Editorial Policy: How We Research, Verify and Update

Which sources we use

We rank sources in this order and use the highest one available for every fact:

1. Official county sources: the Franklin County Auditor, Treasurer, Recorder, Engineer and Board of Revision, including their websites, forms, news releases and online tools.
2. State law and agencies: the Ohio Revised Code, the Ohio Administrative Code, the Ohio Department of Taxation and the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals.
3. Official legislative analysis: Ohio Legislative Service Commission bill analyses for new laws.
4. Reputable news and professional sources, used for context (for example, how a new law affects Franklin County) and always named on the page.

We don’t rely on other unofficial property websites as sources.

How we verify

• Live checks. Specific figures (exemption amounts, income limits, fees, deadlines, filing windows, phone numbers, addresses, hours and URLs) are checked against the live official source before publication, not recalled from memory.
• Dated sources. Each page ends with a Sources list and the date the facts were checked.
• Disclosed conflicts. When official sources disagree, such as two different dates for the same event, we show both, name the sources and say which is newer or more specific. We don’t silently pick one.
• Tools. We use software tools, including AI writing assistants, to help research and draft pages. Every fact is checked against the sources listed on the page before publication.

What this looks like on our pages

• Conflicting dates, shown side by side. The 2026 value update guide notes that the Auditor and a news report gave different end dates for review sessions, and the forfeited land sale guide shows two different sale dates published by the Auditor’s Office.
• Conflicting locations. The Board of Revision guide and the office contacts page note where official pages list different floors for the same counter.
• New laws from official analysis. Changes under House Bill 186 on the owner occupancy credit page and the property taxes guide are drawn from the enacted bill and the Legislative Service Commission’s analysis.
• Yearly figures, dated. Income limits on the Homestead page and fees on the dog license page say which year they apply to.
• No invented numbers. Instead of building our own calculator, the estimator guide explains the Auditor’s official tools, which use real parcel data.

What we never do

• Invent statistics, quotes, reviews, testimonials, ratings, people or credentials.
• Show calculators or estimators that produce numbers without a real, accurate data source behind them, or fake loading or error screens.
• Use the county seal, the Auditor’s logo or other government branding, or present this site as an official office.
• Give legal, tax or financial advice. We explain how programs work and point to the official office for decisions.

How pages are kept current

Property rules change: rates arrive each December, credits change under new laws, and deadlines shift. We review pages when an official source announces a change, and ahead of key deadlines such as December 31 (Homestead and owner occupancy), January 31 (dog licenses) and March 31 (Board of Revision). Every page shows a “last updated” date.

Corrections

If you find an error, report it through our contact page with the page address and, ideally, a link to the official source. We check each report against official sources, correct confirmed errors, and update the page date. Significant corrections are noted on the page.

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