Daviess County is one of the most agriculturally diverse counties in Indiana — home to large Amish farming communities, conventional row-crop operations, dairies, and the small-town residential and commercial base anchored in Washington. The 2026 assessment cycle reaches all of them. Form 11 notices land in Daviess County mailboxes in the spring, the DLGF cost-table reset is driving the largest year-over-year AV movement in over a decade, and the spring tax installment is due May 11, 2026. The Form 130 appeal window runs 45 days from your notice date.
This guide breaks down what's distinctive about Daviess County's 2026 cycle, why farmland soil productivity factors are the single most important line on most parcels, and how the county's Amish landowners — many of whom interact with the property tax system through formal correspondence rather than online portals — should approach the cycle.
What's Driving Daviess County AVs in 2026
1. Farmland Productivity Drives the County
Daviess County's tax base is dominated by agricultural acreage. Indiana farmland AV is set by a base rate per acre adjusted by a soil productivity factor derived from USDA NRCS soil mapping. The base rate is set by formula at the state level. The productivity factor is parcel-specific and is one of the most recoverable error categories in Indiana property assessment. Indiana farmland values for 2026 reflect a mix of softer commodity prices and continued input-cost pressure, but the assessor's base rate moves on its own schedule and lags the market in either direction.
2. Amish Land Holdings and Recordkeeping
A meaningful share of Daviess County's farmland is owned and operated by Amish families. Property tax records and Form 11 notices are typically delivered by mail and engaged with on paper rather than through online portals. This makes the spring mailing window critical — there is no email reminder backstop, no online auto-pay safety net, and the appeal deadline runs from the notice date regardless of how the notice is engaged with. For Amish landowners, the practical recommendation is to open and review the Form 11 the day it arrives, and to make any contact with the Daviess County Assessor's Office via mail or in person at the courthouse.
3. Washington's Residential and Commercial Base
The city of Washington carries Daviess County's residential and commercial concentration. Older housing stock around the downtown core may have functional obsolescence appropriate to document; commercial corridor parcels along the State Road 57 and State Road 257 corridors absorb the cost-table reset on improvement values.
The single most consequential check on a Daviess County farmland Form 11 is the soil productivity factor. Pull your free USDA Web Soil Survey report for the parcel and compare the dominant soil types against the productivity factor on the notice. A misapplied productivity factor compounds across hundreds or thousands of acres into a substantial AV — and a substantial appeal opportunity.
What to Check on Your Daviess County Form 11
Use the statewide Form 11 walkthrough for the general process. Three Daviess-specific items deserve focused attention.
Soil Productivity Factor (Farmland)
For every farmland parcel, verify:
- The soil productivity factor matches your NRCS Web Soil Survey data
- The tillable acreage matches the actual tillable footprint (not gross acreage including woods, wetlands, or building sites)
- Any acres taken out of production for CRP, conservation easement, or wetland reserve are correctly classified
Property Class Code
Verify:
- Owner-occupied residence is coded 510, not 511 (rental)
- Farm-with-residence parcels split correctly between the home and the tillable acres
- A homestead farmstead retains the homestead deduction if the owner lives on the farm
- Pole barns and outbuildings used for farm purposes are coded as ag, not commercial
Land vs Improvement Split
For Washington-area residential parcels, a spike in land value alone — without a corresponding improvement value move — is an appeal flag. Compare your land AV per square foot against three or four nearby parcels of similar size.
Daviess County By the Numbers
| Metric | Daviess County |
|---|---|
| County seat | Washington |
| Population (approx.) | 33,000 |
| Notable demographic | Large Amish community |
| Constitutional caps | 1% / 2% / 3% |
| Spring tax due | May 11, 2026 |
| Fall tax due | November 10, 2026 |
| Form 11 mailing window | Spring 2026 |
Filing a Form 130 in Daviess County
Where to File
Form 130 is filed with the Daviess County Assessor's Office at the county courthouse in Washington. Filings are time-stamped on receipt — meaning a postmark date does not protect a late delivery. Hand-delivery or certified mail with return receipt is the safe choice for any submission in the final week of the window.
Evidence That Carries Weight in Daviess
For farmland appeals, the most persuasive evidence types are:
- USDA NRCS Web Soil Survey report for the specific parcel
- Recent farmland sales of comparable productivity classes within the same general region
- Cropping history and yield documentation demonstrating actual productivity
- Photographic evidence of drainage issues, ponding, or other soil-quality problems
For residential appeals in Washington:
- Three to five comparable sales within the neighborhood code
- Photographs of condition issues
- Optional USPAP-compliant appraisal for higher-value parcels
The general Indiana property tax appeal guide walks through the Form 130 evidence build in detail.
What Happens After Filing
The PTABOA acknowledges the petition and may extend a written settlement offer based on the evidence. Most Daviess County appeals settle on written evidence without a formal hearing. PTABOA hearings typically schedule three to nine months after filing. PTABOA decisions can be escalated to the Indiana Board of Tax Review within 30 days of the written determination.
SB 1 and the Spring 2026 Bill
Daviess County homestead owners receive the SB 1 supplemental homestead credit on the spring 2026 bill — a 10% credit on net property tax owed, capped at $300 per homestead. The supplemental homestead deduction also steps from 35% to 40%.
The credit applies to the homestead residence — meaning a farmstead with a homestead-coded house gets the credit on the residence portion. Tillable acres surrounding the homestead are valued and taxed separately and do not receive the homestead credit. For Amish landowners with multiple parcels — common in operations where land is split among extended family for stewardship and inheritance purposes — confirm the homestead designation is on the correct parcel before the spring billing cycle closes.
Why the Appeal Window Matters More for Farmland
A farmland AV appeal that succeeds typically delivers savings across the next assessment cycle. Indiana's farmland base rate updates on a multi-year lag, and a successful productivity factor correction holds until the next cyclical reassessment. For Daviess County operators with hundreds of acres, the per-acre tax savings from a successful productivity factor correction compound meaningfully — often into the four- or five-figure annual range across a full operation.
The cost-table reset doesn't directly affect the farmland base rate, but it does affect the AV of any improvements on a farm parcel — the residence, grain bins, machine sheds, and confinement structures. The appeal window covers all of these.
Daviess County in the Statewide Picture
Daviess sits below the statewide median property tax rate on a per-AV basis and is not represented among the most over-assessed counties. Its agricultural concentration means the county's overall AV trajectory tracks more closely to Indiana farmland values than to the residential market. The 2026 cycle is a meaningful checkpoint for soil productivity verification across the county's tillable acreage.
Find Your Daviess County Property
- Daviess County overview
- Daviess residential parcel data
- Daviess commercial parcel data
- Daviess industrial parcel data
- Daviess agricultural parcel data
For a side-by-side of your AV against neighborhood-code or productivity-class comparable parcels, Property Lookup pulls the relevant comp set. For a contingency-based appeal, Tax Appeal Automation builds the Form 130.