The DR-486 is Florida's official Value Adjustment Board petition form. It runs one page. Every field is mandatory unless the form marks it optional. Here's what each section captures and how to fill it correctly.
The header
The form identifies itself as DR-486 · R. 06/24 · Rule 12D-16.002, F.A.C.. The tax year is the calendar year of the assessment being contested — not the year you file. A petition for a 2026 assessment is filed in September 2026 under tax year 2026.
Section 1 — Petitioner
Your legal name, mailing address, phone, and email. For an LLC or corporation, use the entity's name and the registered agent's address. The petitioner must have legal standing — usually the owner of record, but a tenant with a triple-net lease that makes them responsible for the tax can also petition.
Section 2 — Subject parcel
Parcel ID (in your county's format), property address, brief use description, and the assessed values printed on your TRIM notice. The "just value" and "assessed value" are different numbers when caps like Save Our Homes or the 10% non-homestead cap apply — copy them exactly as printed.
Section 3 — Grounds for petition
This is the heart of the form. Florida statute enumerates seven grounds in § 194.011(3). The most common for commercial petitioners:
(d) The taxpayer's good-faith determination of just value exceeds the just value found by the property appraiser. This is the comparable-sales argument — most commercial appeals use this ground.
(e) The assessed value exceeds just value. Used when caps push assessed above the underlying just value — rare for commercial property since the 10% cap tracks just value closely.
(g) Denial of an exemption. Use when you applied for an exemption (like agricultural classification) and the appraiser rejected it.
Section 4 — Evidence
List what you intend to submit: comparable sales sheet (Schedule A), income approach (Schedule B if applicable), expert reports, photographs, lease abstracts, anything else the magistrate should weigh. You don't have to submit the evidence with the form — but listing it commits you to producing it at the hearing.
Section 5 — Agent authorization
Skip if you're filing pro se. If a CPA, broker, or property tax consultant files for you, complete the DR-486POA in addition to the DR-486 and the consultant signs both forms.
Section 6 — Signature and verification
You sign under penalty of perjury that the facts stated are true to the best of your knowledge. Don't sign blank — fill every field first.
Filing the form
Walk it in to the Clerk of the VAB, mail it, or use the county's online portal. Pay the $15 filing fee at submission. Keep a date-stamped copy for your records. The clerk schedules your hearing typically October through January.