Aerial photos for property tax purposes?

By Melissa Wirkus

Assessing property for tax purposes is never fun for anyone involved – neither the homeowner nor the appraiser himself. When new property is being constructed, appraisers must go and take an initial look at the property to determine an interim amount for tax purposes.

This is fine, except when the house is completed, many people do not grant assessors access again sighting privacy issues. This leaves the tax people to rely on comparables and other sources to determine the value of the newly built home.

But now, new technology is being developed involving aerial photos to get the value of the property, without ever even stepping foot on their lawn or talking to the homeowners. But these aerial photos mean a plane would be flying overhead snapping pictures of the property, and this has many homeowners upset about privacy issues.

An October 8, 2006 article by Roger M. Showley of The San Diego Union Tribune, “Prying Eyes? Computerized aerial photos cold ease county assessor’s job, but privacy issues loom,” looks into the controversy that is developing.

“In a move that would give a new tool to the assessor, the county is considering spending $1 million a year to conduct aerial photographic safaris over all 4,200 square miles of public and private property holdings – not only for assessment purposes but also to aid law enforcement, fire fighting and land-use planning.”

County assessors are saying that the estimates will help them to do their jobs more accurately and efficiently, since they could pair the photos with their on-site reviews.

But opponents to the new technology are saying that the aerial photos are an invasion of privacy. Although the picture can not make out the faces of people on the ground, they can pick up other details such as the make of a car in the driveway or the contents of an open garage door.

“Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse in San Diego, said she is concerned that government-sponsored aerial surveys will become more intrusive as technology advances. She mentioned that a remotely controlled aerial drone can fly over an area using video camcorders. ‘What I'd like to see is the county develop a privacy policy surrounding its use of this technology and put some limits in.’”

San Diego is actually one of the bigger counties in California that has not yet adopted this new technology.

Both Los Angeles and Orange County have become fans of aerial photography for tax assessment purposes.

“Los Angeles County assessor Rick Auerbach said his budget for aerial surveying covers $390,000 of the $5 million Pictometry contract to fly the county every two years. ‘My staff finds it really useful,’ said Auerbach. ‘They really like aerial photography.’”

Orange County also had god things to say about the new technology.

“Orange County Assessor Webster J. Guillory's advice to San Diego: ‘I think it's a valuable product. It will save them time and cost.’”

It definitely does look as if San Diego is going to jump on the aerial photography bandwagon, but it may not be for a while. The assessors and officials in San Diego do not think any major changers or deals will be made until 2008 or 2009.

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