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Every other year, the Moffat County Assessor's Office appraises properties to determine values for taxing purposes. Those notices are being mailed out to county residents today.

Residents receiving their appraisals this year may be facing some hefty increases in value -- potentially good news for those selling their property, bad news for those who are paying more for the same home that was worth less in 2005.

"Vacant land has gone up a lot from prior years," Moffat County Assessor Suzanne Brinks said. "It's up 78 percent since the last appraisal in 2005."

Vacant land does not include agricultural land, Brinks said. It refers primarily to land without structures that will likely be built on in the future.

New subdivisions recently approved in the county fall into the vacant land category.

Residential property in Craig has increased 26 percent in value since the previous appraisals.

Commercial and industrial property is up about 20 percent, and agricultural land is down 2 percent.

"Agricultural land is valued on a production basis, taking into account the costs of seed, fertilizer and other items," Brinks said. "Residential property, by the Colorado Constitution, is solely valued on a market basis."

That means that sales of homes affect the price of other homes in the same neighborhood. Data is collected for 18 months, including all of 2005 and the first six months of 2006, to value a property.

"The main thing that people need to understand is that the protest period for appraisals is the month of May," Brinks said. "June 1, the protest period is over and that is the figure that will be reflected on your tax statement in January."

The assessor's office sees a number of protests each year for various reasons. Sometimes the square footage is not correct, and sometimes protestors don't think their property is worth what the appraisal reports.

When a value is protested, appraisers from the assessor's office look at the property in question and evaluate the claim.

Brinks encourages anyone not receiving a notice of appraisal by mid-May to contact the office as soon as possible. Protests will not be taken in January when tax notices are mailed to property owners.

She also warns that some protests have led to the discovery of new buildings, garages, finished basements and other changes that have actually increased the value of the property.

Seniors older than 65 who have owned their homes for 10 years may qualify for a senior exemption, in which the state pays taxes on 50 percent of the homes' value up to the first $200,000.

County residents will receive two forms in the mail in May. One lists the characteristics of the home at the bottom, including the year built and square footage. A protest form is included in the letter.

Any changes to current mill levies, as decided by voters in the November election, will be adjusted by December, with tax notices being mailed out by mid-January.

A sales book is available in the assessor's office showing previous sales of property, and anyone can access the assessor's Web site at co.moffat.co.us/assessor to obtain information about their property and sales in the neighborhood that affect the value of their home.