Sharon B. Hilbish, ACTA - Marengo County Revenue Commissioner

08/14/2026

GOOD NEWS FOR ALABAMA’S PERMANENTLY & TOTALLY DISABLED VETERANS!

No More Annual Homestead Exemption Renewals!

In 2026, Gov. Kay Ivey signed House Bill 155 (HB 155), the Disabled Veterans Homestead Exemption Relief Act, into law.

Beginning October 1, 2026, permanently and totally disabled veterans who qualify for the applicable homestead exemption will no longer be required to complete an annual verification to keep their exemption.

To prepare for this change, our office is updating its records and software to separately identify permanently and totally disabled veterans from other disability exemptions. As part of this one-time update, you will receive an exemption notice. Please follow the instructions on the notice and indicate that you are a veteran so we can update your record under the new law.

Who may qualify?
This applies to a veteran who:
• Has been determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to be permanently and totally disabled;
• Owns a qualifying single-family residence; and
• Occupies the home as his or her primary residence.

What do veterans need to do?
If you are not currently receiving the exemption:
Please visit the Revenue Commissioner’s Office and bring documentation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs showing that you are a permanently and totally disabled veteran to establish your eligibility.

If you are already receiving the exemption:
Please look for your upcoming exemption notice, follow the instructions, and indicate that you are a veteran so our office can update your records and eliminate future annual verification.

This is a meaningful step toward reducing paperwork and making sure our disabled veterans receive the property-tax relief for which they have qualified.

Thank you to our veterans for your service and sacrifice!

08/05/2026

07/24/2026

Higher Property Values Don't Necessarily Mean Higher Property Taxes

Property valuation notices were mailed this week to Marengo County property owners, and while many residents may notice a significant change in their property's appraised value, that does not necessarily mean a dramatic increase in property taxes.

Beginning with the 2025 Tax Year, Alabama's 7% assessment cap helps protect qualifying property owners from large, one-time tax increases. Provided there have been no improvements, additions, or changes in ownership, the taxable value used to calculate property taxes generally cannot increase by more than 7% in a single year.

For example, if your property taxes were $1,000 last year, the most you would generally pay this year would be $1,070, even if your property's appraised value doubled during the countywide reappraisal. This law helps spread increases over several years, helping protect homeowners from sudden increases in property taxes.

Changes in appraised values are the result of Alabama's required four-year reappraisal process, which ensures property values reflect current market conditions and are applied fairly and consistently. During the process, the Alabama Department of Revenue reviews construction costs, land values, and recent property sales.

For the 2026 reappraisal, Marengo County's construction cost index increased from 1.23 to 1.50 to reflect higher construction costs. As part of the state-mandated reappraisal process, the Alabama Department of Revenue required updates to the county's land schedules for homesites, small tracts, and large acreage to better reflect current market values. Property owners with agricultural or forest land should remember that qualifying property will continue to be taxed based on its current use rather than its market value, helping keep property taxes lower.

Appraised values are determined using several factors, including construction cost, the cost index, the condition of the improvements, land values, and any applicable market adjustments.

A negative market adjustment is applied as a percentage multiplier. For example, a 10% negative market adjustment is calculated by multiplying the value by 90% (0.90).

Example Calculation

$100,000 × 1.50 (Cost Index) × 95% (Condition) × 90% (10% Negative Market Adjustment) = $128,250 Appraised Value

To better reflect local market conditions, a 10% negative market adjustment was applied to improvements on the east side of Demopolis and parts of the county, while a 7% negative market adjustment was applied to improvements within the City of Linden. These adjustments reduce improvement values in those areas and will remain in effect throughout the current four-year equalization cycle.

Marengo County's construction cost index of 1.50 is comparable to neighboring counties on the same reappraisal cycle, including Greene (1.50), Sumter (1.47), Wilcox (1.64), and Hale (1.75).

Property owners who disagree with their valuation have 30 days from the date on their notice to file an appeal with the Marengo County Revenue Commissioner's Office. Board of Equalization hearings are expected to begin September 1.

For questions regarding your property value or the appeal process, contact the Marengo County Revenue Commissioner's Office.

06/19/2026

📢 New Feature Alert!

Property photos and building sketches are now available when viewing property records online through the Marengo County AL App and at marengocountyal.com.

Every improvement is made with one goal in mind: serving you better.

Sharon B. Hilbish
Revenue Commissioner

05/30/2026

Marengo County Courthouse will be closed Monday, June 1 in observance of a state holiday.
We will resume normal business hours Tuesday, June 2.

05/12/2026

If you are trying to access the Marengo County GIS site from a previously saved bookmark and are receiving an error message, please delete the old bookmark and create a new one.

To access the site:
Visit www.alabamagis.com, select the Marengo County site, and then save a new bookmark.

The previous bookmarks are bypassing a recent update made to the site and may no longer work properly.

We apologize for any inconvenience. If you continue to experience issues accessing the GIS site, please contact our office for assistance.

Flagship GIS hosts GIS websites and provides support services to County Appraisers and Tax Mappers, primaritly in Alabama and Georgia.

05/08/2026

Need information about property taxes, appraisals, homestead exemptions, and tax collection in Marengo County?

The Marengo County Revenue Office booklet provides a helpful overview of:

✔️ Property tax rates and school district taxes
✔️ Tax payment deadlines and collection information
✔️ Property appraisal and assessment details
✔️ Homestead and senior exemptions
✔️ Mobile home registration requirements

This and more information is available in the booklet at the Revenue Office. Stop by and pick up a copy to learn more about the services and information available to Marengo County residents.

Visit the Marengo County website for more information:
www.marengocountyal.com or download our free app by searching Marengo County, AL in your app store.

05/06/2026

Due to the severe weather forecast for our area, the Marengo County Courthouse will close at 2:00 p.m. today, Wednesday, May 6.