Partially exempting an assessor and an assessor's staff from liability for trespassing, creating immunity from civil liability, and changing the notice requirements related to the revaluation of property by an assessor

Under this bill, the trespassing prohibitions do not apply to an assessor or an assessor's staff entering the land, or construction site, of another to make an assessment for the state or for a political subdivision (a city, village, town, or county).

For the exception to apply, the bill requires the assessor or the assessor's staff to leave in a prominent place notice that the assessor or staff entered the land or construction site, and the assessor or assessor's staff must not have received notice from the owner or occupant of the land not to enter or remain on the premises.

The bill also provides immunity from civil liability for the owner or person in lawful possession of premises for any injury to or death of an assessor or a member of an assessor's staff who enters a construction site without permission to make an assessment. The immunity does not apply if the injury or death resulted from reckless, wanton, or intentional misconduct of the owner or person in lawful possession of the premises.

Under current law, each taxation district is required to assess property at full value at least once every five years. Under this bill, before a city, village, or town (municipal) assessor may conduct a revaluation of property, the municipality must publish a notice on its Web site, or post in at least three public places if it has no Web site, that a revaluation will occur. The notice must state the approximate dates of the revaluations and describe the authority of an assessor to enter land.