Okla. Stat. tit. 68, § 68-2875: Ad Valorem Division of Oklahoma Tax Commission – Creation

- Authority and duties.

A. There is hereby created within the Oklahoma Tax Commission

the Ad Valorem Division. The Ad Valorem Division shall have the

authority and it shall be its duty to:

1. Confer with and assist county assessors and county boards of

equalization in the performance of their duties, to the end that all

assessments of property be made relative, just and uniform and that

real property and tangible personal property may be assessed at its

fair cash value estimated at the price it would bring at a fair

voluntary sale;

2. Prescribe forms with numbers ascribed thereto for the county

assessors' use in assessment procedure, including property

classification and appraisal forms;

3. Provide technical assistance to county assessors and county

boards of equalization in the services of appraisal engineers;

4. Provide from year to year schedules of values of personal

property in accordance with Uniform Standards of Professional

Appraisal Practice (USPAP) and International Association of

Assessing Officers (IAAO) requirements to aid county assessors in

the assessment of personal property;

5. Conduct training schools, institutes, conferences and

meetings for the purpose of improving the qualifications of county

assessors and their deputies as required by law;

6. Prepare and furnish from time to time to county assessors an

assessors' manual. Such manual shall include, but not be limited

to, valuation methodologies for property in a county for which no

comparable property exists in order for a county assessor to

establish a value for ad valorem tax purposes. The manual shall

include information concerning valuation of hazardous waste disposal

facilities and such other types of facilities as may be requested by

the county assessor for which the assessor does not have adequate

data to value such property;

7. Render such other assistance as may be conducive to the

proper assessment of property for ad valorem taxation;

8. Recommend rules to the Tax Commission establishing uniform

procedures and standards for the appraisal of real property by

county assessors;

9. Develop assessment manuals for the valuation of manufactured

homes and periodic updates for such manuals for use by county

assessors; and

10. Promptly notify county assessors, county treasurers and

members of county excise and equalization boards of any changes to

the laws relating to ad valorem taxation.

B. The county assessors shall not use any form not prescribed

or approved by the Ad Valorem Division.

C. Each county assessor shall comply with the rules and guides

adopted by the Oklahoma Tax Commission.

D. The Ad Valorem Division, upon request of any county

assessor, shall furnish to the county assessor any information shown

by its files and records as to any real and personal property,

subject to taxation, including income and expense data as shown by

income tax returns, to the end that no property shall escape

taxation, and this information is to be furnished notwithstanding

any statute that such files and records shall be confidential and

privileged.

E. The Ad Valorem Division shall be authorized to obtain

information relating to the ownership, location, taxable status or

valuation for purposes of ad valorem taxation of real or personal

property from any state agency, board, commission, department,

authority or other division of state government if necessary to

respond to a request by a county assessor as provided by subsection

D of this section. Such information shall be confidential and

privileged and shall only be released to a county assessor in order

to locate, discover and correctly value taxable property as required

by law.