The Muskogee County Assessor’s Office will begin taking assessments for 2009 on Friday.

All business owners, people with tractors, farm equipment or mobile homes assessed as personal property, must file assessments with the office before March 16 to avoid penalties.

The Assessor’s Office is in Room 210 at the County Services Building, 400 W. Broadway.

Assessments may also be made during visits to county towns on the following dates:

• Fort Gibson: Feb. 2, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., City Hall.

• Boynton, Feb. 6, 9 a.m. to noon, Wheatley Center.

• Braggs, Feb. 9, 8:30 a.m. to noon, City Hall.

• Webbers Falls, Feb. 13, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., City Hall.

• Porum, Feb. 23, 8:30 a.m. to noon, City Hall.

• Haskell, Feb. 26-27, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., City Hall.

Homestead exemptions, double homestead exemptions and the senior valuation freeze may also be made at this time, Dan Ashwood, assessor, stated in a media release.

To qualify for the double homestead exemption, the gross household income from all sources for the preceding calendar year must not exceed $20,000. This exemption is for persons of any age if they meet the financial requirement.

To qualify for the senior valuation freeze, the property owner must be 65 years of age or older, with a gross household income from all sources for the preceding year not exceeding $44,400.

Proof of income must be provided when applying for either.