GEORGIA CERTIFIED APPRAISER DESIGNATION (GCA)

APPLICATION (Click here)

The Georgia Certified Appraiser (GCA) designation is an official commendation bestowed by the Georgia Association of Assessing Officials on those of its members who have demonstrated the possession of excellent knowledge and skills in the mass appraisal of property for ad valorem purposes. It is an honor to achieve the designation and each member of GAAO is encouraged to strive to achieve this distinction.

GCA Requirements:

The GCA designation is fundamentally associated with GAAO, and the professionalism of its grantees reflects further on the integrity and judgement.

Of the grantors; further, it presupposes a certain level of expertise in mass appraisal theory and familiarity with Georgia’s laws and procedures; therefore, continued membership in GAAO is a prerequisite for maintaining the designation. GAAO reserves the right to demand the return of the GCA certificate should the holder of the designation cease to belong to GAAO. Requirements for applicants attempting to obtain the GCA designation are:
  • Must be at least 21 years of age.
  • Must have a minimum of three (3) years of full time experience in the appraisal of property for ad valorem tax purposes.
  • Must be a member in good standing with GAAO for six months before filing an application for candidacy and is a member for one year before receiving the certificate.
  • Must be employed by Georgia State, county or joint city/county government in the field of property mass appraisal for ad valorem tax purposes.
  • Must submit evidence of having successfully completed Course I or IA of the Georgia Certification Program within the last 10 years. Alternately, the applicant will be permitted one attempt to achieve a passing score of 70% on the course examination if the course was taken earlier than 10 years from the date of filing for candidate status.
  • Must submit evidence of having successfully completed Courses II, III, IVA, IVB, and V of the Georgia Certification Program or their IAAO equivalents within the last ten years. Alternately, the applicant will be permitted one attempt to achieve a passing score of 70% on each of the Georgia course examinations needed if the course was taken earlier than 10 years from the date of filing for candidate status.
  • Must have received a certificate acknowledging the passing of the Appraiser IV examination and continue to be certified as an Appraiser IV or higher by the Georgia Department of Revenue.
  • Will be required to demonstrate the degree of professionalism attained by submitting a narrative demonstration appraisal report:
    • The subject property may be residential, income producing or personal property.
    • The demonstration appraisal report must be comprehensive and demonstrate a total understanding of the appraisal process.
    • The candidate must demonstrate and support the various adjustments made throughout the appraisal report.
The report will be graded utilizing the IAAO Guides to Demonstration Appraisal Report Writing. The applicant should follow this guide.

To obtain the guide contact:
IAAO
130 East Randolph Street, Suite 850
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (312) 819-6100

For additional information contact:
Mr. John Scott, Executive Director
Georgia Association of Assessing Officials
P O Box 734
Statesboro, GA 30458

A candidate will be deemed to have performed satisfactorily if a majority of the GCA Review Committee judges the required report to be satisfactory.

If the GCA Review Committee deems the candidate’s performance unsatisfactory, the candidate will be notified of the specific deficiencies and the steps necessary to challenge the designation again.

After a second disapproval of a report, a revision is not allowed, and the candidate must submit a completely new report on another subject property.

The members of the GCA Review Committee shall be appointed at the Annual Short Course in Assessment Administration and will begin their term the following year. The committee will be comprised of the following:
  • Two representatives to be designated by the President of GAAO who hold GCA designations, of which one will serve as chairperson.
  • Three representatives to be designated by the Director of the Property Tax Division of the Department of Revenue.
  • The GCA Review Committee is authorized to adopt guidelines and procedures for administering the granting and revocation of GCA designations, including designating individuals to review the candidate’s submissions to advise the committee on the merits of the work. When reviewing the candidate’s submissions, the committee chairman may appoint a temporary alternate member to serve when a regular member of the review committee is disqualified or unable to serve.
The application fee shall be set by the GCA Review Committee at no less that $25.00. The fee for second submissions shall also be set by the GCA Review Committee at no less than $10.00.

The applicant is allowed five years to complete the requirements after which the fee will be forfeited and the application will become null and void.