the validity of the appraiser or with any questions or concerns.