Board of Assessors

Mission Statement:

The Town of Norwell's Board of Assessors and Assessors Office staff are committed to fairly and equitably assess all Real Estate and Personal Property located within their jurisdiction at full and fair market value in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws regarding assessment, and mass appraisal.

Assessor's Office Staff  & Credentials: 

The Town of Norwell has an assessing office has a staff of two full-time employees and one part-time employee who handle the day to day activities of the department, under the direction of the Board. The Principal Assessor is a Massachusetts Accredited Assessor, other office staff is not required to be accredited. Accredited Assessors are required to maintain their accreditation every two years under the guidelines set by the Massachusetts Association of Assessing Officers (MAAO) through courses and meetings.   

The Board of Assessors is a three member elected board, each member being elected on alternate years. Once elected or appointed, an Assessor in this state must successfully complete a 30-hour course in Assessment Administration and Law (and pass the 3-hour exam) offered across the state at no charge by the Department of Revenue. 

Disclaimer:

Assessors' Maps Are NOT Property Line Maps

"Assessors have historically warned visitors to their offices that the tax maps are not property line plans. They are an inventory of all the ownerships of land within their municipality and they approximate the geometric size and shape of individual parcels. Compiled from recorded individual subdivision and plans of land, the maps are a composite index of a municipality's land records. No certification of the accuracy of assessors' parcel lines is ever conveyed."  - John A. Hammer, III, Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors & Civil Engineers

"...the purpose of the maps is only to sufficiently describe the property in question in order to provide effective notice of which property is being taxed"  - Attorney General Robert H. Quinn, January 31, 1972