Pennsylvania § 8852 - Regulations and training of boards.

§ 8852. Regulations and training of boards.

(a) Regulations.--Subject to the approval of the county commissioners, the board may adopt, amend, alter and rescind regulations for the administration of and the conduct of business and proceedings for itself and for auxiliary appeal boards. The regulations may require a witness providing testimony at a hearing relative to any aspect of the value of the real estate which is the subject of the assessment or reassessment appeal to disclose, under oath, whether any compensation paid for the testimony is contingent on the result obtained. The regulations shall be in writing and shall be a public record open to examination, inspection and copying in accordance with the act of February 14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the Right-to-Know Law.

(b) Training required.--Members of the board and each auxiliary appeal board appointed after the effective date of this subsection shall be authorized to hear appeals only if they have completed training in accordance with this section, subject to the following conditions and exceptions:

(1) A member of the board shall have up to six months from the date of appointment to complete the training required under subsection (c). The member may hear appeals without training during the six-month period. Failure of a board member to obtain the training within six months of appointment shall result in disqualification of the member and shall create a vacancy. A new member shall be appointed to replace the disqualified member within 30 days of the effective date of the vacancy.

(2) A member of an auxiliary appeal board shall be authorized to hear appeals only upon completion of training required under subsection (c).

(3) A member of the board or auxiliary appeal board who holds an active Certified Pennsylvania Evaluator certification shall not be required to complete the training under subsection (c).

(4) A member of the board or auxiliary appeal board who holds an inactive Certified Pennsylvania Evaluator certification shall not be required to complete the training under subsection (c)(1).

(5) In the event of a declaration by the Governor of a disaster emergency under 35 Pa.C.S. § 7301(c) (relating to general authority of Governor), the training required by this section shall not be a precondition or qualification for a member of a board or auxiliary appeal board to hear and decide an appeal until six months or, in the case of a county subject to a court-ordered countywide reassessment on the effective date of the emergency, one year, following the termination of the disaster or emergency or the final extension thereof.

(c) Curriculum and personnel.--The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, in coordination with the Assessors' Association of Pennsylvania, shall establish a curriculum and the method of training delivery. Training may be conducted electronically or remotely, and the curriculum shall include the following:

(1) Three hours of training on the assessment valuation process in this Commonwealth.

(2) Three hours of training on the legal and constitutional issues relating to the assessment process in this Commonwealth and the duties and responsibilities of board members.

(3) In the case of board members, three hours of training on real estate exemptions.

(d) Costs.--Costs of the training shall be paid by the respective counties responsible for the appointment of the board and auxiliary boards.

(Oct. 24, 2018, P.L.1139, No.155, eff. Jan. 1, 2020; July 1, 2020, P.L.543, No.46, eff. imd.)

2020 Amendment. Act 46 amended subsec. (b).

Cross References. Section 8852 is referred to in sections 8851, 8853 of this title.