Bill Text: NY S04265 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Authorizes an exemption for class one capital improvements to residential buildings and certain new construction in a special assessing unit that is not a city.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - REFERRED TO HOUSING, CONSTRUCTION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT [S04265 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S04265-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         4265--A
            Cal. No. 535

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 3, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  THOMAS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Housing, Construction  and
          Community  Development  --  reported  favorably  from  said committee,
          ordered to first and  second  report,  ordered  to  a  third  reading,
          amended  and  ordered  reprinted,  retaining its place in the order of
          third reading

        AN ACT to amend the real property tax law, in relation to authorizing an
          exemption for class one capital improvements to residential  buildings
          and certain new construction in a special assessing unit that is not a
          city; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon the expira-
          tion thereof

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The section heading of section 421-f of the  real  property
     2  tax  law,  as  amended by chapter 590 of the laws of 1994, is amended to
     3  read as follows:
     4    Exemption of capital improvements to residential buildings and certain
     5  new construction.
     6    § 2. Section 421-f of the real property tax law is amended by adding a
     7  new subdivision 1-a to read as follows:
     8    1-a. Buildings classified as class one property  in  section  eighteen
     9  hundred  two  of this chapter reconstructed, altered, improved, or newly
    10  constructed in a special assessing unit that is  not  a  city  shall  be
    11  exempt  from  taxation  and  special  ad  valorem  levies  to the extent
    12  provided hereinafter in the same manner and to the same extent to  coun-
    13  ty,  town,  special  district  and  school  district taxes levied on the
    14  assessment roll prepared by  such  special  assessing  unit.  Additional
    15  buildings  and  yard  improvements shall be excluded from receiving this
    16  exemption.   An  application  shall  not  be  required  to  receive  the
    17  exemption.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06708-05-1

        S. 4265--A                          2

     1    §  3.  Subdivisions  2 and 3 of section 421-f of the real property tax
     2  law, as amended by chapter 590 of the laws of 1994, subparagraph (ii) of
     3  paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 and subdivision 3 as further  amended  by
     4  subdivision  (b)  of  section  1  of part W of chapter 56 of the laws of
     5  2010, are amended to read as follows:
     6    2.  (a) Such buildings shall be exempt for a period of one year to the
     7  extent of one hundred per centum of the increase in assessed value ther-
     8  eof attributable to such reconstruction, alteration or improvement,  and
     9  new  construction pursuant to subdivision one-a of this section, and for
    10  an additional period of seven years subject to the following:
    11    (i) The extent of such exemption shall  be  decreased  by  twelve  and
    12  one-half  per centum of the "exemption base" each year during such addi-
    13  tional period. The "exemption base" shall be the  increase  in  assessed
    14  value  as  determined  in the initial year of the term of the exemption,
    15  except as provided in subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph.
    16    (ii) In any year in which a change in level of assessment  of  fifteen
    17  percent or more is certified for a final assessment roll pursuant to the
    18  rules  of  the commissioner, the exemption base shall be multiplied by a
    19  fraction, the numerator of which shall be the total  assessed  value  of
    20  the parcel on such final assessment roll (after accounting for any phys-
    21  ical  or  quantity changes to the parcel since the immediately preceding
    22  assessment roll), and the  denominator  of  which  shall  be  the  total
    23  assessed  value of the parcel on the immediately preceding final assess-
    24  ment roll. The result shall be the new  exemption  base.  The  exemption
    25  shall  thereupon  be  recomputed  to take into account the new exemption
    26  base, notwithstanding the fact that the assessor receives  certification
    27  of  the change in level of assessment after the completion, verification
    28  and filing of the final assessment roll. In the event the assessor  does
    29  not  have  custody  of the roll when such certification is received, the
    30  assessor shall certify the recomputed exemption to  the  local  officers
    31  having  custody  and  control  of  the roll, and such local officers are
    32  hereby directed and authorized to enter the recomputed exemption  certi-
    33  fied by the assessor on the roll. The assessor shall give written notice
    34  of  such  recomputed  exemption to the property owner, who may, if he or
    35  she believes that the exemption was recomputed incorrectly, apply for  a
    36  correction in the manner provided by title three of article five of this
    37  chapter for the correction of clerical errors.
    38    (iii)  [Such]  Except  in a special assessing unit that is not a city,
    39  such exemption shall be limited to eighty thousand dollars in  increased
    40  market  value,  or such other sum less than eighty thousand dollars, but
    41  not less than five thousand dollars as may be provided by the local  law
    42  or  resolution,  of  the  property  attributable to such reconstruction,
    43  alteration or improvement and any increase in market value greater  than
    44  such  amount  shall  not  be eligible for the exemption pursuant to this
    45  section. In a special assessing unit that is not a city,  the  exemption
    46  shall  be  limited  to seven hundred fifty thousand dollars in increased
    47  market value. For the purposes of this section, the market value of  the
    48  reconstruction,  alteration  or  improvement,  or  new  construction  as
    49  authorized by subdivision one-a of this section, shall be equal  to  the
    50  increased assessed value attributable to such reconstruction, alteration
    51  [or], improvement or new construction divided by the class [I] one ratio
    52  in  a  special  assessing  unit  or  the most recently established state
    53  equalization rate or special equalization rate in the remainder  of  the
    54  state,  except where the state equalization rate or special equalization
    55  rate equals or exceeds ninety-five percent, in which case  the  increase
    56  in  assessed value attributable to such reconstruction, alteration [or],

        S. 4265--A                          3

     1  improvement or new construction shall be  deemed  to  equal  the  market
     2  value of such reconstruction, alteration or improvement.
     3    (b)  [No]  Except  in  a special assessing unit that is not a city, no
     4  such exemption shall  be  granted  for  reconstruction,  alterations  or
     5  improvements unless:
     6    (i)  such  reconstruction,  alteration  or  improvement  was commenced
     7  subsequent to the effective date of the local law or resolution  adopted
     8  pursuant to subdivision one of this section; and
     9    (ii)  the  value  of  such  reconstruction,  alteration or improvement
    10  exceeds three thousand dollars; and
    11    (iii) the greater portion, as so determined by square footage, of  the
    12  building reconstructed, altered or improved is at least five years old.
    13    (c)  For purposes of this section the terms reconstruction, alteration
    14  and improvement shall not include ordinary maintenance and repairs.
    15    3. [Such] Except in a special assessing unit that is not a city,  such
    16  exemption  shall  be  granted only upon application by the owner of such
    17  building on a form prescribed by the commissioner. The application shall
    18  be filed with the assessor of the city, town, village or  county  having
    19  the  power  to assess property for taxation on or before the appropriate
    20  taxable status date of such city, town, village or county.  In a special
    21  assessing unit that is not a city, the exemption shall be applied  based
    22  upon  that  completion of reconstruction, alteration, improvement or new
    23  construction on or before the applicable  taxable  status  date  of  the
    24  special  assessing  unit;  provided, however that the exemption for such
    25  reconstruction,  alteration,  improvement  or  new   construction   that
    26  occurred  after  the  taxable status date of such special assessing unit
    27  for the two thousand nineteen -- two  thousand  twenty  assessment  roll
    28  and  on or before the taxable status date of such special assessing unit
    29  for the two thousand twenty -- two thousand twenty-one  assessment  roll
    30  shall be applied beginning with the two thousand twenty-one -- two thou-
    31  sand twenty-two assessment roll.
    32    § 4. Subdivisions 5, 6 and 7 of section 421-f of the real property tax
    33  law,  as amended by chapter 590 of the laws of 1994, are amended to read
    34  as follows:
    35    5. For the purposes of this section, except  in  a  special  assessing
    36  unit  that is not a city, a residential building shall mean any building
    37  or structure designed and occupied exclusively for residential  purposes
    38  by not more than two families.
    39    6.  In the event that a building granted an exemption pursuant to this
    40  section ceases to be used primarily for residential purposes [or], is no
    41  longer classified as class one property in a special assessing unit that
    42  is not a city, or title thereto is transferred to other than  the  heirs
    43  or distributees of the owner in other than a special assessing unit that
    44  is  not  a  city,  the  exemption granted pursuant to this section shall
    45  cease.
    46    7. (a) [A] Except for a special assessing unit that is not a  city,  a
    47  county, city, town or village may, by its local law, or school district,
    48  by its resolution:
    49    (i)  reduce  the per centum of exemption otherwise allowed pursuant to
    50  this section;
    51    (ii) limit eligibility for the exemption  to  those  forms  of  recon-
    52  struction,  alterations  or improvements as are prescribed in such local
    53  law or resolution;
    54    (iii) provide that the exemption shall be  applicable  only  to  those
    55  improvements which would otherwise result in an increase in the assessed
    56  valuation  of the real property but which consist of an addition, remod-

        S. 4265--A                          4

     1  eling or modernization to an existing residential structure  to  prevent
     2  physical  deterioration  of  the  structure or to comply with applicable
     3  building, sanitary, health and/or fire codes.
     4    (b)  No  such  local  law  or  resolution  shall  reduce  or repeal an
     5  exemption granted pursuant to this section until the expiration  of  the
     6  period for which such exemption was granted.
     7    §  5. Effect of exemption. A special assessing unit that is not a city
     8  shall not consider  property  exempt  pursuant  to  subdivision  1-a  of
     9  section 421-f of the real property tax law when calculating tax rates or
    10  when apportioning taxes among classes under article 18 of the real prop-
    11  erty tax law.
    12    § 6. Severability. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, section or part
    13  of  this act shall be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to
    14  be invalid and after exhaustion of  all  further  judicial  review,  the
    15  judgment  shall  not affect, impair or invalidate the remainder thereof,
    16  but shall be confined in its operation to the  clause,  sentence,  para-
    17  graph,  section or part of this act directly involved in the controversy
    18  in which the judgment shall have been rendered.
    19    § 7. This act shall take effect immediately;  provided  however,  that
    20  subdivision  1-a  and  the  amendments  made  to the section heading and
    21  subdivisions 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 of section 421-f of the real property  tax
    22  law  by  sections  one  through four of this act shall apply only to the
    23  2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025  assessment rolls  of  the
    24  county  of  Nassau,  and  shall expire and be deemed repealed January 1,
    25  2026.
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