Wayne County property assessment appeals begin with the city or township that assesses the parcel, not with a countywide taxpayer appeal office. Michigan's 2026 bulletin identifies the March local Board of Review as the first assessment-review stage and July 31, 2026 as the Michigan Tax Tribunal deadline for qualifying residential, timber-cutover, and agricultural appeals. The $249 FairPath owner-guided evidence packet is available now for every Wayne County property. It can organize the assessment notice, local parcel record, Board of Review decision, owner-verified facts, comparable sales, photographs, condition records, and Tribunal materials. FairPath does not decide whether a particular owner preserved Tribunal jurisdiction, file a petition, pay a Tribunal fee, choose an asserted value, or represent the owner.
Assessment context: Michigan assessment notices separate assessed value, state equalized value, and taxable value. A transfer, uncapping event, exemption, classification, or factual inventory issue may affect the notice differently from a dispute about market value. Wayne County's Assessment and Equalization Division compiles municipal data and performs county equalization, while each local unit delivers its own assessment roll. Start with the exact city or township assessing unit shown on the notice. Compare the parcel's land, building area, class, occupancy, additions, condition, and transfer history with owner records before deciding which value or fact is disputed.
Filing process: Identify the city or township for the parcel and obtain that municipality's assessment notice, Board of Review dates, petition instructions, and appearance rules. Michigan publishes Form 618 for a Board of Review assessment petition, but local scheduling and submission details control. A Wayne County owner should not send an individual valuation protest to County Equalization merely because the property is in the county. If the owner timely completed the local prerequisite and remains aggrieved, use the Michigan Tax Tribunal's current residential or small-claims materials and confirm the July 31 deadline, service requirements, and filing fee. Detroit's 2026 notice, for example, accepted March Board petitions online, by email, mail, drop box, or in person by March 9; another Wayne County municipality may have used different dates or methods.
Evidence to review: Build the record around the assessing unit's valuation date and the value actually challenged. Check the local property card for living area, lot dimensions, class, quality, condition, basement, garage, additions, and transfer history. Use recent arm's-length sales from the same market area and document parcel number, sale date and price, size, age, style, condition, and material differences. Add dated photographs, permits, inspections, repair scopes, surveys, and closing records when they establish facts the assessment record misses. Preserve the assessment notice, completed local petition, proof of delivery, hearing record, and Board decision because Tribunal jurisdiction can depend on the earlier protest.
Current deadline guidance: Residential Tax Tribunal deadline: July 31, 2026. Michigan's 2026 appeal bulletin places assessed-value and taxable-value protests before the property's local March Board of Review, with local dates set by each city or township. For residential, timber-cutover, and agricultural property, a qualifying 2026 Michigan Tax Tribunal petition is due July 31, 2026. An owner generally must have protested to the local March Board of Review to preserve an assessment appeal. Wayne County does not replace the local assessing unit or its Board of Review.
Wayne County's equalization materials show that each city or township delivers its own assessment roll for county review.
Michigan's first valuation-review stage is the local March Board of Review, whose exact dates come from the city or township.
The 2026 state bulletin sets July 31 as the residential, timber-cutover, and agricultural Michigan Tax Tribunal petition deadline.
Detroit's March 9 procedures illustrate one local process but do not govern every municipality in Wayne County.
Official filing authority: Property's local city or township Board of Review; Michigan Tax Tribunal for a preserved further appeal. https://www.michigan.gov/taxtrib
Source: Wayne County, Michigan, County Equalization, https://www.waynecountymi.gov/Government/Departments/Management-Budget/Assessment-Equalization/County-Equalization. Reviewed 2026-07-29.
Source: Michigan State Tax Commission, 2026 Property Tax Appeal Procedures, https://www.michigan.gov/treasury/-/media/Project/Websites/treasury/STC/Bulletins/2025/Bulletin-10-of-2025---Property-Tax-Appeal-Procedures-for-2026.pdf. Reviewed 2026-07-29.
Source: Michigan Department of Treasury, Board of Review Forms, https://www.michigan.gov/taxes/property/forms/instructions/board-of-review. Reviewed 2026-07-29.
Source: State of Michigan, Michigan Tax Tribunal, https://www.michigan.gov/taxtrib. Reviewed 2026-07-29.
Source: City of Detroit, Detroit 2026 Assessment Notice and Board of Review Instructions, https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitmi.localhost/files/2026-02/2026%20Assessment%20Notice_English.pdf. Reviewed 2026-07-29.