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Understanding personal property assessments (Part 1)
During the September Development Authority of Early County meeting, Shauna Jordan, the Early County Tax Assessor and Chief Appraiser, was invited to provide an informational session on personal property assessments. Shauna has been in her position for three years and has worked in the field for about 26 years. Previously, she worked in Florida and personal property has been in her area of expertise since 2013.
The first thing clarified was that the Tax Assessor’s Office and the Board of Assessors are not responsible for property taxes. “We are responsible for property assessments. There is often confusion about that distinction,” explained Shauna. “Our office handles property values, exemptions, covenants, and related assessments. We are regulated by the State of Georgia and must follow state law. We are here to help taxpayers and answer questions, but we do not determine the tax rate or the amount of taxes ultimately levied. Our responsibility is the assessment.”
Generally, business personal property returns are prepared by business owners or their accountants using a state-regulated form. Businesses throughout Georgia follow the same basic process. Every business operating in Early County is required to report taxable personal property. There is currently an exemption for accounts valued at $20,000 or less.
Personal property generally includes “movable business assets,” such as machinery, equipment, furniture, fixtures, computers, servers, shelving and other similar items. Vehicles are generally handled separately through the vehicle registration and tag process.
Real property, on the other hand, includes land, buildings, and items permanently attached to the property.
It is important to note that construction in progress can also be subject to personal property reporting requirements, depending on the circumstances.
The tax assessor stressed that it is important to realize “business personal property returns are confidential.” These returns contain detailed information about a company’s assets and are not public records. Access is restricted even within the Tax Assessor’s Office.
The process begins with the business. A business provides its asset information, generally through its accountant and those assets are reported on the state personal property return. Larger businesses typically use accountants who are very familiar with these requirements.
Even companies that simply have equipment located within another business may have to file a return in Early County. For example, if a copier company owns a copier located inside an Early County business, that company may file a personal property return for the equipment it owns here.
Business assets are divided into groups based upon their expected “economic life,” which essentially means how long an asset would normally be expected to remain useful before it needs to be replaced.
There are four general groups.
Group 1: Assets with approximately a five- to seven-year economic life.
Group 2: Assets with approximately an eight- to twelve-year economic life, including certain furniture and office equipment.
Group 3: Industrial and heavier equipment with an economic life of approximately 13 years or longer.
Group 4: Assets with a shorter economic life, approximately one to four years. Technology such as computers and servers can fall into shorter-life categories because technology becomes obsolete and is often replaced more frequently.
Businesses and their accountants determine the appropriate reporting categories based upon state requirements and established asset classifications.
To be continued in next week’s edition of the Early County News.
Published in the Early County News on September 23, 2026.
