Dakota County's alternative service methods for Property Tax Petitions
The procedures below are intended to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions and are not permanent changes in county policies and procedures. These alternative methods are temporary and apply only to the April 30, 2021, filing deadline for property tax petitions.
Minnesota Statute 278.01 requires service of one copy of a property tax petition upon the County Auditor/Treasurer, one copy on the County Attorney, and three copies on the County Assessor. For all counties, each petitioner must file a copy of the petition with proof of service, in the office of the court administrator of the district court on or before April 30 of the year in which the tax becomes payable.
Acceptable Alternative Service of Tax Petitions on Dakota County Entities:
Dakota County will accept email filings of tax petitions for the April 30, 2021 service/filing deadline. Dakota County has set up a special email link for service of tax petitions, which is provided below. A scanned copy of a complete tax petition (including the front, back and any additional pages) sent to this designated email address will satisfy the service requirement on these county departments: (1) County Auditor/Treasurer (via Property Tax division); (2) County Assessor's Office; and (3) County Attorney's Office.
Tax petitioners choosing to email their petitions must also serve a copy by U.S. mail, as directed below. This request for mail service in addition to email is to protect both the county and taxpayers from potential misdirection of emails or other complications that can occur with email transmission, which would interfere with the county's receipt of tax petitions.
For those petitioners who do not have computers or are unable to serve via email, the county will accept filings by U.S. mail, without email, at the address provided below.
Service Instructions
1. Email Service of tax petitions on Dakota County entities may be accomplished by emailing the petition to taxpetitions@co.dakota.mn.us.
2. Mail Service of tax petitions on Dakota County entities may be accomplished by sending the petition via regular U.S. mail to the following address:
Dakota County Attorney's Office
Dakota County Judicial Center
1560 Highway 55
Hastings, MN 55033
Acknowledgement of Service
Upon receipt of tax petitions, the county will issue to petitioners an acknowledgment of service showing that the required county entities have been served.
Petitioners are advised to serve petitions in advance of the April 30, 2021 filing deadline to allow time for return of the acknowledgment of service.