In Allegheny County property value reassessments, CLR stands for Common Level Ratio.

Here's a breakdown of what it means and how it's used:

• Definition: The Common Level Ratio (CLR) is a ratio that measures how a county's Base Year Assessmentscompare with current Real Estate Market Valuations. In Pennsylvania law, it's defined as "the ratio of assessed value to current market value used generally in the county as last determined by the State Tax Equalization Board (STEB)."

• Purpose in Appeals: The CLR is primarily used in the property tax appeal process. When a property owner (or a taxing body like a school district) appeals an assessment, and a new "fair market value" for the property is established, the CLR is then applied to that current fair market value to calculate the revised assessed value for tax purposes. The intention is to ensure uniformity in assessments across the county, aligning properties to the county's "base year" values.

• Allegheny County's Base Year: Allegheny County's current base year for property assessments is 2012. This means that, theoretically, property assessments should reflect what the property was worth as of January 1, 2012.

• How it Works (Simplified Example):

  • If a property's current fair market value is determined to be $200,000.

  • And the CLR for Allegheny County is, for example, 54.5% (as it was for 2024).

  • The assessed value for tax purposes would be $200,000 * 0.545 = $109,000.

• Calculated by STEB: The CLR for each county in Pennsylvania is calculated annually by the Pennsylvania State Tax Equalization Board (STEB) based on sales data from the previous calendar year.

• Changes Over Time: CLRs can change annually, often decreasing when real estate market values generally increase but assessments are not correspondingly raised through a county-wide reassessment. A lower CLR typically benefits property owners in an appeal, as it results in a lower assessed value.