The Cook County Assessor has decided 62,615 of the 95,793 residential appeals filed so far for tax year 2026. 10,688 received a reduction, 17.1%, with an average cut of 9.2% of assessed value among the winners. Decisions run through August 31, 2026; townships whose windows closed in late August and September, including Lyons, Northfield, West, Stickney and Bremen, are still pending. Every figure here is the county's own outcome data for all appellants, represented or not, not this firm's results.
2026 Assessor results by township (residential, decided as of August 31)
| Township | Triad | Decided | Reduced | Win rate | Average cut (winners) | Median cut, assessed value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Forest | south | 2,565 | 821 | 32.0% | 8.0% | $5,286 |
| Oak Park | south | 9,662 | 2,487 | 25.7% | 9.0% | $3,410 |
| Berwyn | south | 3,971 | 975 | 24.6% | 9.4% | $2,403 |
| Riverside | south | 2,276 | 548 | 24.1% | 8.5% | $3,680 |
| Cicero | south | 2,529 | 486 | 19.2% | 8.4% | $1,994 |
| New Trier | north | 7,648 | 1,357 | 17.7% | 7.5% | $9,002 |
| Palos | south | 8,117 | 1,332 | 16.4% | 12.6% | $3,061 |
| Evanston | north | 3,256 | 520 | 16.0% | 7.0% | $4,798 |
| Lake View | city | 7,605 | 863 | 11.3% | 10.0% | $6,432 |
| Maine | north | 8,225 | 749 | 9.1% | 9.9% | $3,570 |
| Rogers Park | city | 1,476 | 128 | 8.7% | 14.2% | $3,541 |
| Norwood Park | north | 1,419 | 118 | 8.3% | 6.6% | $2,941 |
| Elk Grove | north | 3,866 | 304 | 7.9% | 7.0% | $2,564 |
Pending, filed but not decided: Lyons 11,844, West 9,541, Northfield 5,537, Stickney 2,414, Bremen 2,296, Lemont 625, Barrington 278, Hyde Park 160, Calumet 48, Leyden 5. Worth opened September 1.
Why the reassessed townships won more
The south and west suburbs were reassessed for 2026, and the top of the table is all south-triad townships. That is not a coincidence. In a reassessment year the whole township is revalued from a mass-appraisal model, individual homes land on the wrong side of their neighbors more often, and a uniformity appeal has more to work with. Townships reassessed in earlier years (Maine, Elk Grove, Norwood Park, Lake View) are appealing values that have already been through two rounds of appeals, so fewer stand out.
Lost at the Assessor? The Board of Review reduces two to three times as many
The Assessor's window is the first venue, not the last. For tax year 2025 the Assessor reduced 17.4% of residential appeals in the north suburbs, 11.9% in the south suburbs and 9.9% in the city. The Board of Review, deciding after the Assessor, reduced 55.6% in the north, 37.7% in the south and 26.4% in the city. A Board appeal is independent: you can file whether or not you filed with the Assessor, and whether or not the Assessor said no.
Board of Review windows open now, all closing September 29, 2026: Berwyn, Cicero, Elk Grove, Lake View, Maine and Palos. Every other township's dates are on the deadlines page as the Board publishes them.
What the winners had in common
Residential appeals are decided on paper, and the argument that carries is uniformity: assessed value per square foot compared with similar homes in the same neighborhood code. A 9% average cut on a $35,000 assessment is about $3,150 of assessed value; at a 10% composite rate and the 3.03 equalizer that is roughly $950 a year, and a 2026 reduction in a reassessed township carries through 2027 and 2028.
See how your home compares with the free property check, or start an appeal. Our fee is 25% of the first year's savings and nothing if there is no reduction. Methodology: Cook County Assessor and Board of Review appeal files as loaded September 6, 2026; Class 2 parcels; "reduced" means the post-appeal assessed value is lower than the pre-appeal value.
