Actual Year Built: The Actual Year Built refers to the year that a building on the property was originally constructed.
Ad Valorem*: Ad Valorem is a Latin term meaning “according to value.” An ad valorem tax is a tax based on the value of property.
Ad Valorem Taxes: A tax levied in proportion to the value of the thing(s) being taxed.
Adjusted Value: The product obtained by multiplying the unit value times the number of units, times the total adjustments.
Agricultural Classification: A land taxation classification (not related to zoning) granted to properties that are used in a commercial agricultural operation. Applications for agricultural classification must be submitted to the Property Appraiser’s Office between January 1 and March 1.
Appraisal Date: The Appraisal Date is the date in which the property was appraised by a field appraiser.
Amendment 10: Also known as SAVE OUR HOMES (SOH) – A constitutional amendment approved by voters in 1992 and taking effect in 1994. This provision limits increases in assessed value on property receiving homestead exemption to 3% or the Consumer Price Index (CPI), whichever is lower. CAUTION! When a property with the SOH cap is sold the cap and the homestead exemption are removed on December 31 of the year of the sale, and the property goes to the full appraised value. Taxes could be substantially higher than what the previous owner was paying. (On January 29, 2008, Florida voters approved a new constitutional amendment that allows qualified property owners to “port” their Save Our Homes Cap when they move from their homesteaded property to another Florida property. Another provision increased the homestead exemption.)
Appraisal Date: The date the assessments for a year are to be made. For example, if January 1 is the assessment date and a lot is vacant on that date, the lot will be assessed as vacant even though a building may be completed on it later in the year.
Arm’s Length Transaction: A sale on the open market between a willing buyer and a willing seller, neither of whom is related to or under abnormal pressure from the other.
Assessment Roll* (aka Property Value Roll or Tax Roll): An assessment roll is a systematic listing of information pertaining to the just valuation of all real property within each county in the State of Florida for purposes of ad valorem taxation.
Assessed Value: The value of your property after any assessment reductions, such as the Save-Our-Homes cap on homestead properties or 10% nonhomestead cap, have been applied. This value may be reduced by a Save-Our-Homes cap benefit “ported” from a prior homestead property. The assessed value will also reflect special use classifications, such as the agricultural classification. If the assessment reductions are applied or a special use classification is granted, the assessed value could be different for School and Non-School taxing authorities..
Base: Living area of the building. Base living area functions with living kitchen and bath area under the same roof line.
Baths: Baths refers to the number of bathrooms of the existing structure on the property. Bathrooms may be defined as full or half baths.
Bedrooms: Bedrooms refer to the number of bedrooms of the existing structure on the property.
Building Heated Area: Building Heated Area refers to the areas within a building served by heating and air conditioning.
Building Total Area: Building Total Area refers to the total square footage of all building areas.
Building Type: The Building Type refers to the primary use of a building on a particular property.
Building Value: The Building Value is the value of all of the major structures on the property.
Cadastral Map: A map listing the value, extent, and ownership of land in a given district for the purposes of taxation.
Cooling: Cooling refers to whether or not the building has air conditioning and what kind.
Deed Acres: Deed acres refer to the amount of land in acres as described in the recorded deed.
Effective Age: An appraiser’s estimate of the age of a building based on its physical condition at a particular time, rather than on the actual time since it was built (actual age).
Effective Square Feet: The sum total square footage of the results from multiplying the BAS square footage by their respective factor.
Effective Year Built: The Effective Year Built is part of the cost approach used to measure depreciation, determined by the utility and condition of the building.
Exemption: A reduction to the assessed value of property, the most common being homestead exemption.
Exempt Value: The Exempt Value is the total amount of all exemptions granted to the property or the homeowner for the stated year. These benefits are granted as of January 1.
Extra Feature/Special Building: Used to describe and value those items that are separate from the main structure(s), such as a pool, patio deck, or shed, for example.
Exterior Wall Type: The Exterior Wall Type refers to the type of structure of the exterior wall.
Factor: A number by which a given quantity (i.e., square footage) is multiplied in order to indicate a weighted result.
Fixture: For property tax purposes, a fixture refers to the sink, tub, toilet, shower, tub/shower combination, and/or bidet in a bathroom or powder room.
Foundation: That portion of a structure that lies beneath the floor system of all building structure.
Frontage: Describes the physical location of the building site in relation to geographic features which set it apart from most other sites.
Grantee: The Grantee refers to the person to whom the property is being transferred.
Grantor: The Grantor refers to the person from whom the property is being transferred.
Gross Area Square Feet: The sum square feet of the BAS (base) square feet plus each sub-area square footage.
Heated Square Footage: Heated Square Footage refers to the number of square feet for all buildings on the property that are considered to be enclosed and subject to heating or cooling.
Heating: Heating refers to whether or not the building has heating and what kind.
Highest and Best Use: Highest and Best Use is that use which will generate the highest net return to the property over a reasonable period of time.
Homestead: Homestead indicates if a property is considered a property owner’s permanent place of residence. An owner must be residing on the property and using it as their permanent place of residence in order to be eligible for homestead.
Improvement: Improvement refers to the structures located on a property.
Instrument: The Instrument is the method used to record the type of sales transaction.
Just Value of Land / Market Value: The Just Value of Land refers to the market value of only the land portion of the property.
Just Value / Classified Total Value: The Just Value is the combined values of the land and all improvements.
Land Use Code: A two digit code signifying the land’s use. Property use codes and land use codes listed on the tax roll are established pursuant to Florida law and reflect the actual use of the property as of January 1 assessment date each year; they are NOT zoning designations, do not reflect allowed uses of, or use restriction on the property. The use code may not reflect new construction or demolition that has occurred after the assessment date. The Property Appraiser has no role in establishing, changing, or enforcing zoning or building codes. Each municipality and the unincorporated areas have their own zoning and land use regulations, which are not reflected on or determined by the tax roll. Any zoning or land use questions should be directed to the municipality in which the property is located, or the Wakulla County Building Department webpage if the property lies in an unincorporated area.
Land Value: The estimated market value of the land.
Land Units: The Land Units refers to the units in which the property is measured.
Land Unit Type: The Land Unit Type refers to the type of units in which the property is measured (ex. acres).
Land Use: The Land Use refers to the primary use of all or part of the land for a particular property.
Land Value Agricultural: This Land Value Agricultural refers to the classified use value or AG value of the land if the property has been granted an agricultural classification.
Legal Description: A statement in words or codes identifying land for all purposes of law.
Location Address: The Location Address refers to the physical address of the property.
Mailing Address: The mailing address is from the last recorded transaction or homestead exemption application.
Market Value / Just Value: The Market Value is the combined value of the land and all improvements.
Mass appraisal: The process of valuing a group of properties as of a given date (in Florida the date is January 1), using standard methods and allowing for statistical testing.
Millage / Total Millage: The millage is the amount that is set by the Taxing Authorities which is multiplied by the Taxable Value. The resulting value is the amount of taxes to be paid for the property.
Miscellaneous Description: The Miscellaneous Description is the abbreviated description of the extra features or miscellaneous improvements on the property.
Miscellaneous Information: The Miscellaneous Information refers to the extra features or miscellaneous improvements with value for a particular property.
Miscellaneous Value / Total Misc. Value: The Miscellaneous Value refers to the value of the miscellaneous improvements or extra features on the property such as pools, patios, and fences.
Neighborhood: A Neighborhood refers to a group of parcels with common characteristics. A neighborhood may or may not be related to a subdivision.
Non Advalorem: Non-ad valorem assessments are based on the improvement or service cost allocated to a property (example~ Solid Waste, lighting, or paving assessments) and are levied on a benefit unit basis, rather than on value.
Official Record (OR) Book / Page: The OR Book and Page refers to the Official Records book and page number where the sales transaction has been recorded with the Clerk of the Circuit Court.
Owner name: The Owner Name is the name of the person listed on the last document processed by the Property Appraiser’s Office which conveys title or an interest in the property. This may not be the last document recorded with the Clerk of the Circuit Court regarding the property. If “Et Al” follows the name, then multiple owners are listed on the recorded ownership document.
Parcel Number: The Parcel Number is the primary identification for a specific piece of Real Estate property in Wakulla County. The number refers to the Section, Township, and Range of that piece of land, according to the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) utilized by the State of Florida. The Parcel Number is also known as the Account Number or Parcel Identification Number (PIN).
Personal Property: All property other than real estate that is not permanently attached and is, therefore, movable. Of this type of property, the Property Appraiser assesses only Tangible Personal Property, such as furnishings, fixtures and equipment used for business purposes, including rental furnishings. An individuals property and furniture for personal use are not assessed.
PUD (Planned Unit Development): “A land area zoned for a single-community subdivision with flexible restrictions on residential, commercial, and public uses” (Black’s Law Dictionary 8th Ed. pg 1188). In a PUD, residents own their home as well as a specific, designated lot (as opposed to an interest in common elements, as is the case in a condo).
Primary Exterior: The Primary Exterior refers to the predominant exterior wall type for the building on the property.
Property Usage: The Property Usage refers to the primary use of a property as a whole.
Property Use Code: A four digit code signifying the property’s use. Property use codes and land use codes listed on the tax roll are established pursuant to Florida law and reflect the actual use of the property as of the January 1 assessment date each year; they are NOT zoning designations, do not reflect allowed uses of, or use restriction on the property. The use code may not reflect new construction or demolition that has occurred after the assessment date. The Property Appraiser has no role in establishing, changing, or enforcing zoning or building codes. Each municipality and the unincorporated areas have their own zoning and land use regulations, which are not reflected on or determined by the tax roll. Any zoning or land use questions should be directed to the municipality in which the property is located, or the Wakulla County Building Department webpage if the property lies in an unincorporated area.
Property Value Roll: The master list of the assessed value of all taxable property within your government’s jurisdiction. The list is certified to all local taxing authorities by July 1 of each year.
Protected or Redacted Parcel: A property that is exempt from public records pursuant to Section 119.071 Florida Statutes. The data that is confidential and exempt from disclosure by our office is redacted, as indicated by asterisks or other redaction methods. We have made the non-confidential property information available online for your review, but we cannot provide any of the redacted data. Qualifications for Protected Address status are available here.
Quality: A subjective classification of a structure intended to describe materials used, workmanship, architectural attractiveness, functional design, and the like.
Qualification: Sales are determined to be qualified if the sale price reflects an accurate dollar amount relative to the actual Market Value of the property. Sales are unqualified if the sale price is not reflective of the Market Value. Sales such as those between family members, for instance, are often unqualified because the sale amount is far less than the Market Value.
Real Property: Rights to land and to the improvements to the land.
Sale Amount: The Sale Amount is the dollar figure for which the property was sold. A standard amount of $100 is normally used if the sales transaction is between family members.
Sales Comparison: The “Sales Comparison” value indicator on our website is a preliminary value indication as of January 1 of the tax year, based on the sales comparison approach to value only. This value is provided solely for your information; the Just/Market Value is the primary value established by our office for tax purposes.
The Property Appraiser values property using mass appraisal methods for property tax purposes. In mass appraisal, large groups of sales are used to provide value indications for large populations of properties every year. In Wakulla County, we have several hundred annual sales that we use to value several thousand parcels.
In comparison, an independent property appraiser values only one parcel at a time and typically selects three to six sales to compare to the property being appraised. The individual properties presented at the Value Adjustment Board hearing by the Property Appraiser’s office are presented only as examples of the comparable sales. They are not the only sales used in establishing values, nor were they considered identical to your property. Our appraisal models use hundreds of sales from the market, and through statistical analysis establish values that account for different property characteristics (such as size, amenities, construction quality, location, etc.).
Sales Comparison Approach: A method or approach in appraising in which a property’s value (or some other characteristic, such as its depreciation) is estimated by reference to comparable sales.
Sales Data: The elements of information needed from each property for some purpose, such as appraising properties by the direct sales comparison approach. Sales data for a property may include the date of the transaction, the Official Records Book and Page number (which is held in the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s Office), the recorded document stamp price, whether the sale is listed as qualified or unqualified, and whether the parcel is vacant or improved.
Sale Date: The Sale Date is the date of the recorded sale.
Sales Query: The Sales Query list is a list of all qualified residential sales in the same appraisal neighborhood as the subject property.
Save Our Homes Cap: A constitutional amendment approved by voters in 1992 and taking effect in 1994. This provision limits increases in assessed value on property receiving homestead exemption to 3% or the Consumer Price Index (CPI), whichever is lower. Caution! When a property with the SOH cap is sold the cap and the homestead exemption are removed on December 31 of the year of the sale, and the property goes to the full appraised value. TAXES COULD BE SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER THAN WHAT THE PREVIOUS OWNER WAS PAYING.
Secondary Exterior: The Secondary Exterior refers to the additional or decorative exterior wall type for the building on the property.
Section-Township-Range: The Section, Township and Range refers to the physical location of the property based on the 1 square mile Sections within the Range and Township. Properties within land grants are usually coded as Section 00.
Short Legal: The Short Legal is an abbreviated legal description listed on the last document processed by the Property Appraiser’s Office. This may or may not be the complete legal description. Please see the recorded document for the full listing.
Short Sales: A “short sale” refers to the sale of real property for a price that is less than the owner’s outstanding debt secured by the property.
Situs: The actual or assumed location of a property for purposes of taxation.
Square Footage: The Square Footage is the number of square feet for any area or subarea of a building structure. Usually the main structure is considered heated and certain types of subareas may be heated in full or in part.
Stories: Stories refer to the number of floors of the existing structure on the property. Stories may be defined as full or half story.
Subdivision: A Subdivision is the legally recorded name of a developed area.
Tangible Personal Property: Is everything other than real estate that has value by itself. It includes items such as furniture, fixtures, tools, machinery, household appliances, signs, equipment, leasehold improvements, supplies, leased equipment and any other equipment used in a business or to earn income.
Tax Base: The total taxable value of property within your local government.
Tax District: The Tax District refers to the primary Taxing Authority where a property is located.
Tax Roll Year: The Tax Roll Year refers to the year of the Certified Tax Roll information. Tax Roll Certification happens each year in mid to late October for that year.
Taxable Value: The Taxable Value is the difference between the Total Assessed Value minus Save Our Homes Differential (Portability) minus any Exempt Value. This is the value that will be multiplied by the millage rate to determine the taxes.
Taxes: Taxes refer to the property tax liability amount due to be paid. It is computed by multiplying the Taxable Value of the property by the Millage Rates of each of the applicable Taxing Authorities.
Truth In Millage (TRIM): A notice from local governments designed to inform taxpayers which governmental entity is responsible for the taxes levied and the amount of tax liability owed to each taxing entity. It enables the taxpayer to compare the prior year assessed value and taxes with the present year assessed value and proposed taxes. It also lets taxpayers compare the amount of taxes if there is no budget change for the upcoming year. The notice lists the date, time, and location of all budget hearings at which the taxing authorities will hear from the public. At these hearings, the taxing authorities establish the millage to be levied against the parcel of land shown on the TRIM notice. The notice also shows the deadline for filing a petition to protest the assessment and any denial of exemption. View a sample TRIM Notice.
Unqualified Sale: Unqualified sales may consist of foreclosures, court settlements, transfers of deed between relatives, etc., in which full market value is not arrived at in the transaction.
Vacant / Improved: Vacant refers to a property that had no buildings and Improved refers to a property that had buildings at the time of the sales transaction.
Value Adjustment Board (VAB): A board comprised of two County Commissioners, one School Board member, and two county citizen members. One county citizen is appointed by the County Commission and must own homestead property within the county. The other is appointed by the School Board and must own a business occupying commercial space within the school district. This board makes decisions on valuation, classified use, and exemption appeals.
Zoning: Zoning refers to how the property use has been defined by local planners