For a total list of all the real estate laws digested by first tuesday for the 2009-2010 legislative session, click here.

Topics:

  1. Changes to property assessment protocol

Reported by Anthony Renaud

Assessors must accept alternative forms of documentation from home owners

 

Revenue and Taxation Code §§ 72, 441.5
Amended by S.B. 822

Effective: January 1, 2010

Each county’s assessor may require floor plans to be submitted in electronic format.

In lieu of completing a standard printed property statement, the county assessor may accept the property statement in any of the following formats:

  • as an electronic attachment to the standard property statement;
  • as an electronically-filed property statement;
  • as a property statement in print that is substantially similar to and provides the same information as the standard printed property form, signed by the taxpayer; or
  • any combination of the above methods.

 

Assessor must share disabled veteran property tax exemption info with Franchise Tax Board

 

Revenue and Taxation Code §§ 205.6
Amended by S.B. 822
Effective: January 1, 2010

County assessors may share with the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) information about taxpayers receiving disabled veteran property tax exemptions.

The FTB may demand from the county assessor information about disabled veterans, including:

  • the name of the veteran and spouse;
  • social security number; and
  • the address of the home to which the tax exemption is applied.

 

 

 

 

 

Counties may exempt low-value property from property taxes

 

Revenue and Taxation Code §§ 155.20, 2823
Amended by S.B. 822
Effective: Jan 1, 2010

A county board of supervisors may exempt from property taxes any property with a total base year value or full value of $10,000 or less, up from a previous ceiling of $5,000.