That raises 2 questions. Am I allowed to tell them leave to my property?They can measure the exterior of your buildings and see what buildings are on the property. You do NOT have to allow them inside your home. If they have things on the assessment that are incorrect, you can go to the assessor's office and advise them of the errors and they should correct it for you without needing to go into the house. We have them now snooping around at the house we built for my daughter, and they keep leaving tags on the door that they want to come inside to see if the basement is finished and to see the interior of the house.
I told my daughter not to let them in. If they want to see the basement, they can look in the window and clearly see it is unfinished. If they want to know what the inside looks like, they can ask the building inspector who did all of the inspections that go with having a building permit.
I am pretty sure you can't deny them entry on your property. If there is a locked gate, they will use GIS pictures or a drone to see what buildings are present and then estimate taxes, which could actually be worse for you.That raises 2 questions. Am I allowed to tell them leave to my property?
2) what if I just own a gate and deny them entry to my property as I refuse to open my gate?
Yeah, I don't think confronting the poor assessor armed is good idea. A polite request to leave the property should suffice.Not disagreeing with the views put forth already, but as this is a gun owners site, I'd add the caveat that definitely take the law enforcement route versus pulling a weapon and demanding they vacate the property. Besides the poor optics (no pun) of overzealous gun ownership, my understanding of Indiana's castle doctrine is A) there must be an imminent threat to persons but not property alone and B) self-defense including lethal force is better defended inside than outside. Arguably if someone inside your dwelling there's little opportunity for removing yourself from the threat but outside that's a lot harder defense to make.
Not necessarily a legal opinion, just my understanding as I've researched the topic. It's been especially challenging as a renter versus a homeowner when landlords think a lease supercedes the constitution.
So in Indiana if a Tax Assessor comes snooping around your property can you tell them to leave or can they do as they please?
There are a lot of people in our county who build without getting permits. Additions, accessory structures, remodeling projects, pools, decks, etc. All lost tax revenue if the county doesn't know about it.I am really not adding anything to the discussion other than question the need to physically inspect. We have multiple properties in multiple counties. Every single one is on google maps. Property dimensions are all listed the tax registration. I can look them up with the legal description on the internet. I suppose if I doubled the size of a building without any permits, there could be a problem, but legit construction companies follow permit rules.
Even on our fenced properties, a $179 drone will give a clear picture.