Effective date: November 2, 2026 (Research Surveys section added)
Untax the Roof respects the privacy of people who visit our website, subscribe to updates, contact us, or otherwise provide information to the organization.
This policy explains what information we may collect, why we collect it, how it may be used and disclosed, and the choices available to you.
Information You Provide
We may collect information you voluntarily provide through our website or communications, including your name, email address, inquiry category, message, organization name when relevant, telephone number when provided, submitted sources or documents, newsletter subscription information, and records of communications with us.
The information required may depend on the reason for contact. An organization name may be requested for media, professional, or organization-related inquiries. A telephone number should ordinarily be optional unless a telephone response is specifically requested.
Please do not send passwords, complete Social Security numbers, financial-account credentials, medical records, or other highly sensitive information through the ordinary contact form.
Public-Support Petition
If you sign our public-support petition, we collect your name, email address, city, county (or county-equivalent), state, ZIP code, and a record of your affirmative support for the displayed petition statement. We use your email to send a verification link; your signature is not counted until that link is used. We retain petition records to maintain an accurate record of support, prevent duplicates, respond to corrections or removal requests, and document campaign advocacy. We may report aggregate verified-signature totals by state, county, city, and ZIP code, but do not publish petition names or email addresses without separate permission. An optional, unchecked checkbox allows you to request newsletters separately. We retain that choice with your petition record and use the same petition verification to activate your newsletter subscription only if you opted in. One confirmation covers both choices when selected. You are not subscribed unless you confirm that email. Signing the petition alone does not subscribe you to the newsletter. Email verification confirms control of an inbox, not identity, residence, or voter registration. Request correction or deletion at info@untaxtheroof.org; legal recordkeeping obligations may limit deletion in particular circumstances.
Newsletter Information
Newsletter signup requires an email address. We may add an optional name field in the future for personalized communications. We intend to use an email-confirmation process so that a subscription is not activated until the email address is confirmed.
Newsletter messages will provide a method for unsubscribing. We will process unsubscribe requests as promptly as reasonably possible, although completing the request may take several days.
For messages covered by the federal CAN-SPAM Act, the Federal Trade Commission states that an opt-out request must be honored within 10 business days. Federal Trade Commission: CAN-SPAM Act Compliance Guide
After an unsubscribe request has been processed, we may retain limited information necessary to document and honor the request so that the address is not accidentally added to the mailing list again.
Research Surveys
Our research surveys are anonymous. No question requires your name, telephone number, email address, or street address, and every question can be skipped. Please do not put identifying details in written answers; whatever you type in a written answer is stored as you typed it.
What is stored with a survey response. Your answers; which survey and which version of it you took; when you started and when you submitted; whether the response is complete or partial; and a random response code that identifies the response, not you. The standard location and background questions are stored with it: state, county, and, if you answer them, ZIP code, age range, housing situation, type of area, household size, income range, and employment status. When the county you type matches exactly one county in the state you chose, we store the official U.S. Census Bureau county name and its five-digit county code. If it does not match exactly one county, we store what you typed and no code.
Anonymous respondent code. When you open a survey, your browser creates a random code and keeps it in its own storage on your device. It is sent with each survey you submit, so that several surveys from the same browser count as one anonymous respondent and so that later surveys can reuse your earlier location and background answers instead of asking again. The code is attached to your latest answers to those standard questions, and we keep a record of answers that were replaced. It does not contain or point to your name or email address. Anyone using the same browser on the same device can see those saved answers prefilled on a survey page, so use the survey in a private window on a shared computer. Clearing this website’s data in your browser removes the code from your device. Your browser also keeps a separate note, on your device only, of which surveys you have completed so the survey page can tell you.
Newsletter and contact permission. If you ask to receive updates, your email address is handled through the same confirmation process as our newsletter signup, and it is not stored with your survey answers. If you check the box saying you are willing to be contacted about your property-tax experience, your email address is stored in a separate list together with the name of the survey and the date; it is not linked to your answers.
Limit on how many surveys can be submitted. To prevent abuse, we accept at most eight survey submissions per hour from the same internet connection. To do this we store a one-way scrambled code made from the connection’s IP address, using a secret key kept outside the website’s public files, together with the time of the submission. The IP address itself is not stored for this purpose. Each time a survey is submitted, these entries are deleted once they are an hour old, so an entry can stay until the next survey is submitted after that hour has passed.
Who can see responses. Individual responses are visible in the website’s administrator area, which requires an administrator sign-in. Every download of survey responses from that area is recorded in an audit log.
Requests. Because survey responses are not tied to your name or email address, we usually cannot tell which responses are yours, and that limits our ability to find, correct, or delete them. The general section “Your Choices and Requests” below still applies to information such as a newsletter or contact-permission email address.
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit the website, hosting, security, and technical-service providers may automatically receive information such as an Internet Protocol address, browser and device type, operating system, pages requested, referring page, date and time of access, and diagnostic or security information.
This information may be used to operate the website, maintain security, diagnose technical problems, and understand basic website performance.
Cookies and Analytics
Untax the Roof has not yet selected its final website-analytics and cookie configuration.
The website may use cookies or similar technologies that are necessary for security, form processing, subscription management, user preferences, or basic operation.
Before nonessential analytics or advertising technologies are enabled, this policy should be updated to identify the categories of technology used, the purposes for which information is collected, available choices, and the relevant service providers.
Untax the Roof does not intend to use personal information for targeted advertising.
How We Use Information
Information may be used to respond to messages, review corrections and source suggestions, operate and secure the website, diagnose technical problems, administer newsletter subscriptions, maintain organizational records, evaluate offers of assistance, review submitted research, comply with legal obligations, protect rights and safety, and carry out other purposes explained when the information is collected.
Providing information through the contact form does not authorize Untax the Roof to publish your name, story, documents, or message.
How Information May Be Disclosed
Untax the Roof will not sell, rent, or trade personal contact information.
Information may be disclosed to service providers that help operate organizational services; to authorized personnel who need it for their work; when you direct us or give permission; when reasonably necessary to investigate misuse, fraud, security incidents, threats, or unlawful activity; when required by valid legal process; when necessary to establish or defend legal rights; or as part of an organizational restructuring subject to appropriate privacy protections.
Service providers should receive only the information reasonably necessary to perform their services.
Research and Personal Stories
Submitting information does not guarantee publication.
If Untax the Roof wants to publish a personal story, identify a contributor, or publicly attribute submitted material, we will seek appropriate permission first.
We may use submitted information internally to evaluate a claim, locate public records, investigate an issue, or determine whether the material meets our research standards.
Anonymous or unverified accounts will be handled according to our Research Standards and Corrections Policy.
Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and for legitimate legal, financial, operational, security, and recordkeeping needs.
Different types of records may be kept for different periods. Information may be retained when necessary to honor an unsubscribe request, document consent, preserve research sourcing, resolve disputes, maintain financial or corporate records, respond to legal obligations, or prevent misuse.
When information is no longer reasonably needed, we may delete, anonymize, or securely dispose of it.
Your Choices and Requests
You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information you previously submitted to Untax the Roof.
We may need to verify your identity before completing a request. We may decline or limit a request when retaining the information is reasonably necessary or legally required, including for security, financial records, legal compliance, dispute resolution, or protection of another person's rights.
Newsletter recipients may unsubscribe by using the link provided in an email or by contacting us. Privacy requests may be sent to info@untaxtheroof.org.
Children's Privacy
The website is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13. Untax the Roof does not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13.
If we learn that we collected such information without appropriate authorization, we will take reasonable steps to delete it. A parent or guardian who believes a child under 13 submitted personal information may contact info@untaxtheroof.org.
The Federal Trade Commission provides information about the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule and its application to information collected online from children under 13. Federal Trade Commission: Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule
Information Security
Untax the Roof will use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards appropriate to the information it maintains.
No website, email transmission, database, or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure. Please consider this before submitting sensitive or confidential material.
External Links
The website may link to government agencies, courts, research institutions, news organizations, and other third-party websites. Untax the Roof does not control those websites or their privacy practices.
A link does not necessarily mean that we endorse every statement, product, policy, or practice of the linked organization.
Changes to This Policy
This policy may be updated as the website, organization, service providers, legal requirements, or information practices change.
Material revisions will be identified by an updated effective date. When appropriate, we may provide additional notice through the website or email list.
Contact
Questions or requests concerning this Privacy Policy may be sent to:
Untax the Roof
Email: info@untaxtheroof.org
A public mailing address will be added after the organization obtains a nonresidential mailing address appropriate for public use.