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

See Examples For:

special assessment

The board passed a catastrophic special assessment of $70,000 per unit over two fiscal years, with an additional assessment of $50,000 to $75,000 anticipated for 2026.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

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

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

Hagerty’s point was that the cost of the special assessment will ultimately be borne by consumers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2023

While they unite in the Western Forestry and Conservation Association, and levy a special assessment to support its work, the local organizations are wholly independent in their actual forest fire work.

From Practical Forestry in the Pacific Northwest Protecting Existing Forests and Growing New Ones, from the Standpoint of the Public and That of the Lumberman, with an Outline of Technical Methods by Edward Tyson Allen