Chester NJ 1 Parker Road
Chester, NJ 07930
Phone: (908) 879-5100
Fax: (908) 879-8281

Tax Assessor

New Jersey Seal

Tax Assessor: Maureen E. Kaman, CTA 908-879-5100 ext. 820
Hours: Tuesday & Thursday
mkaman@chestertownship.org

Assistant: Anna Maria McDougal 908-879-5100 ext. 814
Hours: Monday to Friday 9 AM to 4:30 PM
amcdougal@chestertownship.org

2011 Equalization Ratio: 89.21%
Chapter 123 lower & upper limit for appeals is 75.83 - 100%
2011 Tax Rate: $2.181 per hundred of assessed valuation

YOU DO NOT FILE AN APPEAL OF YOUR TAXES. The tax rate is not controlled by the tax assessor. The duty of the tax assessor is to ensure that assessments are fair and equitable. If you have any questions with regard to the accuracy of the information on the property record card which was provided to you in December, 2011, please contact this office. If you cannot find the property record card, please contact this office for another copy.

If you have any questions with regard to the fairness of your assessment, please contact this office. I recommend that you bring in any proof of value which you have by way of a recent appraisal, comparable market analysis, or sales of properties . similar to your house . which you have gathered. I am in the office Tuesday and Thursday from 9AM to 4PM and you do not need an appointment. You may also call this office or email me.

Maureen E. Kaman

Taxpayers considering filing an appeal should first consult with the Tax Assessor. Contact Anna in the Assessor's office or email her for further information on filing an appeal.

Tax Assessment

The Tax Assessor is a quasi-judicial position, a creature of the Legislature, whose authority is statutory and based in the New Jersey Constitution. The Chester Township Tax Assessor holds a Certified Tax Assessor Certificate from the State of New Jersey, Department of the Treasury, Division of Taxation. Although the Tax Assessor is hired and paid by the Municipality, the immediate supervisor of the Tax Assessor is the County Board of Taxation.

The Assessor's Office

The municipal Tax Assessor is responsible for the following activities:

  • Location and ownership of all real property in the taxing district; listing and describing property in a manner as prescribed by the Division of Taxation.
  • Determining taxable value of all property in the taxing district.
  • Equalization via district wide revaluation and maintenance and for purposes of State aid to schools.
  • Defense of Appeals – appearances at County Tax Board and State Tax Court.
  • Process and review copies of construction permits and valuation for added and omitted assessments and for COAH fees.
  • Sub-Divisions – assign block and lot numbers and valuation of newly created lot(s).
  • Tax Apportionment.§ Farmland assessment – valuation, review of applications, inspections, in addition to rollback assessments.
  • Continual Review of Property Cards to ensure accuracy.
  • Deductions – review for qualification pursuant to NJ State Statutes of Veteran, widow, senior & disabled.
  • Exempt Properties – Every third year reviewing all exempt properties and obtaining updated information to ensure qualification.
  • Chapter 75 – Assessment notification post cards mailed annually on or before February 1st of the tax year. The notification shows the current year assessment, the taxes paid in the prior year, and appeal nformation. If taxpayers have any questions with regard to the assessment, they should contact the Tax Assessor’s office.

Other functions in the assessor’s office are numerous and many including but not limited to updating the tax and sales maps; processing deed changes; updating property record cards; reviewing and updating claims for tax deductions and exemptions; maintaining exempt property, assessments, added and omitted assessment lists; sending out and reviewing Income and Expenses statements to income producing properties; and processing sales ratio data. In addition to which taxpayers, appraisers, attorneys, and others are constantly in and out of the Assessor’s office to discuss assessment issues. Public relations is an integral part of the role of the Tax Assessor.

Tax Appeals

A taxpayer does not file an appeal of his/her taxes but rather the assessment. Chester Township taxpayers who believe that their assessments do not reflect 100% of true market value as of October 1st, of the pretax year (the assessing date) have the right to file an appeal with the Morris County Board of Taxation on or before April 1st of the tax year. A Petition of Appeal may be obtained from the Chester Township Tax Assessor’s office, the Morris County Tax Board located at the Administration & Records Building, Morristown, NJ 07963 (973) 285-6707 or downloaded from the Division of Taxation website.

Properties with an assessed value in excess of $750,000 may file an appeal directly to the Tax Court in Trenton. However, all property owners are urged to speak with the Tax Assessor to discuss their assessment prior to filing an appeal. The Tax Assessor represents Chester Township in all tax appeals before the Morris County Tax Board. Usually appeals filed in the Tax Court of New Jersey require an outside expert appraiser be retained as it involves a lot of extra work to prepare for those appeals. The Assessor is required to ensure that assessments are equitable and that the municipality is not paying an unfair amount of county taxes.

Saver Rebate

This property tax relief program was instituted in 1999. Residents who owned and paid taxes on a home used as their principal residence are eligible. There are no age or income requirements. This rebate is applied for via telephone by June 1th, directly with the NJ Division of Taxation. The local assessor's office has no involvement in mailing forms, calculating rebate amounts, or processing claims. Call 1-877-NJTAX72, toll free, for additional information on this program. The rebate amount is based on the effective school tax rate and varies by municipality.

Homestead Rebate

This program is administered by the NJ Division of Taxation through NJ income tax returns (Form HR-1040 and NJ-1040 if required). Homeowners and tenants who pay property taxes on their principal residence in New Jersey, either directly or through rent payments, and whose gross income does not exceed $100,000 (65 or older, or disabled) or $40,000 (all others) are eligible. The rebate range is from $30 to $500.

Property Tax Reimbursement

A program only for those 65 or older or those receiving federal disability benefits. They must have paid property taxes on their principal residence directly or through mobile home park fees. Applicants must be NJ residents for at least 10 years and must have lived in the residence on which the reimbursement is claimed for at least 3 years. There are income limitations. Applicants must meet all requirements for the base and reimbursement years. The reimbursement are equal to the difference between the taxes paid in the reimbursement year and the base year. The program is administered by the NJ Division of Taxation. Filing deadline is March 15th. Call 1-800-882-6597 for information or to request form PTR-1.

Property Tax Deducation/Credit

A taxable income deduction from annual income taxes is available to all homeowners and tenants for their principal residence and filed as part of the NJ income tax return or on Form HR-1040, if not required to file an income tax return.

Forms

2012 Tax Appeal Filing Instructions

2012 Tax Appeal Filing Instructions

Links

A Short & Simple Glimpse at the Property Tax in NJ

Article courtesy of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities

Local Property Taxes & NJ State Government

Article courtesy of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities

National Personnel Records Center - Military Personnel Records

There is a new address for the National Personnel Records Center which is 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138-1002
The majority of personnel have moved to the new location and the military personnel records are in the process of moving. The entire move should be completed by the end of the Summer of 2012. The form will be updated with the new address within six months. The US Postal Service will forward mail if requests are mailed to the old location until February 2012.
As a reminder, ALL retirees and Honorably Discharged veterans should ensure that their family knows the location of their military Separation Document (DD Form 214 from 1950 to present and WD (War Department) Form 53-55 and other variations prior to 1950). Please note that registering a copy at the Morris County Clerk’s office does NOT make it a public document. Pursuant to the information received from the Morris County Clerk’s office, only the Veteran or immediate member of the Veteran’s family (with proper identification) may review or obtain a copy of the DD-214. Storing the Separation document in a safe deposit box may make it difficult to retrieve immediately upon the death of the retiree or honorably discharged veteran. The better storage locations are:
1-Fire safe in a secure location of the house (not in the bedroom, as this is where most thieves search first). Be sure spouse/NOK knows the location and has key/combination.
2-In a watertight food container (Glad, Tupperware. etc.) in the refrigerator. Most refrigerators are fire resistant. Additionally, a refrigerator is heavy enough to fall through the floor of a building into the cooler part of the fire in the basement and better survive. Finally, a refrigerator is large enough to be easily located in the ash and ruble of a fire or other serious incident. (As a bonus, everyone has a refrigerator, not everyone has a fire resistant storage box). Be sure to inform your spouse and relatives where to locate your Separation Document - and any other important papers.
As a reminder, the preferred method of submitting a request to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) is via the Internet. Please note that in some cases using a browser other than Internet Explorer may create problems with data entry. As you know, the NPRC provides copies of documents from military personnel records to authorized requesters. Our web-based application will provide better service on these requests by eliminating our mailroom processing time. Also, since the requester will be prompted to supply all information essential for us to process the request, delays that occur when we must go back for more information will be minimized. You may access this application at: http://www.archives.gov/veterans/milit...ervice-records/

This improved on-line request process should be used INSTEAD OF Standard Form 180 for requests from the veteran or the veteran’s next of kin, if possible. Your assistance with this initiative will allow us, and you, to better serve the needs of our veterans. If you do not wish to use the Internet, you should use Standard Form 180. You should print Standard Form 180 as you need it, not in advance because the form is periodically revised and updated. It should not be available on your web site. You can have a link to the NPRC web page at: http://www.archives.gov/veterans/milit...d-form-180.html
(minor changes were made to the original notice, to clarify information, by the Chester Township Tax Assessor 10/04/11)
The State of New Jersey has a $250 deduction for qualifying Veteran. Application should be made through the Chester Township Tax Office.

New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs

The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs protects the public from fraud, deceit and misrepresentation in the sale of goods and services.

New Jersey Guide to Tax Appeal Hearings

This brochure was developed to assist taxpayers in preparing for tax appeal hearings

Rebates & Reimbursement Programs

Information on the 2008 Homeowner Rebate

The Bank of America Homeownership Retention Program for Countrywide Customers

Frequently Asked Questions about the program

View and/or Print Tax Maps

This site allows you to view and/or print tax map pages