Residential Appraiser I

Salt Lake County invites you to explore our exciting career opportunities. We seek highly enthusiastic individuals to enrich our County with your experience and talent. If you enjoy working in a team environment that is committed to changing the lives of its community, please keep reading.

At Salt Lake County our culture is woven into all aspects of our work and our employees’ lives, from the way we treat each other to the way we support the community.  To promote and foster a fun and healthy work environment, we appreciate employees through great benefits, a healthy work life balance and room to grow and develop.

Peers who are motivated to make a difference in the lives of those we serve. We serve Salt Lake County and envision a safe and beautiful place for all to live, work and have fun. Salt Lake County is about connecting people and championing our community.  Community is more than a place….its our heart and service that bring us together.

Working for Salt Lake County is more than just a paycheck.  A career with /Salt Lake County includes several benefits and perks.  We support our employees with 12 Holidays, up to 24 vacation days, 12 sick days and one personal day every year.  

Under the direction of the Residential Management Team, performs technical assessment work on all types of residential properties including vacant land, single-family residences, condominiums, agricultural (greenbelt), and multi-family (duplexes, converted duplexes, ADUs) for ad valorem tax purposes.

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in any field; or a current Appraiser License or Certified Appraiser license and two (2) years of related appraising experience.

Must obtain at a minimum an Appraiser License and become a Residential Appraiser within three (3) years from time of hire.

A valid Driver’s License accepted by the State of Utah is required at the time of hire. A valid Driver’s License issued by the State of Utah must be obtained within six (6) months of hire to operate a County vehicle.

Due to the nature of this position, the successful applicant must pass a required background check through fingerprinting and enrollment in the continuous RAP Back (Record of Arrest and Prosecution Back) program in accordance with current County Human Resources policy requirements.

The majority of the work is performed in the field. Field visits may be over a variety of building construction, outdoor terrain, and during varied weather conditions. This position requires the ability to climb, walk, sit, kneel, and bend in varied, outdoor terrain to access properties, collect field data, and perform measurements.

• Inspects properties in the field or with remote tools to collect, verify, and analyze data elements. Determines and assigns appropriate quality and condition grades. Reads and interprets building plans.
• Assists in the development of residential land tables with values for all classes of residential properties. Defines geographic boundaries or neighborhoods used in the tables.
• Assists in determining greenbelt land classifications and production requirements; periodically audits use of greenbelt properties; prepares rollback taxes and appendices.
• Replies to inquiries from taxpayers, appraisers, title companies, and public officials.
• Under management supervision, represents the Salt Lake County Assessor regarding questions and appeals of value to the County Board of Equalization and taxpayers. This includes composing concise and thorough reports to defend property valuations under appeal.
• Under management supervision, assists in the defense of value and taxable status at the State Tax Commission and at Court appeals.
• Under management supervision, researches and responds to Division Administrator, Assessor, Mayor, Council Members, other Elected Officials, and the public on difficult or controversial situations.

• Computerized Mass Appraisal software and systems
• Standard Real Estate Appraisal techniques and practices
• Social and economic factors affecting real property values
• Statistical methodology and modeling
• Federal, state, and local real estate and personal property appraisal regulations
• Utah Code - Property Tax Act
• Salt Lake County Tax System
• State Ad Valorem tax regulations
• Advanced management principles, methods, and techniques
• GIS Software and uses
• Building trades and construction terminology
• Local area real estate values
• Real estate values as determined by cost, market, and income approaches to value

• Utilize personal computers and basic software related to job-specific duties
• Write appraisals reports
• Work under pressure, be self-driven, meet difficult deadlines, and set priorities for multiple tasks
• Work effectively in a dynamic environment, both independently and in a team setting
• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing
• Effectively apply general principles to specific conditions

It is required that the successful candidate obtain certification and licensing as mandated by State Legislation and the Utah Department of Commerce, as well as completion of additional course work to maintain the certification and license. Persons hired must maintain certification and designation, which requires 28 hours of education every two years. Persons hired must attend USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) every two years as required by the appraisal board.

NOTE: If you are not a licensed or certified residential or general appraiser, the County Assessor’s Office will provide you with intensive, job-specific training so that you will be able to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.

Appraisers working for the Salt Lake County Assessor’s Office may not perform appraisals within Salt Lake County independently of this position as this has been deemed a conflict of interest by the Salt Lake County Attorney’s Office.

The State of Utah has legislated that ad valorem real property appraisal work must be in compliance with federally regulated appraisal standards.