Yankton County Equalization Department
Phone: (605) 260-4400, Ext. 3
Mailing Address:
321 West 3rd St. Suite 203
Yankton, SD 57078
Hours of Operation:
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. -- Monday - Friday (including the noon hour)
The Equalization's Office is located on the second floor of the Yankton County Government Center Building in the NE Corner.
The Yankton County Director of Equalization is appointed by the Yankton Board of Commissioners.
The function of the Director of Equalization Office is to annually value all real property in Yankton County at its full and true value.
The Director of Equalization and his/her staff are responsible for:
- Discovering, listing and valuing all real property within Yankton County
- Responsible for linking real properties to their respective owners and placing assessed values and owners' names on the assessment roll. Types of properties included in the assessment process are: residential, commercial, and agricultural classes of property.
- Responsible for determining the taxable value of over 14,800 parcels. The tax base in Yankton County is approximately 2 billion dollars.
The Director of Equalization has a number of additional responsibilities
which include:
- Providing equalization between classes of property
- Deciding on adjustments to properties
- Reviewing all abatements
- Administering all state laws pertaining to the ad valorem property tax assessment
- Providing for the review and appeal of assessments
- Testifying in court on assessments
- Deciding on tax exemptions and tracking each exemption
The Director of Equalization and his/her staff must be certified by the South Dakota Department of Revenue in order to assess real property for tax purposes. After initial certification, appraisers must be re-certified every five years. Requirements for re-certification include: attending and passing the annual Department of Revenue sponsored school, USPAP, attending workshops, and attending
the South Dakota Association of Assessing Officers Conferences.