special assessment

American  

noun

1. a tax levied by a local government on private property to pay the cost of local public improvements, as sidewalk construction or sewage disposal, that are of general benefit to the property taxed.

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special assessment British  

noun

1. (in the US) a special charge levied on property owners by a county or municipality to help pay the costs of a civic improvement that increases the value of their property

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Etymology

Origin of special assessment

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Upgrades through these loans can be treated as a public benefit and repaid through a special assessment on the property tax bill, which can reduce risk and lower capital costs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Anderson also waived a $2,000 fine proposed by prosecutors, citing Woodbury’s financial circumstances, and ordered him to pay a mandatory $10 special assessment, according to the judgment.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 7, 2026

A special assessment by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation had reduced per-share earnings by 74 cents, the bank said.

From New York Times • Jan. 12, 2024

"While the special assessment is meaningful in terms of dollars overall to the industry, it is not as meaningful on a per-bank basis," Raymond James analysts wrote in a note.

From Reuters • May 12, 2023

The American Federation of Labor levied a special assessment on all its members in aid of the strikers.

From A History of Trade Unionism in the United States by Perlman, Selig