Open Book and Board of Review Dates by Town
These are the most recent dates each town has published. Every date carries its year. No town had posted 2027 dates when we checked, so these are the 2026 dates. Towns post the new year's dates once the assessor finishes the roll, often in spring, and we add them here as they appear. Your notice of changed assessment lists them too, if your value changed.(Wis. Stat. 70.365)
| Town | Open Book | Board of Review | Clerk (file your objection here) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison | 2026 May 4–8. Objections to the Board of Assessors were due Fri., May 15, 4:30 pm(source) | 2026 First meeting Mon., May 18, 4:30 pm; then as needed into the fall, after the Board of Assessors(source) | City Clerk's Office: 608-266-4601, clerk@cityofmadison.com(source) Assessor's page |
| Cottage Grove | 2026 Aug. 20 and 27 by phone; Aug. 25 in person, noon – 6 pm(source) | 2026 Hearings Wed., Sept. 30, 5 pm (the board opened May 4 and adjourned)(source) | Village Clerk: 608-839-4704, lkalata@villageofcottagegrove.gov(source) Assessor's page |
| DeForest | 2026 Wed., May 20, 9 am – 4:30 pm, by phone(source) | 2026 Wed., June 10, 5 pm, by appointment after filing the objection form(source) | Village Clerk: 608-846-6751, lundgrenc@deforestwi.gov(source) Assessor's page |
| Fitchburg | 2026 Apr. 27–29, 8 am – 4 pm(source) | 2026 First meeting Thu., May 14, 8:30(source) | City Clerk: 608-270-4200, clerk@fitchburgwi.gov(source) Assessor's page |
| Maple Bluff | 2025 Thu., May 22, 10 am – noon, by phone (2026 date not posted)(source) | 2026 Tue., June 9, 7 pm (village newsletter calendar)(source) | Village Clerk: 608-230-7651, sdanz@villageofmaplebluff.com(source) Assessor's page |
| McFarland | 2026 Not posted. The village holds two Open Book days a year; the change notice says how to book.(source) | 2026 Thu., May 21, 9 am, Municipal Center(source) | Village Clerk: 608-838-3153, village.clerk@mcfarland.wi.us(source) Assessor's page |
| Middleton | 2026 Not posted. The city's assessment calendar lists Open Book at City Hall, 7:30 am – 4:30 pm.(source) | 2026 Hearings Tue., Sept. 22, 9 am, City Hall (revaluation year; the board opened May 5 and adjourned)(source) | City Clerk: 608-821-8350, lburns@cityofmiddleton.us(source) Assessor's page |
| Monona | 2026 In person May 11 and 12; by email Apr. 30 – June 10(source) | 2026 Wed., June 17, 5–7 pm, Community Center; notice of intent due Mon., June 15, 5 pm(source) | City Clerk: 608-222-2525(source) Assessor's page |
| Mount Horeb | 2026 Thu., July 30, 1–3 pm, Municipal Building, or by phone(source) | 2026 Thu., Aug. 27, noon – 2 pm(source) | Village Clerk: 608-437-9408, Alyssa.Gaffney@mounthorebwi.info(source) Assessor's page |
| Oregon | 2026 Wed., Apr. 22, 3–5 pm, Village Hall(source) | 2026 Wed., May 6, 4–6 pm, Village Hall(source) | Village Clerk: 608-835-6289(source) Assessor's page |
| Shorewood Hills | 2026 Mon., May 11, 10 am – 4 pm, by phone appointment(source) | 2026 Thu., May 21, 9 am, Village Hall(source) | Village Clerk: 608-267-2680, info@shorewood-hills.org(source) Assessor's page |
| Stoughton | 2026 In person Apr. 20 and 21 at City Hall; by phone until 5 business days before the board(source) | 2026 Thu., May 28, 10 am – noon, Council Chambers(source) | City Clerk: 608-873-6677(source) Assessor's page |
| Sun Prairie | 2026 July 27 – Aug. 19 (revaluation year)(source) | 2026 Opened June 4; objections due to the City Clerk Tue., Aug. 25, 5 pm; hearings from Thu., Aug. 27, 5 pm(source) | City Clerk: 608-825-1148, ehilby@cityofsunprairie.com(source) Assessor's page |
| Verona | 2026 July 15 by phone, 9 am – 4 pm; July 16 in person, noon – 4 pm(source) | 2026 Hearings Tue., July 28, 6 pm, City Hall (the board opened June 8 and adjourned)(source) | City Clerk: 608-848-9947, hlicht@veronawi.gov(source) Assessor's page |
| Waunakee | 2026 Tue., May 26, 2–4 pm, by phone(source) | 2026 Tue., June 2, 9–11 am(source) | Village Clerk: 608-850-2827, kendres@waunakee.com(source) Assessor's page |
Download the data (CSV) · 15 rows · checked 2026-10-11
- Not posted: McFarland and Middleton didn't post 2026 Open Book dates online. Call the clerk or assessor; the dates come on the mailed notice.
- Older dates: Maple Bluff hadn't posted a 2026 Open Book date, so the table shows the last one it published.
- Adjourned boards: a Board of Review has to open within the state's spring window, but if the roll isn't finished it opens and adjourns to a later date.(Wis. Stat. 70.47) That's why Middleton, Cottage Grove and Sun Prairie heard objections in late summer or fall.
- Madison adds a step: objections go to a Board of Assessors first. See Madison Is Different below.
How the Year Runs
- January 1: your property is valued as of this date.(Wis. Stat. 70.10) The standard is full value, what it would ordinarily sell for at a private sale.(Wis. Stat. 70.32)
- Notice of changed assessment: if your total value changed, the assessor mails a notice at least 15 days before the Board of Review meets (30 days in a revaluation year). Not getting it doesn't cancel the new value.(Wis. Stat. 70.365)
- Open Book: the clerk posts the dates at least 15 days ahead,(Wis. Stat. 70.45) and the assessor is available at least two hours, in person, by phone or by video.(DOR guide)
- Board of Review: it must meet during the 45 days starting the fourth Monday of April, and no sooner than 7 days after Open Book ends. If the roll isn't done, it meets and adjourns.(Wis. Stat. 70.47)
- Tax bills: your value times the town's rate, mailed in December. See your tax bill, line by line.
Towns don't have to assess at exactly 100% of market value every year. Each must hit full value at least once every five years, and DOR reads that as every major property class within 10%.(Wis. Stat. 70.05)(DOR guide) That's why our tax rate comparison adjusts each town's rate for its assessment ratio.
Start With Open Book
Talking with the assessor is the first step, and it often settles things without a formal appeal.(DOR guide) Open Book is informal: no hearing, no oath. The assessor can still change the roll, so this is the time to fix wrong records, such as a bathroom count, square footage or a finished basement that isn't finished.(Wis. Stat. 70.45)
- Look up your record first. Assessment records are public, for your property and anyone else's.(DOR guide) AccessDane shows values for parcels outside Madison; Madison has its own lookup. See property lookup.
- Ask which sales the assessor used. Your assessor should be able to tell you which comparable sales were used.(DOR guide)
- Once Open Book ends, changing your value takes the Board of Review or a court.(DOR guide)
Objecting at the Board of Review
The Board of Review works like a court. It hears you and the assessor and decides only on sworn evidence.(DOR guide)
- Give notice at least 48 hours before the first meeting. Tell the Board of Review clerk, in writing or by phone, that you intend to object.(Wis. Stat. 70.47) No form is required for the notice, but DOR suggests writing.(DOR FAQ) The clerk is usually the town clerk in the table above.
- File the objection form. DOR's form PA-115A goes to the clerk before the first meeting or within its first two hours.(DOR guide) It asks for your purchase price, recent changes, listings and appraisals, and your own opinion of value.(PA-115A)
- Missed the 48 hours? The board must waive it if you show good cause and file during the first two hours of the first meeting. After that, it may waive deadlines through the fifth day of the session for extraordinary circumstances.(Wis. Stat. 70.47)
- Object to the total. If your parcel has a house, you can't object to just the land or just the building. When you appear, you give the board your written estimate of value and what it's based on.(Wis. Stat. 70.47)
- The hearing. You get at least 48 hours' notice of your time.(DOR guide) The board may let you testify by phone or by sworn written statement (ask the clerk). It must hear you by phone if you're ill or disabled and bring a letter from a physician, physician assistant or advanced practice nurse. You can postpone once. Don't contact board members about your case outside the hearing.(Wis. Stat. 70.47)
- The decision. The board votes in open session by roll call; a tie keeps the assessor's value. It must send you the decision and your appeal rights before it adjourns.(Wis. Stat. 70.47)(DOR form PR-302)
Let the assessor look. Refusing a written request to view the outside of your property can bar you from the Board of Review. DOR advises boards to hear owners anyway, but a refused inside view leaves the assessor to value the home from the best information available.(Wis. Stat. 70.47)(DOR guide)
Evidence That Counts
The board starts by presuming the assessor's value is correct. You have to show it's wrong.(Wis. Stat. 70.47) State law sets the order of evidence:(Wis. Stat. 70.32)
- A recent arm's-length sale of your own home, if it lines up with sales of similar homes. A sale between relatives usually isn't arm's-length.
- Recent sales of comparable homes: similar location, style, age, size and features.
- Only without those: less comparable sales, listings, cost and income approaches, appraisals.(DOR guide)
A professional appraisal is a reliable estimate of market value. Witnesses testify under oath, and you can question the assessor.(DOR guide)
What doesn't work: comparing your assessment to your neighbors' assessments (compare it to sales instead), and "my taxes are too high." The board decides value only. A remodel's cost isn't automatically its value, and normal repairs usually don't change an assessment.(DOR guide)
Madison Is Different
Madison uses a Board of Assessors, a review by the assessor's own staff that comes before the Board of Review.(City Assessor) In 2026, Open Book ran May 4–8 and objections were due Friday, May 15, at 4:30 pm.(City Assessor) After the Board of Assessors decides, you have 15 days to give the assessor written notice that you're taking it to the Board of Review.(Wis. Stat. 70.075) If you miss the May deadline, you ask the Board of Review for a waiver.(City Assessor) More in the Madison property tax guide.
After the Board of Review
You can't go to court or to DOR unless you went to the Board of Review first.(DOR guide) The board's decision notice lists three routes:(DOR form PR-302)
| Route | Deadline | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit court (certiorari) | 90 days after you get the board's decision(Wis. Stat. 70.47(13)) | The judge reviews the board's record only: no new evidence, and the decision stands if it has any substantial basis.(DOR guide) |
| DOR review | 20 days after you get the decision(Wis. Stat. 70.85) | Only for property the board valued at $1 million or less. $100 fee. DOR changes the value only if yours is more than 10% off the town's general level of assessment.(Wis. Stat. 70.85) |
| Excessive assessment claim | January 31 of the year the tax is payable(Wis. Stat. 74.37) | A written claim served on the town clerk. You must have gone to the Board of Review (unless you never got a change notice) and paid your taxes on time. You can't also use certiorari or DOR review for the same year. If the town denies it, you have 90 days to sue, and that court can hear new evidence.(Wis. Stat. 74.37) |
To skip the hearing and go straight to court, ask the board to waive it with DOR form PA-813; a 74.37 court action then has to start within 60 days.(DOR FAQ) Manufacturing property is assessed by DOR, not the town, and its objections go to DOR's State Board of Assessors, then the Tax Appeals Commission.(Wis. Stat. 70.995)
Questions
When can I appeal my property assessment in Dane County?
In the spring or summer, during your town's Open Book and Board of Review. Most of the 15 towns we track held them between late April and June in 2026, but towns that revalued or weren't ready met later, as late as Sep 30, 2026. Once the Board of Review adjourns, the year's value is set.
What is Open Book?
An informal period before the Board of Review when the assessment roll is open and you can talk to the assessor about your value. There's no hearing and no sworn testimony, and the assessor can still fix the roll.
How do I object at the Board of Review?
Tell the Board of Review clerk, in writing or by phone, at least 48 hours before the board's first meeting that you intend to object. Then file DOR's objection form, PA-115A, before or within the first two hours of that meeting. The board can waive the 48-hour notice for good cause.
What evidence works at the Board of Review?
A recent arm's-length sale of your home comes first, then recent sales of comparable homes. Your neighbors' assessments and the size of your tax bill don't count.
I missed the Board of Review. Can I still appeal?
Usually not for this year. The excessive assessment claim (Wis. Stat. 74.37) generally requires that you went through the Board of Review first, unless you never received a notice of changed assessment. Watch for next year's notice.
When will the 2027 dates be posted?
None of the 15 towns had posted 2027 dates when we checked. Towns post them as their assessors finish the roll, so we add each one as it appears. Your notice of changed assessment also lists them.