Requests for Information have been mailed to property owners located in the 2025 re-inspection zone. The 2025 re-inspection cycle will begin on March 1. Click here to see what areas are being re-inspected in 2025.

You can expect that a County Assessor will visit your property to perform an inspection at some time in a 5 year cycle. The purpose of these inspections is to ensure all assessment records are accurate and current so a correct Assessment can be developed.

 Reasons Assessors Visit Your Property 
1.  Verify new development based on development/building permits that have been taken out with the County of Grande Prairie Planning Department.  

2.  Check on the progress of a building project from year to year.

3.  Check the status of parcels of land to taking into account legislation set out in the Municipal Government Act (MGA) and associated regulations.

4.  Determine what the land is being used for. Such as Farmland vs. Non-Farmland and Residential Use vs. Non-Residential.  

5.  Verify sales information because the County's valuation each year is based on market value. For example:

  • what buildings/chattels were included in the sale;
  • was there a deal given to the purchaser or did they receive a discount; and 
  • make sure all the information is correct in the County's records.
  • Follow up on requests to re-evaluate and verify all the information collected on a property. 
What is an Assessment?

Assessment is the process of valuing property for the purpose of fairly and equitably distributing a municipality's total property tax among property owners. This process establishes the value of a property in relation to similar properties.  

Property taxes are generated when the provincial school and municipal tax rates are multiplied by the assessed value of your property. The municipal tax rate is also known as the municipal tax mill rate.

How can you tell if you are talking to a County Assessor?

All Assessors have photo ID for identification purposes and drive clearly marked vehicle with a County Unit number displayed. You are welcome to contact the Assessment department at 780-513-3952 to confirm you are talking to an Assessor. If you are not at home when we visit, the Assessor may leave a door hanger with information to contact the Assessment department.

Requests for Information

If your property is up for re-inspection in a calendar year, you will receive a Request for Information in the mail.

Why did I receive a Request for Information in the mail?

Assessors need to verify the information the County has on file about on sales and physical details about properties. The Request for Information helps the County verify our assessment details. It also allows property owner the opportunity to provide this information at their convenience.
How do I submit my completed Request for Information to the County?

Residents who receive a letter can provide property information to the County of Grande Prairie through the following options:  

  • Complete the form online.  

  • Complete and mail the questionnaire back to the County in the provided envelope. 

  • Scan your completed questionnaire and email it to assmtrfi@countygp.ab.ca 

  • Contact the Assessment department at 780-513-3952 to complete the questionnaire over the phone. 

 Will an Assessor still visit my property?

If you are located within the slated re-inspection zone and receive an RFI, an Assessor will still complete a routine drive by of your property to update photos and if needed, to verify the information submitted from the RFI. An Assessor may visit your door if additional information is required or if the RFI was not completed. If desired, a property owner may also request a full inspection of their property to review details with an assessor.

To request an inspection, call 780-513-3952.

2025 Re-Inspection Area

2025 County Re-Inspection Area

 

Types of Property Inspections

Annual Property Inspections (Yearly)

If you requested, and the County issued, a development permit, or if any other significant changes were made to your property in the past year, Assessors may visit your property to check your progress.

The purpose of these visits is to ensure that all characteristics of the property are taken into consideration when the Assessor is determining the property's value. This ensures the assessment is fair and accurate.

Property Re-Inspections (Every 5 years)

Each year County Assessors will visit a segment of County properties as part of a five-year re-inspection cycle. If your property is included in the identified zone, you will be visited.

The purpose of these inspections is to confirm that the County's data assessment records are correct and up-to-date so an accurate Assessment can be developed.

Properties that were recently inspected or have had no drastic changes made to the property will not be visited. All information collected during the inspection is subject to the Freedom of Information and Privacy of Protection Act.  

Assessment Quality

Each year, Alberta Municipal Affairs audits each municipality's assessment results to ensure they are complete, correct, and meet the quality standards set out in the MGA, Regulations, and Minister's Guidelines. Assessment Auditors examine the Assessor's required data submissions and reports back to the municipality upon completion. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What does an Assessor need to know about my Property to prepare the Assessment?

Assessors determine property values using similar variables to those used by real estate agents and appraisers, including:

  • Record of all property sales for similar properties in similar areas
  • Style of building (examples: bungalow, bi-level, store, shop)
  • Size of lot
  • Size of building
  • Year built
  • Basement finish, upper floors
  • Garage (examples: size, detached, or attached)
  • Exterior finish
  • Building condition
  • Type of roof
  • Fireplaces, air conditioning, or other special features
  • Site or location influences (examples: golf course, lake, park, ravine, river valley, commercial, institutional, multi-family, traffic)
  • Outbuildings

Data collection may be in the form of a physical inspection, in-person or phone interview, by mail-in questionnaire or using electronic data available through photos, land titles, etc. Your assessment is only as accurate as the information provided to, or gathered by, the Assessor.

If you have recently purchased the property the Assessor may also ask for information about the sale to determine if it can be used as an indication of typical market conditions.

What gives the assessor the right/permission to enter onto private property?

The Municipal Government Act states in Part 9 Division1 section 294 (1),(2),(3)

294(1) After giving reasonable notice to the owner or occupier of any property, an assessor may at any reasonable time, for the purpose of carrying out the duties and responsibilities of the assessor under Parts 9 to 12 and the regulations,

(a) enter on and inspect the property,

(b) request anything to be produced (to assist the assessor in preparing the assessment or determining if the property is to be assessed), and

(c) make copies of anything necessary to the inspection.

(2) When carrying out duties under subsection (1), an assessor must produce identification on request.

(3) An assessor must, in accordance with the regulations, inform the owner or occupier of any property of the purpose for which information is being collected under this section and section 295.

Does a property owner have to answer questions or provide information about their property?

The MGA says it best in Part 9, Division 1, Section 295

295(1 ) A person must provide, on request by an assessor, any information necessary for the assessor to carry out the duties and responsibilities of an assessor under Parts 9 to 12 and the regulations.

(4) No person may make a complaint in the year following the assessment year under section 460 or, in the case of designated industrial property, under section 492(1) about an assessment if the person has failed to provide any information requested under subsection (1) within 60 days from the date of the request.

Why do Assessors value property on a yearly basis?

The Municipal Government Act requires that all property in Alberta be assessed each year. Annual assessments ensure that changes in market value are captured regularly, protecting taxpayers from large market-driven assessment changes

What is the definition of “Non -Residential”

The Municipal Government Act Part 9, Division I, Section 297 defines non-residential as follows:

(4) (b)    “non residential”, in respect of property, means linear property, components of manufacturing or processing facilities that are used for the cogeneration of power or other property on which industry, commerce or another use takes place or is permitted to take place under a land use bylaw passed by a council, but does not include farm land or land that is used or intended to be used for permanent living accommodation;

What is the definition of Residential

The Municipal Government Act Part 9, Division I, Section 297 defines residential as follows:

4(c) “residential”, in respect of property, means property that is not classed by the assessor as farmland, machinery and equipment or non residential.

What does Machinery and Equipment include?

With a couple of exceptions, the Matters Relating to Assessment and Taxation Regulation, Alta Reg 220/2004 describes Machinery and Equipment as:

“ - materials, devices, fittings, installations, appliances, apparatus and tanks other than tanks used exclusively for storage, including supporting foundations and footings and any other thing prescribed by the Minister that forms an integral part of an operational unit intended for or used in

(i)    manufacturing,

(ii)    processing,

(iii)   the production or transmission by pipeline of natural resources or products or by products of that production, but not including pipeline that fits within the definition of linear property in section 284(1)(k)(iii) of the Municipal Government Act,

(iv) the excavation or transportation of coal or oil sands as defined in the Oil Sands Conservation Act,

(v)    a telecommunications system, or

(vi)    an electric power system other than a micro generation generating unit as defined in the Micro Generation Regulation (AR 27/2008),

whether or not the materials, devices, fittings, installations, appliances, apparatus, tanks, foundations, footings or other things are affixed to land in such a manner that they would be transferred without special mention by a transfer or sale of the land;

What is a municipal tax mill rate?

Each year, municipal councils determine the amount of money they need to raise through property taxes to operate their municipality. These operating costs will be used to determine the tax rates or mill rates.

A simple example to estimate the tax rate calculation is expressed in the following formula: Operating Costs / Assessment base = Tax rate.

The tax rate is applied to each individual property assessment using the following formula: Property assessment x Tax rate = Taxes payable.

This formula means that the assessed value of the property in dollars is multiplied by the tax rate set by the municipality. The result is the amount of taxes to be paid for each assessed property. A municipality may adjust its tax rate on a yearly basis depending on its revenue requirement. The tax rate a municipality chooses to set depends on the assessment base in the municipality and the amount of money it needs to generate using the property tax.

If the council requires more revenue to run the municipality and the assessment base in the municipality has remained the same, the council will have to increase its tax rate to generate the additional revenue.