All commercial personal property, including small home businesses and unregistered vehicles, located in Litchfield as of October 1 must be declared to the Assessor’s Office by November 1, annually. Businesses are subject to site inspections and audits periodically. Late filings, omitted property, or under declared property are subject to estimate and 25% penalty per Connecticut State Statutes.
To locate businesses, especially home occupied businesses, the Assessor’s Office will use local publications, radio advertisements, web sites devoted to listing of businesses, and local inspections.
When a business is found, the Assessor’s Office adds the business to the Personal Property listing and the business will receive a declaration of personal property sometime in September. If you receive one of these declarations and the business is no longer open, please be sure to file out the “Affidavit of Business Closing Or Move Or Sale Of Business or Property” found on the front page of the Personal Property Declaration. Return that information to the Assessor’s Office to have the business removed from the Personal Property listing. If you do not respond to the declaration mailing, you are subject to an estimated assessment valuation and a 25% penalty.
