Oak Park Board of Review Deadline is August 19

O'Connor discusses how the Oak Park Board of Review deadline is August 19.

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, August 13, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ --


Cook County property taxes have been in question in 2025 thanks to a series of computer errors, which led to property tax bills are being released at least a month late, while current valuations and bills are being questioned on validity. While the triennial reassessment churns through the north, other areas around Chicago are feeling the heat as well. This uncertainty can lead to filing property tax protests.

Oak Park is in a prime spot. With reassessment only a year away, now is one of the best times to appeal property taxes, setting a baseline for the inevitable hammering to come. While value increases in 2025 have been low, veteran Cook County taxpayers know that next year could bring value rises above 30%, even more in some situations. If Oak Park residents act now, they can be sitting pretty when the 2026 reassessment rolls around. Time is running out, however, as the deadline for 2025 appeals is set for August 19, 2025. O’Connor will go over how Oak Park is faring with non-reassessment increases and how taxpayers can benefit from appeals.

High-Dollar Homes Experience Value Spike

Oak Park last experienced the reassessment in 2023, where the township was predictably walloped by the Cook County Assessor’s Office (CCAO). 2024 was relatively forgiving for Oak Park, with the total value of all residential property only climbing 0.4%. While no tax hike is ideal, 2024 was restrained compared to many other Cook County townships that saw strong rises outside of reassessment. 2025 hit Oak Park a little harder, as the value total for homes increased 1%, going from $6.54 billion to $6.57 billion.

A trend from 2024 was carried into 2025 in the extreme. In the previous year, homes worth over $1.5 million saw their value increase by 4.18%. In 2025, this shot up to 18%, an increase of $13.40 million. While these large homes only make up a minority of the total value, this is still a strong trend upward. This was joined by a 3% increase for homes that were valued between $1 million and $1.5 million. These are both large numbers for properties outside of reassessment, putting pressure on the most elite of homeowners.

Things went much better for working families and middle-class households. While homes that were worth less than $750,000 did see increases, these were all below 1%. In fact, the value of homes worth less than $250,000 actually fell in 2025, though only by a small fraction. The largest collection of value was found in homes worth between $250,000 and $500,000, which totaled $2.76 billion. These homes saw a tiny increase of .3%, a minor miracle in Cook County. Homes worth between $500,000 and $750,000 were the No. 2 category of residential property and totaled $2.2 billion.

Oak Park Commercial Property Surges 14%

While residential property made it through 2025 relatively fine, the same cannot be said for commercial property. With a combined jump of 14%, the value of commercial properties climbed from $1.22 billion to $1.39 billion. This is on top of a 2024 rise of 17.3%, which itself was on the heels of reassessment. That is a hard three-year stretch for even the hardiest of businesses to deal with and continues the general Cook County trend of placing higher values on commercial property to, in theory, give a break to homeowners. The efficacy of this has been debated strongly.

Like homes, the majority of the raised values were for properties worth over $1.5 million. Unlike residences, the top commercial properties also represented the lion’s share of the total value. Increasing by 18% in 2025 alone, the total value of businesses worth over $1.5 million was $1.39 billion. This was a colossal jump, which joined with the 2024 increase of 22.7% and the huge increase from the reassessment in 2023. This is a lot of stress to pile on businesses in a stretch of only three years.

Commercial properties worth between $1 million and $1.5 million experienced an increase of 8%, rising to a total of $112 million. Things began to slacken up as the worth of properties decreased, with those worth between $500,000 and $1 million going up 4%. In a strange outlier, businesses worth between $250,000 and $500,000 saw a value drop of 3%, bringing relief to the smaller commercial properties. Property worth under $250,000 saw a small bump of 1% added to their taxable value.

Preparing for Reassessment in 2026

While Oak Park certainly suffered some bumps in 2024 and 2025, the next reassessment is only a year away. If we look at some townships currently undergoing reassessment, we can see what the future might hold. Norwood Park’s residential property value spiked 19%, while Evanston was hit worse at 23%. Elk Grove and Northfield popped by 26% and 30% respectively. And these are just for residential properties, as commercial got it even worse. Elk Grove, for instance, saw a commercial value surge of 52%.

Now is the time for taxpayers to begin protesting their taxable value in preparation for 2026. If a homeowner or business owner can establish the worth of their property now, then they have a much stronger case going forward. This, of course, has the added benefit of helping lower current values, possibly even cutting into the extra value generated over the previous few years. The CCAO is now actively encouraging taxpayers to protest, as it is the only way to guarantee they are being treated fairly now or going forward. Tax appeals are no longer a luxury, but are a key part of a person protecting their home or business.

Final Appeal Deadline set for August 19

There is no time to delay, as the last date to file an appeal in Oak Park is August 19, 2025. Informal appeals to the CCAO have been closed since May, but there is still time to protest before the Board of Review (BOR). The BOR is currently seeing record numbers of appeals and there seems to be no sign of stopping. With failed legislation and computer issues galore, the BOR is looking like the best hope for taxpayers trying to get a fair shake. Once the deadline passes, residents of Oak Park will be stuck with their values for another year and will be in a perilous situation with reassessment ready to hit.

About O'Connor:
O’Connor is one of the largest property tax consulting firms, representing 185,000 clients in 49 states and Canada, handling about 295,000 protests in 2024, with residential property tax reduction services in Illinois, Texas, Georgia, and New York. O’Connor’s possesses the resources and market expertise in the areas of property tax, cost segregation, commercial and residential real estate appraisals. The firm was founded in 1974 and employs a team of 1,000 worldwide. O’Connor’s core focus is enriching the lives of property owners through cost effective tax reduction.

Property owners interested in assistance appealing their assessment can enroll in O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program ™. There is no upfront fee, or any fee unless we reduce your property taxes, and easy online enrollment only takes 2 to 3 minutes.

Patrick O'Connor, President
O'Connor
+ + +1 713-375-4128
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