Ratio Studies Survey
Periodically over the past 20 years, prevalent practices and issues in ratio studies have been explored by comparing U.S. states, Canadian provinces and territories, and a few local jurisdictions in terms of frequency of studies, standards used to evaluate results, and final use of results. The newest surveys were conducted by the IAAO Research and Standards Committee in 2022 and the results were released in May 2023.
Disclaimer: Users of this data should exercise caution when interpreting totals. Some totals in the final report are different from the raw data based on interpretation and selective follow-up.
State Roll Call: Requirements for Assessor Licensing/Certification
The highly anticipated report is available!
The IAAO Research Department announces a new resource for property assessment personnel, which is the definitive guide to all licensing/certification programs by state. The report includes mandatory and voluntary programs, statutes & regulations, continuing education, and the relationship of these programs to IAAO education and designations.
Download a free copy of the 2022 State Roll Call. Roll Call provides members a valuable resource through updated links to assessor certification requirements for every state in the U.S. The United States’ Roll Call is an original reference guide periodically updated to assist the valuation industry in promoting professional development globally.
GIS Technology Survey for Assessment Professionals
Keeping up with the changes in technology in the assessment industry is an important task for all assessment offices and an area IAAO continues to work on to assist members. The most recent GIS Technology Survey for Assessment Professionals was completed in 2018, and in 2025 IAAO is conducting a new survey to update this information.
As with previous versions of the GIS survey, IAAO is partnering with Esri for this project. This 30-question survey addresses GIS education opportunities, use in individual offices, data management, service to the public, and technology development. The survey deadline is Oct. 3, 2025.
In 2018 IAAO conducted a survey among members regarding the use of GIS tools and technologies in valuation offices and the full results charted from the 20 question survey are available as the GIS Technology Survey for Assessment Professionals.The survey received 509 responses from IAAO members and the goal of the survey was to identify both common uses of GIS and emerging applications of newer GIS technologies to expedite daily operations and enhance mass appraisal. There has been a demand to discover what our industry has already embraced and to identify what uses of GIS technologies are quickly coming down the road.
Detailed survey finding charts were created using R, an online open-source software (free at www.r-project.org) to illustrate what can be accomplished using free statistical and data analysis tools. If you have questions regarding the survey or responses please contact IAAO.
PTPA Survey (formerly the PTAPP)
In 2023 IAAO conducted the Property Tax Policy and Administration (PTPA) survey as a follow-up to the 2017 Property Tax Assessment Policies and Practices Survey (PTAPP) and the results of the survey were released in the Fall 2025 issue of the Journal of Property Tax Assessment Administration.
The 2023 update is different in many ways to the prior surveys in that it included participants from outside North America and is the longest, most comprehensive survey in the series.
In connection with the new PTPA, the Survey Data Explorer shows responses from the Property Tax Policy and Administration and Ratio Study Practices surveys published since 2017.
In response to a need for current information about property tax systems, IAAO has published surveys of the features of property tax systems in Canada and the United States. This compilation is the latest in the series. Although the main audience is property tax administrators and policymakers in the two countries, readers from other countries may find it helpful as well.
2017 PTAPP Findings
The Update of the Property Tax Assessment Policies and Practices Survey (PTAPP), published in the IAAO Journal of Property Tax Assessment & Administration (Vol. 16, No. 1, 2019) was compiled by the 2018 PTAPP Task Force lead by Alan Dornfest, AAS. Task force members included: Jennifer Rearich, MAS, Richard Almy, and Doug Brydon along with input and assistance from IAAO staff members, Heather Steel and Margie Cusack.
For the first time, PTAPP results may also be viewed on an inactive map allowing for greater visualization of locational response, this effort was made possible by the additional efforts of Jennifer Rearich, MAS wishing to illustrate the enhancement and benefits of geospatial data display. Click here to view PTAPP results on a map.
Download 2017 PTAPP Results
Other Surveys
Assessment Industry Compensation Survey (2017) by IAAO