Martin County: Shoals, Crane Naval, and a Federal-Anchored Tax Base

Martin County is one of the smallest counties in Indiana — roughly 10,000 residents centered on the county seat of Shoals — and its property tax story is dominated by a single fact: Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane is the largest employer in the county and one of the largest federal installations in the Midwest. Crane's footprint shapes the surrounding housing market, the contractor and supplier base, and the practical economic backdrop against which Martin County's 2026 reassessment cycle plays out.

For 2026, Martin County property owners face the same statewide assessment dynamic that touches every Indiana county: a DLGF cost-table reset drives meaningful AV growth on improved parcels, and SB 1 property tax reform reshapes spring 2026 homestead bills.

Form 11 notices mail in late April. Form 130 appeals are due June 15, 2026, or 45 days after the mailing date.

Why a Federal Anchor Shapes the Tax Base

Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane occupies a substantial portion of Martin County land area, and as federal property it is largely tax-exempt. That structure produces several practical implications for the surrounding tax base:

1. Stable Residential Demand

Crane's roughly 6,000+ employees (federal civilian, military, and contractor combined) anchor housing demand in Shoals, Loogootee (in adjacent Martin/Daviess area), and the surrounding small communities. Cyclical federal funding shifts can move the demand needle, but the underlying demand base is more stable than in counties dependent on a single private-sector employer.

2. Tighter Taxable Base

A smaller taxable base supports the same county and township services. The 0.57% effective rate reflects this: with limited urban service demands and a small population, the levy needs are modest, but the per-parcel rate would be higher if the federal footprint were taxable.

3. Contractor and Supplier Footprint

Defense contractors and Crane suppliers operate facilities in and around Shoals. These are taxable commercial/industrial parcels, and their AV trajectory depends on the same DLGF cost-table reset as any other commercial parcel — but with the added wrinkle that contractor business volume is federal-funding-cycle sensitive.

Statewide 2026 Changes Applied Locally

For a typical Martin County homestead with a tax bill in the $600–$1,100 range, the $300 SB 1 credit is a 25–50% reduction in the gross bill — among the highest percentage impacts in the state.

What to Verify on Your 2026 Martin County Form 11

The five-step statewide Form 11 walkthrough applies. Local items:

1. Improvement Class and Effective Age

Older Shoals housing stock and rural farmstead structures carry meaningful effective-age depreciation. Verify the depreciation tables on your record card actually reflect the building's effective age.

2. Outbuilding Inventory

Rural Martin County parcels accumulate outbuildings over generations. The record card should reflect the current inventory; demolished or collapsed structures should not appear on the AV.

3. Land Type Coding

For mixed-use parcels (homestead + ag + woodland), verify the acreage breakdown matches actual use. A parcel with significant woodland coded as tillable carries an inflated AV.

4. Contractor/Supplier Commercial Parcels

For Crane-related commercial parcels, verify the class code matches the actual use. Light-industrial vs warehouse vs office classifications each carry different cost factors and cap-tier exposure.

5. Homestead Filing

Confirm the homestead deduction (60% of gross AV up to $40,000), supplemental homestead deduction (40% in 2026), and SB 1 supplemental credit are all applied to owner-occupied parcels. For homes purchased in 2025, the HC-10 filing is essential.

When an Appeal Is Worth Filing in Martin County

For Martin County's lower property values, the per-parcel dollar payoff of a successful appeal is generally smaller than in higher-value counties — but the success rate for parcel-specific arguments tends to be high because the assessor's mass-appraisal model has limited local sales data to calibrate against.

A practical filter:

• Outbuilding inventory errors: file with photos
• Effective-age errors on older homes: file with documentation of actual condition
• Land type coding errors: file with aerial imagery
• Recently purchased parcels where AV exceeds purchase price: file with closing statement
• Commercial parcels with documented vacancy or below-market rents: file with income evidence

Tax Appeal Automation generates the Form 130 + evidence package for parcels where the data supports a reduction.

Martin County Tax Calendar

Filing Logistics

Form 130 appeals in Martin County are filed with the County Assessor's Office in Shoals (812-247-2070). The County Assessor processes the petition, attempts informal resolution where the evidence supports it, and refers unresolved cases to the Martin County PTABOA.

After filing:

1. 30-day acknowledgment from the County Assessor
2. 30–90 day informal contact where written evidence supports settlement
3. 3–6 month hearing in front of the PTABOA if no settlement
4. 30-day post-decision window to escalate to the Indiana Board of Tax Review

The Long-Term Picture for Martin County Owners

Martin County's combination of low effective tax rates, the federal anchor at Crane, and the SB 1 homestead changes produces a property tax environment where most homestead owners see meaningful spring 2026 bill relief — provided the homestead filing is in order. The federal exemption on Crane property is structural and unchanging; what changes year over year is the cost-table reset on taxable improved parcels and the productivity/influence factor adjustments on taxable ag parcels.

For investors evaluating Martin County rental property, the combination of stable Crane-anchored demand and very low effective tax rates produces a property tax environment with predictable underwriting — but the small market size means comparable sales data is thinner than in larger counties.

Find Your Martin County Property

• Martin County overview
• Martin residential parcel data
• Martin commercial parcel data
• Martin industrial parcel data
• Martin agricultural parcel data

Related Reading

• Indiana 2026 Form 11 notices: statewide guide
• SB 1 property tax reform: what changes in 2026
• Indiana $300 homestead credit: how it works
• Indiana property tax exemptions and deductions
• Indiana property tax caps explained
• Indiana property tax appeal guide 2026