Assessment Rolls

Overview

Using assessment rolls, you can see who or what was at an address, and learn more about the residents. You can also learn more about a property.

The assessment rolls are on microfilm and hard copy. You will need to visit the Archives to see them.

Details

The Archives has assessment rolls going back to 1834. By the early 1980s, assessment rolls show: roll number; location and description of the property; assessed property value; name and mailing address of the legal owner(s); tenants (if provided by property owner or tenant); and school support. In earlier years, assessment rolls may also provide additional information, including, but not limited to: property owner’s occupation; age; religion; and taxable income. It should be noted that the information provided is inconsistent, changes over time, and varies from municipality to municipality. Assessment roll information is open to the public based on the Assessment Act of Ontario.

Tips on Using the Assessment Rolls

  • Assessment rolls are created every year as part of property tax calculation.
  • Assessment rolls are organized by municipality. You will need to identify the municipality a property was in when the assessment was made. For example, a property may have been in Weston, then in York (because Weston was amalgamated with York in 1967) and now in the City of Toronto (because York was amalgamated with Toronto in 1998).
  • Post-1998 assessment rolls are also organized by the six pre-1998 municipalities, even though they are all now part of the City of Toronto.
  • If your property used to be in the old City of Toronto, the City of Toronto Annexations map can help you find out when it became part of Toronto.
  • The Archives has maps and other guides to help you find out which ward and division your property is in.
  • For current assessment information about your property, you can use the Toronto Property System database, available at the Archives and civic centres.

 

The following is a list of assessment rolls, by municipality, held at the City of Toronto Archives. The links in the list take you into the Archives online database, where you can read more details about each collection.