Sec. 23.01. Appraisals Generally.

(a) Except as otherwise provided by this chapter, all taxable property is appraised at its market value as of January 1.

(b) The market value of property shall be determined by the application of generally accepted appraisal techniques, and the same or similar appraisal techniques shall be used in appraising the same or similar kinds of property. However, each property shall be appraised based upon the individual characteristics that affect the property's market value.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.02. Reappraisal of Property Damaged in Natural Disaster Area.

(a) The governing body of a taxing unit that is located partly or entirely inside an area declared to be a natural disaster area by the governor may authorize reappraisal of all property damaged in the disaster at its market value immediately after the disaster.

(b) If a taxing unit authorizes a reappraisal pursuant to this section, the appraisal office shall complete the reappraisal as soon as practicable. The appraisal office shall include on the appraisal records, in addition to other information required or authorized by law:

(1) the date of the disaster;

(2) the appraised value of the property after the disaster; and

(3) if the reappraisal is not authorized by all taxing units in which the property is located, an indication of the taxing units to which the reappraisal applies.

(c) A taxing unit that authorizes a reappraisal under this section must pay the appraisal district all the costs of making the reappraisal. If two or more taxing units provide for the reappraisal in the same territory, each shall share the costs of the reappraisal in that territory in the proportion the total dollar amount of taxes imposed in that territory in the preceding year bears to the total dollar amount of taxes all units providing for reappraisal of that territory imposed in the preceding year.

(d) If property damaged in a natural disaster is reappraised as provided by this section, the governing body shall provide for prorating the taxes on the property for the year in which the disaster occurred. If the taxes are prorated, taxes due on the property are determined as follows: the taxes on the property based on its value on January 1 of that year are multiplied by a fraction, the denominator of which is 365 and the numerator of which is the number of days before the date the disaster occurred; the taxes on the property based on its reappraised value are multiplied by a fraction, the denominator of which is 365 and the numerator of which is the number of days, including the date the disaster occurred, remaining in the year; and the total of the two amounts is the amount of taxes on the property for the year.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.11. Governmental Action That Constitutes Taking.

In appraising private real property, the effect of a governmental action on the market value of private real property as determined in a suit or contested case filed under Chapter 2007, Government Code, shall be taken into consideration by the chief appraiser in determining the market value of the property.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.12. Inventory.

(a) Except as provided by Sections 23.12A and 23.12D of this code, the market value of an inventory is the price for which it would sell as a unit to a purchaser who would continue the business. An inventory shall include residential real property which has never been occupied as a residence and is held for sale in the ordinary course of a trade or business, provided that the residential real property remains unoccupied, is not leased or rented, and produces no income.

(b) The chief appraiser shall establish procedures for the equitable and uniform appraisal of inventory for taxation. In conjunction with the establishment of the procedures, the chief appraiser shall:

(1) establish, publish, and adhere to one procedure for the determination of the quantity of property held in inventory without regard to the kind, nature, or character of the property comprising the inventory; and

(2) apply the same enforcement, verification, and audit procedures, techniques, and criteria to the discovery, physical examination, or quantification of all inventories without regard to the kind, nature, or character of the property comprising the inventory.

(c) In appraising an inventory, the chief appraiser shall use the information obtained pursuant to Subsection (b) of this section and shall apply generally accepted appraisal techniques in computing the market value as defined in Subsection (a) of this section.

(d) Subsections (b) and (c) of this section apply only to an inventory held for sale, lease, or rental.

(e) A person who owns an inventory to which Subsection (b) of this section applies may bring an action to enjoin the chief appraiser from certifying to a taxing unit any portion of the appraisal roll that lists an inventory for which the chief appraiser has not complied with the requirements of Subsection (b) of this section.

(f) The owner of an inventory other than a dealer's motor vehicle inventory as that term is defined in Section 23.121 of this code or a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory as that term is defined in Section 23.12D of this code may elect to have the inventory appraised at its market value as of September 1 of the year preceding the tax year to which the appraisal applies by filing an application with the chief appraiser requesting that the inventory be appraised as of September 1. The application must clearly describe the inventory to which it applies and be signed by the owner of the inventory. The application applies to the appraisal of the inventory in each tax year that begins after the next August 1 following the date the application is filed with the chief appraiser unless the owner of the inventory by written notice filed with the chief appraiser revokes the application or the ownership of the inventory changes. A notice revoking the application is effective for each tax year that begins after the next September following the date the notice of revocation is filed with the chief appraiser.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.121. Dealer's Motor Vehicle Inventory;Value.

(a) In this section:

(1) "Chief appraiser" means the chief appraiser for the appraisal district in which a dealer's motor vehicle inventory is located.

(2) "Collector" means the county tax assessor-collector in the county in which a dealer's motor vehicle inventory is located.

(3) "Dealer" means a person who holds a dealer's general distinguishing number issued by the Texas Department of Transportation under the authority of Article 6686, Revised Statutes, or is authorized by law or interstate reciprocity agreement to purchase vehicles in Texas without paying the motor vehicle sales tax. The term does not include:

(A) a person who holds a manufacturer's license issued by the Motor Vehicle Board of the Texas Department of Transportation;

(B) an entity that is owned or controlled by a person who holds a manufacturer's license issued by the Motor Vehicle Board of the Texas Department of Transportation; or

(C) a dealer whose general distinguishing number issued by the Texas Department of Transportation under the authority of Article 6686, Revised Statutes, prohibits the dealer from selling a vehicle to any person except a dealer.

(4) "Dealer's motor vehicle inventory" means all motor vehicles held for sale by a dealer.

(5) "Dealer-financed sale" means the sale of a motor vehicle in which the seller finances the purchase of the vehicle, is the sole lender in the transaction, and retains exclusively the right to enforce the terms of the agreement evidencing the sale.

(6) "Declaration" means the dealer's motor vehicle inventory declaration form promulgated by the comptroller as required by this section.

(7) "FHockleyt transaction" means the sale of five or more motor vehicles from a dealer's motor vehicle inventory to the same business entity within one calendar year.

(8) "Motor vehicle" means a towable recreational vehicle or a fully self-propelled vehicle with at least two wheels which has as its primary purpose the transport of a person or persons, or property, whether or not intended for use on a public street, road, or highway. The term does not include a vehicle with respect to which the certificate of title has been surrendered in exchange for a salvage certificate in the manner provided by law.

(9) "Owner" means a dealer who owes current year vehicle inventory taxes levied against a dealer's motor vehicle inventory.

(10) "Person" means a natural person, corporation, partnership, or other legal entity.

(11) "Sales price" means the total amount of money paid or to be paid for the purchase of a motor vehicle as set forth as "sales price" in the form entitled "Application for Texas Certificate of Title" promulgated by the Texas Department of Transportation. In a transaction that does not involve the use of that form, the term means an amount of money that is equivalent, or substantially equivalent, to the amount that would appear as "sales price" on the Application for Texas Certificate of Title if that form were involved.

(12) "Subsequent sale" means a dealer-financed sale of a motor vehicle that, at the time of the sale, has been the subject of a dealer-financed sale from the same dealer's motor vehicle inventory in the same calendar year.

(13) "Total annual sales" means the total of the sales price from every sale from a dealer's motor vehicle inventory for a 12-month period.

(14) "Towable recreational vehicle" means a nonmotorized vehicle that is designed for temporary human habitation for recreational, camping, or seasonal use and:

(A) is titled and registered with the Texas Department of Transportation through the county tax assessor-collector;

(B) is permanently built on a single chassis;

(C) contains one or more life support systems; and

(D) is designed to be towable by a motor vehicle.

(b) For the purpose of the computation of property tax, the market value of a dealer's motor vehicle inventory on January 1 is the total annual sales from the dealer's motor vehicle inventory, less sales to dealers, fHockleyt transactions, and subsequent sales, for the 12-month period corresponding to the prior tax year, divided by 12.

(c) For the purpose of the computation of property tax, the market value of the dealer's motor vehicle inventory of an owner who was not a dealer on January 1 of the prior tax year, the chief appraiser shall estimate the market value of the dealer's motor vehicle inventory. In making the estimate required by this subsection the chief appraiser shall extrapolate using sales data, if any, generated by sales from the dealer's motor vehicle inventory in the prior tax year.

(d) Except for dealer's motor vehicle inventory, personal property held by a dealer is appraised as provided by other sections of this code. In the case of a dealer whose sales from dealer's motor vehicle inventory are made predominately to dealers, the chief appraiser shall appraise the dealer's motor vehicle inventory as provided by Section 23.12 of this code.

(e) A dealer is presumed to be an owner of a dealer's motor vehicle inventory on January 1 if, in the 12-month period ending on December 31 of the immediately preceding year, the dealer sold a motor vehicle to a person other than a dealer. The presumption created by this subsection is not rebutted by the fact that a dealer has no motor vehicles physically on hand for sale from dealer's motor vehicle inventory on January 1.

(f) The comptroller shall promulgate a form entitled Dealer's Motor Vehicle Inventory Declaration. Except as provided by Section 23.122(l) of this code, not later than February 1 of each year, or, in the case of a dealer who was not in business on January 1, not later than 30 days after commencement of business, each dealer shall file a declaration with the chief appraiser and file a copy with the collector. The declaration is sufficient to comply with this subsection if it sets forth the following information:

(1) the name and business address of each location at which the dealer owner conducts business;

(2) each of the dealer's general distinguishing numbers issued by the Texas Department of Transportation;

(3) a statement that the dealer owner is the owner of a dealer's motor vehicle inventory; and

(4) the market value of the dealer's motor vehicle inventory for the current tax year as computed under Section 23.121(b) of this code.

(g) Under the terms provided by this subsection, the chief appraiser may examine the books and records of the holder of a general distinguishing number issued by the Texas Department of Transportation. A request made under this subsection must be made in writing, delivered personally to the custodian of the records, at the location for which the general distinguishing number has been issued, must provide a period not less than 15 days for the person to respond to the request, and must state that the person to whom it is addressed has the right to seek judicial relief from compliance with the request. In a request made under this section the chief appraiser may examine:

(1) the document issued by the Texas Department of Transportation showing the person's general distinguishing number;

(2) documentation appropriate to allow the chief appraiser to ascertain the applicability of this section and Section 23.122 of this code to the person;

(3) sales records to substantiate information set forth in the dealer's declaration filed by the person.

(h) If a dealer fails to file a declaration as required by this section, or if, on the declaration required by this section, a dealer reports the sale of fewer than five motor vehicles in the prior year, the chief appraiser shall report that fact to the Texas Department of Transportation.

(i) A dealer who fails to file a declaration required by this section commits an offense. An offense under this subsection is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $500. Each day during which a dealer fails to comply with the terms of this subsection is a separate violation.

(j) A dealer who violates Subsection (g) of this section commits an offense. An offense under this subsection is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $500. Each day during which a person fails to comply with the terms of Subsection (g) of this section is a separate violation.

(k) In addition to other penalties provided by law, a dealer who fails to file a declaration required by this section shall forfeit a penalty. A tax lien attaches to the dealer's business personal property to secure payment of the penalty. The appropriate district attorney, criminal district attorney, or county attorney shall collect the penalty established by this section in the name of the chief appraiser or collector. Venue of an action brought under this subsection is in the county in which the violation occurred or in the county in which the owner maintains his principal place of business or residence. A penalty forfeited under this subsection is $1,000 for each month or part of a month in which a declaration is not filed after it is due.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.122. Prepayment of Taxes by Certain Taxpayers.

(a) In this section:

(1) "Aggregate tax rate" means the combined tax rates of all relevant taxing units authorized by law to levy property taxes against a dealer's motor vehicle inventory.

(2) "Chief appraiser" has the meaning given it in Section 23.121 of this code.

(3) "Collector" has the meaning given it in Section 23.121 of this code.

(4) "Dealer's motor vehicle inventory" has the meaning given it in Section 23.121 of this code.

(5) "Declaration" has the meaning given it in Section 23.121 of this code.

(6) "Owner" has the meaning given it in Section 23.121 of this code.

(7) "Relevant taxing unit" means a taxing unit, including the county, authorized by law to levy property taxes against a dealer's motor vehicle inventory.

(8) "Sales price" has the meaning given it in Section 23.121 of this code.

(9) "Statement" means the Dealer's Motor Vehicle Inventory Tax Statement filed on a form promulgated by the comptroller as required by this section.

(10) "Subsequent sale" has the meaning given it in Section 23.121 of this code.

(11) "Total annual sales" has the meaning given it in Section 23.121 of this code.

(12) "Unit property tax factor" means a number equal to one-twelfth of the prior year aggregate tax rate at the location where a dealer's motor vehicle inventory is located on January 1 of the current year.

(b) Except for a vehicle sold to a dealer, a vehicle included in a fHockleyt transaction, or a vehicle that is the subject of a subsequent sale, an owner or a person who has agreed by contract to pay the owner's current year property taxes levied against the owner's motor vehicle inventory shall assign a unit property tax to each motor vehicle sold from a dealer's motor vehicle inventory. The unit property tax of each motor vehicle is determined by multiplying the sales price of the motor vehicle by the unit property tax factor. On or before the 10th day of each month the owner shall, together with the statement filed by the owner as provided by this section, deposit with the collector a sum equal to the total of unit property tax assigned to all motor vehicles sold from the dealer's motor vehicle inventory in the prior month to which a unit property tax was assigned. The money shall be deposited by the collector in or otherwise credited by the collector to the owner's escrow account for prepayment of property taxes as provided by this section. An escrow account required by this section is used to pay property taxes levied against the dealer's motor vehicle inventory, and the owner shall fund the escrow account as provided by this subsection.

(c) The collector shall maintain the escrow account for each owner in the county depository. The collector is not required to maintain a separate account in the depository for each escrow account created as provided by this section but shall maintain separate records for each owner. The collector shall retain any interest generated by the escrow account to defray the cost of administration of the prepayment procedure established by this section. Interest generated by an escrow account created as provided by this section is the sole property of the collector, and that interest may be used by no entity other than the collector. Interest generated by an escrow account may not be used to reduce or otherwise affect the annual appropriation to the collector that would otherwise be made.

(d) The owner may not withdraw funds in an escrow account created pursuant to this section.

(e) The comptroller shall promulgate a form entitled a Dealer's Motor Vehicle Inventory Tax Statement. A dealer shall complete the form with respect to each motor vehicle sold. A dealer may use no other form for that purpose. The statement may include the information the comptroller deems appropriate but shall include at least the following:

(1) a description of the motor vehicle sold;

(2) the sales price of the motor vehicle;

(3) the unit property tax of the motor vehicle if any; and

(4) the reason no unit property tax is assigned if no unit property tax is assigned.

(f) On or before the 10th day of each month a dealer shall file with the collector the statement covering the sale of each motor vehicle sold by the dealer in the prior month. A dealer shall file a copy of the statement with the chief appraiser and retain documentation relating to the disposition of each motor vehicle sold. A chief appraiser or collector may examine documents held by a dealer as provided by this subsection in the same manner, and subject to the same provisions, as are set forth in Section 23.121(g) of this code.

(g) Except as provided by this subsection, the requirements of Subsection (f) of this section apply to all dealers, without regard to whether or not the dealer owes vehicle inventory tax for the current year. A dealer who owes no vehicle inventory tax for the current year because he was not in business on January 1:

(1) shall file the statement required by this section showing the information required by this section for each month during which the dealer is in business; and

(2) may neither assign a unit property tax to a motor vehicle sold by the dealer nor remit money with the statement unless pursuant to the terms of a contract as provided by Subsection (l) of this section.

(h) A collector may establish a procedure, voluntary or mandatory, by which the unit property tax of a vehicle is paid and deposited into an owner's escrow account at the time of processing the transfer of title to the motor vehicle.

(i) A relevant taxing unit shall, on its tax bill prepared for the owner of a dealer's motor vehicle inventory, separately itemize the taxes levied against the dealer's motor vehicle inventory. When the tax bill is prepared by a relevant taxing unit for a dealer's motor vehicle inventory, the assessor for the relevant taxing unit, or an entity, if any, other than the collector, that collects taxes on behalf of the taxing unit, shall provide the collector a true and correct copy of the tax bill sent to the owner, including taxes levied against the dealer's motor vehicle inventory. The collector shall apply the money in the owner's escrow account to the taxes imposed and deliver a tax receipt to the owner. The collector shall apply the amount to each relevant taxing unit in proportion to the amount of taxes levied, and the assessor of each relevant taxing unit shall apply the funds received from the collector to the taxes owed by the owner.

(j) If the amount in the escrow account is not sufficient to pay the taxes in full, the collector shall apply the money to the taxes and deliver to the owner a tax receipt for the partial payment and a tax bill for the amount of the deficiency together with a statement that the owner must remit to the collector the balance of the total tax due.

(k) The collector shall remit to each relevant taxing unit the total amount collected by the collector in deficiency payments. The assessor of each relevant taxing unit shall apply those funds to the taxes owed by the owner. Taxes that are due but not received by the collector on or before January 31 are delinquent. Not later than February 15 the collector shall distribute to relevant taxing units in the manner set forth in this section all funds collected pursuant to the authority of this section and held in escrow by the collector as provided by this section. This section does not impose a duty on a collector to collect delinquent taxes that the collector is not otherwise obligated by law or contract to collect.

(l) A person who acquires the business or assets of an owner may, by contract, agree to pay the current year vehicle inventory taxes owed by the owner. The owner who owes the current year tax and the person who acquires the business or assets of the owner shall jointly notify the chief appraiser and the collector of the terms of the agreement and of the fact that the other person has agreed to pay the current year vehicle inventory taxes owed by the dealer. The chief appraiser and the collector shall adjust their records accordingly. Notwithstanding the terms of Section 23.121 of this code, a person who agrees to pay current year vehicle inventory taxes as provided by this subsection is not required to file a declaration until the year following the acquisition. This subsection does not relieve the selling owner of the tax liability.

(m) A dealer who fails to file a statement as required by this section commits an offense. An offense under this subsection is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $100. Each day during which a dealer fails to comply with the terms of this subsection is a separate violation.

(n) In addition to other penalties provided by law, a dealer who fails to file a statement as required by this section shall forfeit a penalty. A tax lien attaches to the owner's business personal property to secure payment of the penalty. The appropriate district attorney, criminal district attorney, or county attorney shall collect the penalty established by this section in the name of the chief appraiser or collector. Venue of an action brought under this subsection is in the county in which the violation occurred or in the county in which the owner maintains his principal place of business or residence. A penalty forfeited under this subsection is $500 for each month or part of a month in which a statement is not filed after it is due.

(o) An owner who fails to remit unit property taxes due as required by this section shall pay a penalty of five percent of the amount due. If the amount is not paid within 10 days after the due date, the owner shall pay an additional penalty of five percent of the amount due. Notwithstanding the terms of this section, unit property taxes paid on or before January 31 of the year following the date on which they are due are not delinquent. The collector, the collector's designated agent, or the county or district attorney shall enforce the terms of this subsection. A penalty under this subsection is in addition to any other penalty provided by law if the owner's taxes are delinquent.

(p) Fines collected pursuant to the authority of this section shall be deposited in the county depository to the credit of the general fund. Penalties collected pursuant to the authority of this section are the sole property of the collector, may be used by no entity other than the collector, and may not be used to reduce or otherwise affect the annual appropriation to the collector that would otherwise be made.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.123. Declarations and Statements Confidential.

(a) In this section:

(1) "Collector" has the meaning given it in Section 23.122 of this code.

(2) "Chief appraiser" has the meaning given it in Section 23.122 of this code.

(3) "Dealer" has the meaning given it in Section 23.121 of this code.

(4) "Declaration" has the meaning given it in Section 23.122 of this code.

(5) "Owner" has the meaning given it in Section 23.121 of this code.

(6) "Statement" has the meaning given it in Section 23.122 of this code.

(b) Except as provided by this section, a declaration or statement filed with a chief appraiser or collector as required by Section 23.121 or Section 23.122 of this code is confidential and not open to public inspection. A declaration or statement and the information contained in either may not be disclosed to anyone except an employee of the appraisal office who appraises the property or to an employee of the county tax assessor-collector involved in the maintenance of the owner's escrow account.

(c) Information made confidential by this section may be disclosed:

(1) in a judicial or administrative proceeding pursuant to a lawful subpoena;

(2) to the person who filed the declaration or statement or to that person's representative authorized by the person in writing to receive the information;

(3) to the comptroller or an employee of the comptroller authorized by the comptroller to receive the information;

(4) to a collector or chief appraiser;

(5) to a district attorney, criminal district attorney or county attorney involved in the enforcement of a penalty imposed pursuant to Section 23.121 or Section 23.122 of this code;

(6) for statistical purposes if in a form that does not identify specific property or a specific property owner; or

(7) if and to the extent that the information is required for inclusion in a public document or record that the appraisal or collection office is required by law to prepare or maintain.

(d) A person who knowingly permits inspection of a declaration or statement by a person not authorized to inspect the declaration or statement or who discloses confidential information contained in the declaration or statement to a person not authorized to receive the information commits an offense. An offense under this subsection is a Class B misdemeanor.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.12D. Dealer's Vessel and Outboard Motor Inventory; Value.

(a) In this section:

(1) "Chief appraiser" means the chief appraiser for the appraisal district in which a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory is located.

(2) "Collector" means the county tax assessor-collector in the county in which a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory is located.

(3) "Dealer" means a person who holds a dealer's and manufacturer's number issued by the Parks and Wildlife Department under the authority of Section 31.041, Parks and Wildlife Code, or is authorized by law or interstate reciprocity agreement to purchase vessels or outboard motors in Texas without paying the sales tax. The term does not include a person who is principally engaged in manufacturing vessels or outboard motors or an entity that is owned or controlled by such a person.

(4) "Dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory" means all vessels and outboard motors held for sale by a dealer.

(5) "Dealer-financed sale" means the sale of a vessel or outboard motor in which the seller finances the purchase of the vessel or outboard motor, is the sole lender in the transaction, and retains exclusively the right to enforce the terms of the agreement evidencing the sale.

(6) "Declaration" means the dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory declaration form promulgated by the comptroller as required by this section.

(7) "FHockleyt transaction" means the sale of five or more vessels or outboard motors from a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory to the same business entity within one calendar year.

(8) "Outboard motor" has the meaning given it by Section 31.003, Parks and Wildlife Code.

(9) "Owner" means a dealer who owes current year vessel and outboard motor inventory taxes levied against a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory.

(10) "Person" means a natural person, corporation, partnership, or other legal entity.

(11) "Sales price" means the total amount of money paid or to be paid for the purchase of:

(A) a vessel as set forth as "sales price" in the form entitled "Application for Texas Certificate of Number/Title for Boat/Seller, Donor or Trader's Affidavit" promulgated by the Parks and Wildlife Department; or

(B) an outboard motor as set forth as "sales price" in the form entitled "Application for Texas Certificate of Title for an Outboard Motor/Seller, Donor or Trader's Affidavit" promulgated by the Parks and Wildlife Department. In a transaction involving a vessel or an outboard motor that does not involve the use of either form, the term means an amount of money that is equivalent, or substantially equivalent, to the amount that would appear as "sales price" on either the Application for Texas Certificate of Number/Title for Boat/Seller, Donor or Trader's Affidavit or the Application for Texas Certificate of Title for an Outboard Motor/Seller, Donor or Trader's Affidavit if either form were involved.

(12) "Subsequent sale" means a dealer-financed sale of a vessel or outboard motor that, at the time of the sale, has been the subject of a dealer-financed sale from the same dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory in the same calendar year.

(13) "Total annual sales" means the total of the sales price from every sale from a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory for a 12-month period.

(14) "Vessel" has the meaning given it by Section 31.003, Parks and Wildlife Code, except such term shall not include:

(A) vessels of more than 65 feet in length, measured from end to end over the deck, excluding sheer; and

(B) canoes, kayaks, punts, rowboats, rubber rafts, or other vessels under 14 feet in length when paddled, poled, oared, or windblown.

(b) For the purpose of the computation of property tax, the market value of a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory on January 1 is the total annual sales from the dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory, less sales to dealers, fHockleyt transactions, and subsequent sales, for the 12-month period corresponding to the prior tax year, divided by 12.

(c) For the purpose of the computation of property tax on the market value of a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory of an owner who was not a dealer on January 1 of the prior tax year, the chief appraiser shall estimate the market value of the dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory. In making the estimate required by this subsection, the chief appraiser shall extrapolate using sales data, if any, generated by sales from the dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory in the prior tax year.

(d) Except for the dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory, personal property held by a dealer is appraised as provided by other sections of this code. In the case of a dealer whose sales from the dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory are made predominantly to dealers, the chief appraiser shall appraise the dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory as provided by Section 23.12 of this code.

(e) A dealer is presumed to be an owner of a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory on January 1 if, in the 12-month period ending on December 31 of the immediately preceding year, the dealer sold a vessel or outboard motor to a person other than a dealer. The presumption created by this subsection is not rebutted by the fact that a dealer has no vessels or outboard motors physically on hand for sale from a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory on January 1.

(f) The comptroller shall promulgate a form entitled "Dealer's Vessel and Outboard Motor Inventory Declaration." Except as provided by Section 23.12E(l) of this code, not later than February 1 of each year or, in the case of a dealer who was not in business on January 1, not later than 30 days after commencement of business, each dealer shall file a declaration with the chief appraiser and file a copy with the collector. The declaration is sufficient to comply with this subsection if it sets forth the following information:

(1) the name and business address of each location at which the dealer owner conducts business;

(2) each of the dealer's and manufacturer's numbers issued by the Parks and Wildlife Department;

(3) a statement that the dealer owner is the owner of a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory; and

(4) the market value of the dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory for the current tax year as computed under Subsection (b) of this section.

(g) Under the terms provided by this subsection, the chief appraiser may examine the books and records of the holder of a dealer's and manufacturer's number issued by the Parks and Wildlife Department. A request made under this subsection must be made in writing, delivered personally to the custodian of the records, must provide a period not less than 15 days for the person to respond to the request, and must state that the person to whom it is addressed has the right to seek judicial relief from compliance with the request. In a request made under this section the chief appraiser may examine:

(1) the document issued by the Parks and Wildlife Department showing the person's dealer's and manufacturer's number;

(2) documentation appropriate to allow the chief appraiser to ascertain the applicability of this section and Section 23.12E of this code to the person;

(3) sales records to substantiate information set forth in the dealer's declaration filed by the person.

(h) If a dealer fails to file a declaration required by this section, or if, on the declaration required by this section, a dealer reports the sale of fewer than five vessels or outboard motors in the prior year, the chief appraiser shall report that fact to the Parks and Wildlife Department.

(i) A dealer who fails to file a declaration required by this section commits an offense. An offense under this subsection is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $500. Each day during which a dealer fails to comply with the terms of this subsection is a separate violation.

(j) A person who violates Subsection (h) of this section commits an offense. An offense under this subsection is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $500. Each day during which a person fails to comply with the terms of Subsection (h) of this section is a separate violation.

(k) In addition to other penalties provided by law, a dealer who fails to file a declaration required by this section shall forfeit a penalty. A tax lien attaches to the dealer's business personal property to secure payment of the penalty. The appropriate district attorney, criminal district attorney, or county attorney shall collect the penalty established by this section in the name of the chief appraiser or collector. Venue of an action brought under this subsection is in the county in which the violation occurred or in the county in which the owner maintains his principal place of business or residence. A penalty forfeited under this subsection is $1,000 for each month or part of a month in which a declaration is not filed after it is due.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.12E. Prepayment of Taxes by Certain Taxpayers.

(a) in this section:

(1) "Aggregate tax rate" means the combined tax rates of all relevant taxing units authorized by law to levy property taxes against a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory.

(2) "Chief appraiser" has the meaning given it in Section 23.12D of this code.

(3) "Collector" has the meaning given it in Section 23.12D of this code.

(4) "Dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory" has the meaning given it in Section 23.12D of this code.

(5) "Declaration" has the meaning given it in Section 23.12D of this code.

(6) "Owner" has the meaning given it in Section 23.12D of this code.

(7) "Relevant taxing unit" means a taxing unit, including the county, authorized by law to levy property taxes against a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory.

(8) "Sales price" has the meaning given it in Section 23.12D of this code.

(9) "Statement" means the dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory tax statement filed on a form promulgated by the comptroller as required by this section.

(10) "Subsequent sale" has the meaning given it in Section 23.12D of this code.

(11) "Total annual sales" has the meaning given it in Section 23.12D of this code.

(12) "Unit property tax factor" means a number equal to one-twelfth of the prior year aggregate tax rate at the location where a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory is located on January 1 of the current year.

(b) Except for a vessel or outboard motor sold to a dealer, a vessel or outboard motor included in a fHockleyt transaction, or a vessel or outboard motor that is the subject of a subsequent sale, an owner or a person who has agreed by contract to pay the owner's current year property taxes levied against the owner's vessel and outboard motor inventory shall assign a unit property tax to each vessel and outboard motor sold from a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory. The unit property tax of each vessel or outboard motor is determined by multiplying the sales price of the vessel or outboard motor by the unit property tax factor. On or before the 10th day of each month the owner shall, together with the statement filed by the owner as provided by this section, deposit with the collector a sum equal to the total of unit property tax assigned to all vessels and outboard motors sold from the dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory in the prior month to which a unit property tax was assigned. The money shall be deposited by the collector in or otherwise credited by the collector to the owner's escrow account for prepayment of property taxes as provided by this section. An escrow account required by this section is used to pay property taxes levied against the dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory, and the owner shall fund the escrow account as provided by this subsection.

(c) The collector shall maintain the escrow account for each owner in the county depository. The collector is not required to maintain a separate account in the depository for each escrow account created as provided by this section but shall maintain separate records for each owner. The collector shall retain any interest generated by the escrow account to defray the cost of administration of the prepayment procedure established by this section. Interest generated by an escrow account created as provided by this section is the sole property of the collector, and that interest may be used by no entity other than the collector. Interest generated by an escrow account may not be used to reduce or otherwise affect the annual appropriation to the collector that would otherwise be made.

(d) The owner may not withdraw funds in an escrow account created pursuant to this section.

(e) The comptroller shall promulgate a form entitled "Dealer's Vessel and Outboard Motor Inventory Tax Statement." A dealer shall complete the form with respect to each vessel and outboard motor sold. A dealer may use no other form for that purpose. The statement may include the information the comptroller deems appropriate but shall include at least the following:

(1) a description of the vessel or outboard motor sold;

(2) the sales price of the vessel or outboard motor;

(3) the unit property tax of the vessel or outboard motor, if any; and

(4) the reason no unit property tax is assigned if no unit property tax is assigned.

(f) On or before the 10th day of each month a dealer shall file with the collector the statement covering the sale of each vessel or outboard motor sold by the dealer in the prior month. A dealer shall file a copy of the statement with the chief appraiser and retain documentation relating to the disposition of each vessel and outboard motor sold. A chief appraiser or collector may examine documents held by a dealer as provided by this subsection in the same manner, and subject to the same provisions, as are set forth in Section 23.12D(g) of this code.

(g) Except as provided by this subsection, the requirements of Subsection (f) of this section apply to all dealers, without regard to whether or not the dealer owes vessel and outboard motor inventory tax for the current year. A dealer who owes no vessel and outboard motor inventory tax for the current year because he was not in business on January 1:

(1) shall file the statement required by this section showing the information required by this section for each month during which the dealer is in business; and

(2) may neither assign a unit property tax to a vessel or outboard motor sold by the dealer nor remit money with the statement unless pursuant to the terms of a contract as provided by Subsection (l) of this section.

(h) A collector may establish a procedure, voluntary or mandatory, by which the unit property tax of a vessel or outboard motor is paid and deposited into an owner's escrow account at the time of processing the transfer of title to the vessel or outboard motor.

(i) A relevant taxing unit shall, on its tax bill prepared for the owner of a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory, separately itemize the taxes levied against the dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory. When the tax bill is prepared by a relevant taxing unit for a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory, the assessor for the relevant taxing unit, or an entity, if any, other than the collector, that collects taxes on behalf of the taxing unit, shall provide the collector a true and correct copy of the tax bill sent to the owner, including taxes levied against a dealer's vessel and outboard motor inventory. The collector shall apply the money in the owner's escrow account to the taxes imposed and deliver a tax receipt to the owner. The collector shall apply the amount to each relevant taxing unit in proportion to the amount of taxes levied, and the assessor of each relevant taxing unit shall apply the funds received from the collector to the taxes owed by the owner.

(j) If the amount in the escrow account is not sufficient to pay the taxes in full, the collector shall apply the money to the taxes and deliver to the owner a tax receipt for the partial payment and a tax bill for the amount of the deficiency together with a statement that the owner must remit to the collector the balance of the total tax due.

(k) The collector shall remit to each relevant taxing unit the total amount collected by the collector in deficiency payments. The assessor of each relevant taxing unit shall apply those funds to the taxes owed by the owner. Taxes that are due but not received by the collector on or before January 31 are delinquent. Not later than February 15, the collector shall distribute to relevant taxing units in the manner set forth in this section all funds collected pursuant to the authority of this section and held in escrow by the collector as provided by this section. This section does not impose a duty on a collector to collect delinquent taxes that the collector is not otherwise obligated by law or contract to collect.

(l) A person who acquires the business or assets of an owner may, by contract, agree to pay the current year vessel and outboard motor inventory taxes owed by the owner. The owner who owes the current year tax and the person who acquires the business or assets of the owner shall jointly notify the chief appraiser and the collector of the terms of the agreement and of the fact that the other person has agreed to pay the current year vessel and outboard motor inventory taxes owed by the dealer. The chief appraiser and the collector shall adjust their records accordingly. Notwithstanding the terms of Section 23.12D of this code, a person who agrees to pay current year vessel and outboard motor inventory taxes as provided by this subsection is not required to file a declaration until the year following the acquisition. This subsection does not relieve the selling owner of the tax liability.

(m) A dealer who fails to file a statement as required by this section commits an offense. An offense under this subsection is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $100. Each day during which a dealer fails to comply with the terms of this subsection is a separate violation.

(n) In addition to other penalties provided by law, a dealer who fails to file a statement as required by this section shall forfeit a penalty. A tax lien attaches to the owner's business personal property to secure payment of the penalty. The appropriate district attorney, criminal district attorney, or county attorney shall collect the penalty established by this section in the name of the chief appraiser or collector. Venue of an action brought under this subsection is in the county in which the violation occurred or in the county in which the owner maintains his principal place of business or residence. A penalty forfeited under this subsection is $500 for each month or part of a month in which a statement is not filed after it is due.

(o) An owner who fails to remit unit property taxes due as required by this section shall pay a penalty of five percent of the amount due. If the amount is not paid within 10 days after the due date, the owner shall pay an additional penalty of five percent of the amount due. Notwithstanding the terms of this section, unit property taxes paid on or before January 31 of the year following the date on which they are due are not delinquent. The collector, the collector's designated agent, or the county or district attorney shall enforce the terms of this subsection. A penalty under this subsection is in addition to any other penalty provided by law if the owner's taxes are delinquent.

(p) Fines and penalties collected pursuant to the authority of this section shall be deposited in the county depository to the credit of the general fund.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.12F. Declarations and Statements Confidential.

(a) in this section:

(1) "Collector" has the meaning given it in Section 23.12D of this code.

(2) "Chief appraiser" has the meaning given it in Section 23.12D of this code.

(3) "Dealer" has the meaning given it in Section 23.12D of this code.

(4) "Declaration" has the meaning given it in Section 23.12D of this code.

(5) "Owner" has the meaning given it in Section 23.12D of this code.

(6) "Statement" has the meaning given it in Section 23.12D of this code.

(b) Except as provided by this section, a declaration or statement filed with a chief appraiser or collector as required by Section 23.12D or Section 23.12E of this code is confidential and not open to public inspection. A declaration or statement and the information contained in either may not be disclosed to anyone except an employee of the appraisal office who appraises the property or to an employee of the county tax assessor-collector involved in the maintenance of the owner's escrow account.

(c) Information made confidential by this section may be disclosed:

(1) in a judicial or administrative proceeding pursuant to a lawful subpoena;

(2) to the person who filed the declaration or statement or to that person's representative authorized by the person in writing to receive the information;

(3) to the comptroller or an employee of the comptroller authorized by the comptroller to receive the information;

(4) to a collector or chief appraiser;

(5) to a district attorney, criminal district attorney, or county attorney involved in the enforcement of a penalty imposed pursuant to Section 23.12D or Section 23.12E of this code;

(6) for statistical purposes if in a form that does not identify specific property or a specific property owner; or

(7) if and to the extent that the information is required for inclusion in a document or record that the appraisal or collection office is required by law to prepare or maintain.

(d) A person who knowingly permits inspection of a declaration or statement by a person not authorized to inspect the declaration or statement or who discloses confidential information contained in the declaration or statement to a person not authorized to receive the information commits an offense. An offense under this subsection is a Class B misdemeanor. Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 836, Sec. 5, eff. Jan. 1, 1996. Sec. 23.13. Taxable Leaseholds. A taxable leasehold or other possessory interest in real property that is exempt from taxation to the owner of the estate or interest encumbered by the possessory interest is appraised at the market value of the leasehold or other possessory interest. However, the appraised value may not be less than the total rental paid for the interest for the current tax year.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.14. Appraisal of Property Subject to Environmental Response Requirement.

(a) In this section, "environmental response requirement" means remedial action by a property owner to correct, mitigate, or prevent a present or future air, water, or land pollution.

(b) In appraising real property that the chief appraiser knows is subject to an environmental response requirement, the present value of the estimated cost to the owner of the property of the environmental response requirement is an appropriate element that reduces market value and shall be taken into consideration by the chief appraiser in determining the market value of the property.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.15. Intangibles of an Insurance Company.

Intangible property owned by an insurance company incorporated under the laws of this state is appraised as provided by Article 4.01, Insurance Code.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.16. Intangibles of a Savings and Loan Association.

Intangible property owned by a savings and loan association is appraised as provided by Section 11.09, Texas Savings and Loan Act.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.17. Mineral Interest Not Being Produced.

An interest in a mineral that may be removed by surface mining or quarrying from a deposit and that is not being produced is appraised at the price for which the interest would sell while the mineral is in place and not being produced. The appraised value is determined by applying a per acre value to the number of acres covered by the interest. The aggregate of the appraised value of the interest and the appraised value of all other interests that if not under separate ownership would constitute a fee simple estate in real property may not exceed the appraised value that would be placed on the fee estate if the interest in minerals were not owned separately.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.175. Oil or Gas Interest.

(a) If a real property interest in oil or gas in place is appraised by a method that takes into account the future income from the sale of oil or gas to be produced from the interest, the method must use the average price of the oil or gas from the interest for the preceding year as the price at which the oil or gas produced from the interest is projected to be sold in the current year of the appraisal. The average price for the preceding year is calculated by dividing the sum of the prices for which oil and gas from the interest was selling on each day of the preceding calendar year, excluding February 29, by 365. If there was no production of oil or gas from the interest on any day during the preceding calendar year, the average price for which similar oil and gas from comparable interests was selling on that day is to be used. If market conditions warrant, the average price from the preceding year may be increased or decreased in the second and/or succeeding years of an appraisal that takes into account the future income from the sale of oil or gas to be produced from the interest. If the average price from the preceding year is increased in the second or any succeeding year of an appraisal that takes into account the future income from the sale of oil or gas from the interest, the annual percentage rate of increase may be no greater than the annual percentage rate increase projected for that year by the comptroller for revenue estimating purposes; however, in no event may the price used in the second or any succeeding year of an appraisal exceed 150 percent of the price used in the current year of the appraisal. The price used in the current year may be decreased by any amount in the second and succeeding year of an appraisal.

(b) The comptroller by rule shall develop and distribute to each appraisal office appraisal manuals that specify methods and procedures to discount future income from the sale of oil or gas from the interest to present value.

(c) Each appraisal office shall use the methods and procedures specified by the appraisal manuals developed under Subsection (b) of this section.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.18. Property Owned by a Nonprofit Homeowners' Organization for the Benefit of Its Members.

(a) Because many residential subdivisions are developed on the basis of a nonprofit corporation or association maintaining nominal ownership to property, such as swimming pools, parks, meeting halls, parking lots, tennis courts, or other similar property, that is held for the use, benefit, and enjoyment of the members of the organization, that nominally owned property is to be appraised as provided by this section on the basis of a nominal value to avoid double taxation of the property that would result from taxation on the basis of market value of both the property of the organization and the residential units or lots of the members of the organization, whose property values are enhanced by the right to use the organization's property.

(b) All property owned by an organization that qualifies as a nonprofit homeowners' organization under this section is appraised at a nominal value as provided by this section if:

(1) the property is held for the use, benefit, and enjoyment of all members of the organization equally;

(2) each member of the organization owns an easement, license, or other nonrevokable right for the use and enjoyment on an equal basis of all property held by the organization, even if the right is subject to a restriction imposed by the instruments conveying the right or interest or granting the easement or subject to a rule, regulation, or bylaw imposed by the organization pursuant to authority granted by articles of incorporation, declaration of covenants, conditions and restrictions, bylaws, or articles of association of the organization; and

(3) each member's easement, license, or other nonrevokable right to the use and enjoyment of the property is appurtenant to and an integral part of the taxable real property owned by the member.

(c) The chief appraiser, in appraising property owned by a member of a qualified nonprofit homeowners' organization who is entitled to the use and enjoyment of facilities owned by the organization, shall consider the enhanced value of the property resulting from the member's right to the use and benefit of those facilities.

(d) An organization qualifies as a nonprofit homeowners' organization under this section if:

(1) it engages in residential real estate management;

(2) it is organized and operated to provide for the acquisition, construction, management, maintenance, and care of property nominally owned by the organization and held for the use, benefit, and enjoyment of its members;

(3) 60 percent or more of the gross income of the organization consists of amounts received as membership dues, fees, or assessments from owners of residences or residential lots within an area subject to the jurisdiction and assessment of the organization;

(4) 90 percent or more of the expenditures of the organization is made for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, managing, maintaining, and caring for the property nominally held by the organization;

(5) each member owns an easement, a license, or other nonrevokable right for the use and enjoyment on an equal basis of all property nominally owned by the organization even if the right is subject to a restriction imposed by the instruments conveying the right or interest or granting the easement or subject to a rule, regulation, or bylaw imposed by the organization pursuant to authority granted by articles of incorporation, declaration of covenants, conditions and restrictions, the bylaws, or articles of association of the organization;

(6) net earnings of the organization do not inure to the benefit of any member of the organization or individual, other than by acquiring, constructing, or providing management, maintenance, and care of the organization's property or by a rebate of excess membership dues, fees, or assessments; and

(7) it qualifies for taxation under Section 1301 of the Tax Reform Act of 1976, Section 528 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, entitled "Certain Homeowners Associations."

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.19. Property Occupied by Stockholders of Corporation Incorporated Under Cooperative Association Act.

(a) In this section, "cooperative housing corporation" means a corporation incorporated under the Cooperative Association Act (Article 1396-50.01, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes) to provide dwelling places for its stockholders.

(b) If an appraisal district receives a written request for the appraisal of real property and improvements of a cooperative housing corporation according to the separate interests of the corporation's stockholders, the chief appraiser shall separately appraise the interests described by Subsection (d) of this section if the conditions required by Subsections (e) and (f) of this section have been met. Separate appraisal under this section is for the purposes of administration of tax exemptions, determination of applicable limitations of taxes under Section 11.26 of this code, and apportionment by a cooperative housing corporation of property taxes among its stockholders but is not the basis for determining value on which a tax is imposed under this title. A stockholder whose interest is separately appraised under this section may protest and appeal the appraised value in the manner provided by this title for protest and appeal of the appraised value of other property.

(c) An appraisal under this section applies to the tax year in which a request is made under this section only if the request is received by the appraisal district before March 1. After the first separate appraisal of interests of stockholders of a cooperative housing corporation under this section, separate appraisals of interests of stockholders of the corporation shall be made in subsequent years without further request. A request may not be rescinded after the first separate appraisal has been made, and a request is binding on future owners and stockholders of the corporation.

(d) The interest that is to be separately appraised under this section is the market value of the right of exclusive occupancy of each separate dwelling place that is transferable only concurrently with the transfer of stock ownership in the corporation by the person having the right of occupancy, together with the market value of the right of use of a portion of the total common area used in the residential occupancy that is equal to the percentage of the total amount of the stock issued by the corporation that is owned by the stockholder.

(e) A separate appraisal of interests under this section may not be made unless:

(1) the person making the request files a resolution of the board of directors of the corporation certifying that the stockholders of the corporation have approved the request in the manner provided by the corporate articles of incorporation or bylaws for approval of matters affecting the corporation generally; and

(2) a diagrammatic floor plan of the improvements and a survey plot map of the land showing the location of the improvements on the land have been filed with the appraisal district.

(f) The chief appraiser may require a cooperative housing corporation for which separate appraisal of interests has been requested under this section to submit or verify a list of stockholders of the corporation at least annually.

(g) A tax bill or a separate statement accompanying the tax bill to a cooperative housing corporation for which interests of stockholders are separately appraised under this section must state, in addition to the information required by Section 31.01 of this code, the appraised value and taxable value of each interest separately appraised. Each exemption claimed as provided by this title by a person entitled to the exemption shall also be deducted from the total appraised value of the property of the corporation. The total tax imposed by a school district shall be reduced by any amount that represents an increase in taxes attributable to separately appraised interests of the real property and improvements that are subject to the limitation of taxes prescribed by Section 11.26 of this code. The corporation shall apportion among its stockholders liability for reimbursing the corporation for property taxes according to the relative taxable values of their interests.

(h) A cooperative housing corporation remains liable for payment of all taxes, penalties, and interest imposed under this title on property owned by the corporation, and the tax lien attaches to the entirety of the property.

(i) The chief appraiser may charge a fee in an amount not to exceed $100 for the initial cost of separately appraising interests in a cooperative housing corporation.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.20. Waiver of Special Appraisal.

(a) An owner of real property may in writing waive the right to special appraisal provided by Subchapter C, D, E, F, or G of this chapter as to one or more taxing units designated in the waiver. In a tax year in which a waiver is in effect, the property is appraised for each taxing unit to which the waiver applies at the value determined under Subchapter A of this chapter or the value determined under Subchapter C, D, E, F, or G of this chapter, whichever is the greater value.

(b) A waiver may be submitted with an application for appraisal under Subchapter C, D, E, F, or G of this chapter or at any other time. A property owner who has waived special appraisal under this section as to one or more taxing units may make additional waivers under this section as to other taxing units in which the property is located.

(c) A waiver under this section is effective for 25 consecutive tax years beginning on the first tax year in which the waiver is effective without regard to whether the property is subject to appraisal under Subchapter C, D, E, F, or G of this chapter. To be effective in the year in which the waiver is executed, it must be filed before May 1 of that year with the chief appraiser of the appraisal district in which the property is located, unless for good cause shown the chief appraiser extends the filing deadline for not more than 60 days. An application filed after the year's deadline takes effect in the next tax year.

(d) A waiver filed under this section is applicable to the property for the term of the waiver, runs with the land, and is binding on the owner who executed the waiver and any successor in interest. A waiver may not be revoked as to any taxing unit except on approval by official action of the governing body of the taxing unit on a finding by the governing body that the revocation of the waiver would not materially impair the contractual, bond, or other debt obligation of the taxing unit wholly or partly payable from property taxes to which the property is subject. An application for revocation must be filed with the governing body of each taxing unit to which the revocation is to apply. A waiver may not be revoked if revocation is prohibited under a rule adopted under Subsection (e) of this section. The revocation is effective in the year in which the governing body approves the revocation if the chief appraiser receives a written notice of the approval before the appraisal review board approves the appraisal records. If the notice is not received before the deadline the revocation takes effect in the next tax year.

(e) The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, a commissioners court, and the Texas Transportation Commission each, by rule, may ensure that a waiver under this section is properly and timely executed, and is irrevocable by the owner of the property to which the waiver applies or by any other related person receiving or proposing to receive, directly or indirectly, the proceeds of any bonds issued by or to be issued by the taxing unit. The rules of the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission apply to waivers applicable to taxing units that are conservation and reclamation districts subject to the jurisdiction of the commission. The rules of the commissioners court apply to waivers applicable to taxing units that are road districts created by the commissioners court. The rules of the Texas Transportation Commission apply to waivers applicable to taxing units that are road utility districts subject to the jurisdiction of the commission.

(f) For computations required to be made under this title, the appraised value of the property for taxation by a taxing unit to which a waiver applies is the value at which the property is taxed under this section.

(g) A waiver of a special appraisal of property under Subchapter C, D, E, F, or G of this chapter does not constitute a change of use of the property or diversion of the property to another use for purposes of the imposition of additional taxes under any of those subchapters.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.41. Appraisal.

(a) Land designated for agricultural use is appraised at its value based on the land's capacity to produce agricultural products. The value of land based on its capacity to produce agricultural products is determined by capitalizing the average net income the land would have yielded under prudent management from production of agricultural products during the five years preceding the current year. However, if the value of land as determined by capitalization of average net income exceeds the market value of the land as determined by other generally accepted appraisal methods, the land shall be appraised by application of the other appraisal methods.

(b) The comptroller shall promulgate rules specifying the methods to apply and the procedures to use in appraising land designated for agricultural use.

(c) The comptroller shall compile, publish, and distribute to the appraisal offices information about soil type, general topography, general weather conditions, and other factors affecting land's capacity to produce agricultural products for use in classifying agricultural land.

(d) Each year the comptroller shall compile, publish, and distribute to appraisal offices schedules of the agricultural costs and prices for use in calculating average net income for each type of agricultural operation. The comptroller shall use information provided by other state agencies and educational institutions, federal agencies, and other entities interested in agriculture in developing the classifications of land and the schedules.

(e) Improvements other than appurtenances to the land, the mineral estate, and all land used for residential purposes and for processing harvested agricultural products are appraised separately at market value. Riparian water rights, private roads, dams, reservoirs, water wells, and canals, ditches, terraces, and similar reshapings of or additions to the soil for agricultural purposes are appurtenances to the land, and the effect of each on the value of the land for agricultural use shall be considered in appraising the land. However, the comptroller shall provide that in calculating average net income from land a deduction from income be allowed for an appurtenance subject to depreciation or depletion.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.42. Eligibility.

(a) An individual is entitled to have land he owns designated for agricultural use if, on January 1:

(1) the land has been devoted exclusively to or developed continuously for agriculture for the three years preceding the current year;

(2) he is using and intends to use the land for agriculture as an occupation or a business venture for profit during the current year; and

(3) agriculture is his primary occupation and primary source of income.

(b) Use of land for nonagricultural purposes does not deprive an owner of his right to an agricultural designation if the nonagricultural use is secondary to and compatible with the agricultural use of the land.

(c) Agriculture is an individual's primary occupation and primary source of income if as of January 1 he devotes a greater portion of his time to and derives a greater portion of his gross income from agriculture than any other occupation. The time an individual devotes to each occupation and the gross income he derives from each is determined by averaging the time he devoted to each and the gross income he derived from each for any number of consecutive years not exceeding five years immediately preceding January 1 of the current year, that he has engaged in agriculture as an occupation. However, if he has not been engaged in agriculture as an occupation for the entire year preceding January 1, the time he has devoted to and the income he has derived from each occupation since the date he began engaging in agriculture as an occupation determine whether agriculture is his primary occupation and primary source of income.

(d) For purposes of this section:

(1) "Agriculture" means the use of land to produce plant or animal products, including fish or poultry products, under natural conditions but does not include the processing of plant or animal products after harvesting or the production of timber or forest products.

(2) "Occupation" includes employment and a business venture that requires continual supervision or management.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.43. Application.

(a) An individual claiming the right to have his land designated for agricultural use must apply for the designation each year he claims it. Application for the designation is made by filing a sworn application form with the chief appraiser for the appraisal district in which the land is located.

(b) A claimant must deliver a completed application form to the chief appraiser before May 1 and must furnish the information required by the form. For good cause shown the chief appraiser may extend the deadline for filing the application by written order for a single period not to exceed 60 days.

(c) If a claimant fails to timely file a completed application form in a given year, he may not receive the agricultural designation for that year.

(d) The comptroller in prescribing the contents of the application forms shall ensure that each form requires a claimant to furnish the information necessary to determine the validity of the claim. The comptroller shall require that the form permit a claimant who has previously been allowed an agricultural designation to indicate that previously reported information has not changed and to supply only the eligibility information not previously reported.

(e) Before February 1 the chief appraiser shall deliver an application form to each individual whose land was designated for agricultural use during the preceding year. He shall include with the application a brief explanation of the requirements for obtaining agricultural designation.

(f) Each year the chief appraiser for each appraisal district shall publicize, in a manner reasonably designed to notify all residents of the district, the requirements of this section and the availability of application forms.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.431. Late Application for Agricultural Designation.

(a) The chief appraiser shall accept and approve or deny an application for an agricultural designation after the deadline for filing it has passed if it is filed before approval of the appraisal records by the appraisal review board.

(b) If an application for agricultural designation is approved when the application is filed late, the owner is liable for a penalty of 10 percent of the difference between the amount of tax imposed on the property and the amount that would be imposed without the agricultural designation.

(c) The chief appraiser shall make an entry on the appraisal records indicating the person's liability for the penalty and shall deliver written notice of imposition of the penalty, explaining the reason for its imposition, to the person.

(d) The tax assessor for a taxing unit to which an agricultural designation allowed after a late application applies shall add the amount of the penalty to the owner's tax bill, and the tax collector for the unit shall collect the penalty at the time and in the manner he collects the tax. The amount of the penalty constitutes a lien against the property against which the penalty is imposed, as if it were a tax, and accrues penalty and interest in the same manner as a delinquent tax.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.44. Action on Application.

(a) The chief appraiser shall determine individually each claimant's right to the agricultural designation. After considering the application and all relevant information, the chief appraiser shall, as the law and facts warrant:

(1) approve the application and designate the land for agricultural use;

(2) disapprove the application and request additional information from the claimant in support of the claim; or

(3) deny the application.

(b) If the chief appraiser requests additional information from a claimant, the claimant must furnish the information within 30 days after the date of the request or the application is denied. However, for good cause shown the chief appraiser may extend the deadline for furnishing additional information by written order for a single period not to exceed 15 days.

(c) The chief appraiser shall determine the validity of each application for agricultural designation filed with him before he submits the appraisal records for review and determination of protests as provided by Chapter 41 of this code.

(d) If the chief appraiser denies an application, he shall deliver a written notice of the denial to the claimant within five days after the date of denial. The notice must include a brief explanation of the procedures for protesting the denial.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.45. Application Confidential.

(a) An application for agricultural designation filed with a chief appraiser is confidential and not open to public inspection. The application and the information it contains about specific property or a specific owner may not be disclosed to anyone other than an employee of the appraisal office who appraises property except as authorized by Subsection (b) of this section.

(b) Information made confidential by this section may be disclosed:

(1) in a judicial or administrative proceeding pursuant to a lawful subpoena;

(2) to the person who filed the application or to his representative authorized in writing to receive the information;

(3) to the comptroller and his employees authorized by him in writing to receive the information or to an assessor or a chief appraiser if requested in writing;

(4) in a judicial or administrative proceeding relating to property taxation to which the person who filed the application is a party;

(5) for statistical purposes if in a form that does not identify specific property or a specific property owner; or

(6) if and to the extent the information is required to be included in a public document or record that the appraisal office is required to prepare or maintain.

(c) A person who legally has access to an application for agricultural designation or who legally obtains the confidential information the application contains commits a Class B misdemeanor if he knowingly:

(1) permits inspection of the application by a person not authorized to inspect it by Subsection (b) of this section; or

(2) discloses confidential information contained in the report to a person not authorized to receive the information by Subsection (b) of this section.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.46. Additional Taxation.

(a) When appraising land designated for agricultural use, the chief appraiser also shall appraise the land at its market value and shall record both the market value and the value based on its capacity to produce agricultural products in the appraisal records.

(b) Property taxes imposed on land designated for agricultural use are based on the land's agricultural use value determined as provided by Section 23.41 of this code after the appropriate assessment ratio has been applied to that value. When an assessor calculates the amount of tax due on the land, however, he shall also calculate the amount of tax that would have been imposed had the land not been designated for agricultural use. The difference in the amount of tax imposed and the amount that would have been imposed is the amount of additional tax for that year, and the assessor shall enter that amount in his tax records relating to the property.

(c) If land that has been designated for agricultural use in any year is sold or diverted to a nonagricultural use, the total amount of additional taxes for the three years preceding the year in which the land is sold or diverted plus interest at the rate provided for delinquent taxes becomes due. A determination that the land has been diverted to a nonagricultural use is made by the chief appraiser. The chief appraiser shall deliver a notice of the determination to the owner of the land as soon as possible after making the determination and shall include in the notice an explanation of the owner's right to protest the determination. If the owner does not file a timely protest or if the final determination of the protest is that the additional taxes are due, the assessor for each taxing unit shall prepare and deliver a bill for the additional taxes plus interest as soon as practicable after the change of use occurs. If the additional taxes are due because of a sale of the land, the assessor for each taxing unit shall prepare and deliver the bill as soon as practicable after the sale occurs. The taxes and interest are due and become delinquent and incur penalties and interest as provided by law for ad valorem taxes imposed by the taxing unit if not paid before the next February 1 that is at least 20 days after the date the bill is delivered to the owner of the land.

(d) A tax lien attaches to the land on the date the sale or change of use occurs to secure payment of the additional tax and interest imposed by Subsection (c) of this section and any penalties incurred. The lien exists in favor of all taxing units for which the additional tax is imposed.

(e) Land is not diverted to nonagricultural use for purposes of Subsection (c) of this section solely because the owner of the land claims it as part of his residence homestead for purposes of Section 11.13 of this code.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.47. Loan Secured by Lien on Agricultural-Use Land.

(a) A lender may not require as a condition to granting or amending the terms of a loan secured by a lien in favor of the lender on land appraised according to this subchapter that the borrower waive the right to the appraisal or agree not to apply for or receive the appraisal.

(b) A provision in an instrument pertaining to a loan secured by a lien in favor of the lender on land appraised according to this subchapter is void to the extent that the provision attempts to require the borrower to waive the right to the appraisal or to prohibit the borrower from applying for or receiving the appraisal.

(c) A provision in an instrument pertaining to a loan secured by a lien in favor of the lender on land appraised according to this subchapter that requires the borrower to make a payment to protect the lender from loss because of the imposition of additional taxes and interest under Section 23.46 is void unless the provision:

(1) requires the borrower to pay into an escrow account established by the lender an amount equal to the additional taxes and interest that would be due under Section 23.46 if a sale or change of use occurred on January 1 of the year in which the loan is granted or amended;

(2) requires the escrow account to bear interest to be credited to the account monthly;

(3) permits the lender to apply money in the escrow account to the payment of a bill for additional taxes and interest under Section 23.46 before the loan is paid and requires the lender to refund the balance remaining in the escrow account after the bill is paid to the borrower; and

(4) requires the lender to refund the money in the escrow account to the borrower on the payment of the loan.

(d) On the request of the borrower or the borrower's representative, the assessor for each taxing unit shall compute the additional taxes and interest that would be due that taxing unit under Section 23.46 if a sale or change of use occurred on January 1 of the year in which the loan is granted or amended. The assessor may charge a reasonable fee not to exceed the actual cost of making the computation.

(e) In this section, "lender" means a lending institution, including a bank, trust company, banking association, savings and loan association, mortgage company, investment bank, credit union, life insurance company, or governmental agency that customarily provides financing or an affiliate of any of those entities. The term does not include an agency of the United States.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.51. Definitions of Agricultural Land.

In this subchapter:

(1) "Qualified open-space land" means land that is currently devoted principally to agricultural use to the degree of intensity generally accepted in the area and that has been devoted principally to agricultural use or to production of timber or forest products for five of the preceding seven years or land that is used principally as an ecological laboratory by a public or private college or university. Qualified open-space land includes all appurtenances to the land. For the purposes of this subdivision, appurtenances to the land means private roads, dams, reservoirs, water wells, canals, ditches, terraces, and other reshapings of the soil, fences, and riparian water rights.

(2) "Agricultural use" includes but is not limited to the following activities: cultivating the soil, producing crops for human food, animal feed, or planting seed or for the production of fibers; floriculture, viticulture, and horticulture; raising or keeping livestock; raising or keeping exotic animals for the production of human food or of fiber, leather, pelts, or other tangible products having a commercial value; and planting cover crops or leaving land idle for the purpose of participating in any governmental program or normal crop or livestock rotation procedure. The term also includes the use of land to produce or harvest logs and posts for the use in constructing or repairing fences, pens, barns, or other agricultural improvements on adjacent qualified open-space land having the same owner and devoted to a different agricultural use. The term also includes the use of land for wildlife management.

(3) "Category" means the value classification of land considering the agricultural use to which the land is principally devoted. Categories of land may include but are not limited to irrigated cropland, dry cropland, improved pasture, native pasture, orchard, and waste and may be further divided according to soil type, soil capability, irrigation, general topography, geographical factors, and other factors which influence the productive capacity of the category. The chief appraiser shall obtain information from the Texas Agriculture Extension Service, Soil Conservation Service, and other recognized agricultural sources for the purposes of determining the categories of production existing in the appraisal district.

(4) "Net to land" means the average annual net income derived from the use of open-space land that would have been earned from the land during the five-year period preceding the year before the appraisal by an owner using ordinary prudence in the management of the land and the farm crops or livestock produced or supported on the land and, in addition, any income received from hunting or recreational leases. The chief appraiser shall calculate net to land by considering the income that would be due to the owner of the land under cash lease, share lease, or whatever lease arrangement is typical in that area for that category of land, and all expenses directly attributable to the agricultural use of the land by the owner shall be subtracted from this owner income and the results shall be used in income capitalization. In calculating net to land, a reasonable deduction shall be made for any depletion that occurs of underground water used in the agricultural operation.

(5) "Income capitalization" means the process of dividing net to land by the capitalization rate to determine the appraised value.

(6) "Exotic animal" means a species of game not indigenous to this state, including axis deer, nilga antelope, red sheep, other cloven-hoofed ruminant mammals, or exotic fowl as defined by Section 142.001, Agriculture Code.

(7) "Wildlife management" means actively using land that at the time the wildlife-management use began was appraised as qualified open-space land under this subchapter in at least three of the following ways to propagate a sustaining breeding, migrating, or wintering population of indigenous wild animals for human use, including food, medicine, or recreation:

(A) habitat control;

(B) erosion control;

(C) predator control;

(D) providing supplemental supplies of water;

(E) providing supplemental supplies of food;

(F) providing shelters; and

(G) making of census counts to determine population.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.52. Appraisal of Qualified Agricultural Land.

(a) The appraised value of qualified open-space land is determined on the basis of the category of the land, using accepted income capitalization methods applied to average net to land. The appraised value so determined may not exceed the market value as determined by other appraisal methods.

(b) The chief appraiser shall determine the appraised value according to this subchapter and, when requested by a landowner, the appraised value according to Subchapter C of this chapter of each category of open-space land owned by that landowner and shall make each value and the market value according to the preceding year's appraisal roll available to a person seeking to apply for appraisal as provided by this subchapter or as provided by Subchapter C of this chapter.

(c) The chief appraiser may not change the appraised value of a parcel of open-space land unless the owner has applied for and the land has qualified for appraisal as provided by this subchapter or by Subchapter C of this chapter or unless the change is made as a result of a reappraisal.

(d) The comptroller by rule shall develop and distribute to each appraisal office appraisal manuals setting forth this method of appraising qualified open-space land, and each appraisal office shall use the appraisal manuals in appraising qualified open-space land. The comptroller by rule shall develop and the appraisal office shall enforce procedures to verify that land meets the conditions contained in Subdivision (1) of Section 23.51 of this code. The rules, before taking effect, must be approved by a majority vote of a committee comprised of the following officials or their designees: the governor, the comptroller, the attorney general, the agriculture commissioner, and the Commissioner of the General Land Office.

(e) For the purposes of Section 23.55 of this code, the chief appraiser also shall determine the market value of qualified open-space land and shall record both the market value and the appraised value in the appraisal records.

(f) The appraisal of minerals or subsurface rights to minerals is not within the provisions of this subchapter.

(g) The comptroller, with the assistance of the Parks and Wildlife Department or the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, shall develop and distribute to each appraisal district guidelines for use by the chief appraiser in determining whether land qualifies under Section 23.51(7) for appraisal under this subchapter.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.53. Capitalization Rate.

The capitalization rate to be used in determining the appraised value of qualified open-space land as provided by this subchapter is 10 percent or the interest rate specified by the Farm Credit Bank of Texas or its successor on December 31 of the preceding year plus 2 1/2 percentage points, whichever percentage is greater. Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 2259, ch. 841, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1982. Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 579, Sec. 4, eff. Jan. 1, 1996. Sec. 23.54. Application.

(a) A person claiming that his land is eligible for appraisal under this subchapter must file a valid application with the chief appraiser.

(b) To be valid, the application must:

(1) be on a form provided by the appraisal office and prescribed by the comptroller; and

(2) contain the information necessary to determine the validity of the claim.

(c) The comptroller shall include on the form a notice of the penalties prescribed by Section 37.10, Penal Code, for making or filing an application containing a false statement. The comptroller, in prescribing the contents of the application form, shall require that the form permit a claimant who has previously been allowed appraisal under this subchapter to indicate that previously reported information has not changed and to supply only the eligibility information not previously reported.

(d) The form must be filed before May 1. However, for good cause the chief appraiser may extend the filing deadline for not more than 60 days.

(e) If a person fails to file a valid application on time, the land is ineligible for appraisal as provided by this subchapter for that year. Once an application is filed and appraisal under this subchapter is allowed, the land is eligible for appraisal under this subchapter in subsequent years without a new application unless the ownership of the land changes or its eligibility under this subchapter ends. However, the chief appraiser if he has good cause to believe the land's eligibility under this subchapter has ended, may require a person allowed appraisal under this subchapter in a prior year to file a new application to confirm that the land is currently eligible under this subchapter by delivering a written notice that a new application is required, accompanied by the application form, to the person who filed the application that was previously allowed.

(f) The appraisal office shall make a sufficient number of printed application forms readily available at no charge.

(g) Each year the chief appraiser for each appraisal district shall publicize, in a manner reasonably designed to notify all residents of the district, the requirements of this section and the availability of application forms.

(h) A person whose land is allowed appraisal under this subchapter shall notify the appraisal office in writing before May 1 after eligibility of the land under this subchapter ends or after a change in the category of agricultural use. If a person fails to notify the appraisal office as required by this subsection a penalty is imposed on the property equal to 10 percent of the difference between the taxes imposed on the property in each year it is erroneously allowed appraisal under this subchapter and the taxes that would otherwise have been imposed.

(i) The chief appraiser shall make an entry in the appraisal records for the property against which the penalty is imposed indicating liability for the penalty and shall deliver a written notice of imposition of the penalty to the person who owns the property. The notice shall include a brief explanation of the procedures for protesting the imposition of the penalty. The assessor for each taxing unit that imposed taxes on the property on the basis of appraisal under this subchapter shall add the amount of the penalty to the unit's tax bill for taxes on the property against which the penalty is imposed. The penalty shall be collected at the same time and in the same manner as the taxes on the property against which the penalty is imposed. The amount of the penalty constitutes a lien on the property against which the penalty is imposed and accrues penalty and interest in the same manner as a delinquent tax.

(j) If the chief appraiser discovers that appraisal under this subchapter has been erroneously allowed in any one of the five preceding years because of failure of the person whose land was allowed appraisal under this subchapter to give notice that its eligibility has ended, he shall add the difference between the appraised value of the land under this subchapter and the market value of the land to the appraisal roll as provided by Section 25.21 of this code for other property that escapes taxation.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.541. Late Application for Appraisal as Agricultural Land.

(a) The chief appraiser shall accept and approve or deny an application for appraisal under this subchapter after the deadline for filing it has passed if it is filed before approval of the appraisal records by the appraisal review board.

(b) If appraisal under this subchapter is approved when the application is filed late, the owner is liable for a penalty of 10 percent of the difference between the amount of tax imposed on the property and the amount that would be imposed if the property were taxed at market value.

(c) The chief appraiser shall make an entry on the appraisal records indicating the person's liability for the penalty and shall deliver written notice of imposition of the penalty, explaining the reason for its imposition, to the person.

(d) The tax assessor for a taxing unit that taxes land based on an appraisal under this subchapter after a late application shall add the amount of the penalty to the owner's tax bill, and the tax collector for the unit shall collect the penalty at the time and in the manner he collects the tax. The amount of the penalty constitutes a lien against the property against which the penalty is imposed, as if it were a tax, and accrues penalty and interest in the same manner as a delinquent tax.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.55. Change of Use of Land.

(a) If the use of land that has been appraised as provided by this subchapter changes, an additional tax is imposed on the land equal to the difference between the taxes imposed on the land for each of the five years preceding the year in which the change of use occurs that the land was appraised as provided by this subchapter and the tax that would have been imposed had the land been taxed on the basis of market value in each of those years, plus interest at an annual rate of seven percent calculated from the dates on which the differences would have become due.

(b) A tax lien attaches to the land on the date the change of use occurs to secure payment of the additional tax and interest imposed by this section and any penalties incurred. The lien exists in favor of all taxing units for which the additional tax is imposed.

(c) The additional tax imposed by this section does not apply to a year for which the tax has already been imposed.

(d) If the change of use applies to only part of a parcel that has been appraised as provided by this subchapter, the additional tax applies only to that part of the parcel and equals the difference between the taxes imposed on that part of the parcel and the taxes that would have been imposed had that part been taxed on the basis of market value.

(e) A determination that a change in use of the land has occurred is made by the chief appraiser. The chief appraiser shall deliver a notice of the determination to the owner of the land as soon as possible after making the determination and shall include in the notice an explanation of the owner's right to protest the determination. If the owner does not file a timely protest or if the final determination of the protest is that the additional taxes are due, the assessor for each taxing unit shall prepare and deliver a bill for the additional taxes plus interest as soon as practicable. The taxes and interest are due and become delinquent and incur penalties and interest as provided by law for ad valorem taxes imposed by the taxing unit if not paid before the next February 1 that is at least 20 days after the date the bill is delivered to the owner of the land.

(f) The sanctions provided by Subsection (a) of this section do not apply if the change of use occurs as a result of a sale for right-of-way or a condemnation.

(g) If the use of the land changes to a use that qualifies under Subchapter E of this chapter, the sanctions provided by Subsection (a) of this section do not apply.

(h) Additional taxes, if any, for a year in which land was designated for agricultural use as provided by Subchapter C of this chapter (or Article VIII, Section 1-d, of the constitution) are determined as provided by that subchapter, and the additional taxes imposed by this section do not apply for that year.

(i) The use of land does not change for purposes of Subsection (a) of this section solely because the owner of the land claims it as part of his residence homestead for purposes of Section 11.13 of this code.

(j) The sanctions provided by Subsection

(a) of this section do not apply to land owned by an organization that qualifies as a religious organization under Section 11.20(c) of this code if the organization converts the land to a use for which the land is eligible for an exemption under Section 11.20 of this code within five years. Text of subsec. (j) as added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 811, Sec. 1 (j) The sanctions provided by Subsection (a) do not apply to a change in the use of land if:

(1) the land is located in an unincorporated area of a county with a population of less than 100,000;

(2) the land does not exceed five acres;

(3) the land is owned by a not-for-profit cemetery organization;

(4) the cemetery organization dedicates the land for a cemetery purpose;

(5) the cemetery organization has not dedicated more than five acres of land in the county for a cemetery purpose in the five years preceding the date the cemetery organization dedicates the land for a cemetery purpose; and

(6) the land is adjacent to a cemetery that has been in existence for more than 100 years.

(k) In Subsection (j), "cemetery," "cemetery organization," and "cemetery purpose" have the meanings assigned those terms by Section 711.001, Health and Safety Code.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.56. Land Ineligible for Appraisal as Open-Space Land.

Land is not eligible for appraisal as provided by this subchapter if:

(1) the land is located inside the corporate limits of an incorporated city or town, unless:

(A) the city or town is not providing the land with governmental and proprietary services substantially equivalent in standard and scope to those services it provides in other parts of the city or town with similar topography, land utilization, and population density; or

(B) the land has been devoted principally to agricultural use continuously for the preceding five years;

(2) the land is owned by an individual who is a nonresident alien or by a foreign government if that individual or government is required by federal law or by rule adopted pursuant to federal law to register his ownership or acquisition of that property; or

(3) the land is owned by a corporation, partnership, trust, or other legal entity if the entity is required by federal law or by rule adopted pursuant to federal law to register its ownership or acquisition of that land and a nonresident alien or a foreign government or any combination of nonresident aliens and foreign governments own a majority interest in the entity.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.57. Action on Applications.

(a) The chief appraiser shall determine separately each applicant's right to have his land appraised under this subchapter. After considering the application and all relevant information, the chief appraiser shall, as the law and facts warrant:

(1) approve the application and allow appraisal under this subchapter;

(2) disapprove the application and request additional information from the applicant in support of the claim; or

(3) deny the application.

(b) If the chief appraiser requests additional information from an applicant, the applicant must furnish it within 30 days after the date of the request or the application is denied. However, for good cause shown the chief appraiser may extend the deadline for furnishing the information by written order for a single period not to exceed 15 days.

(c) The chief appraiser shall determine the validity of each application for appraisal under this subchapter filed with him before he submits the appraisal records for review and determination of protests as provided by Chapter 41 of this code.

(d) If the chief appraiser denies an application, he shall deliver a written notice of the denial to the applicant within five days after the date he makes the determination. He shall include with the notice a brief explanation of the procedures for protesting his action and a full explanation of the reasons for denial of the application.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.58. Loan Secured by Lien on Open-Space Land.

(a) A lender may not require as a condition to granting or amending the terms of a loan secured by a lien in favor of the lender on land appraised according to this subchapter that the borrower waive the right to the appraisal or agree not to apply for or receive the appraisal.

(b) A provision in an instrument pertaining to a loan secured by a lien in favor of the lender on land appraised according to this subchapter is void to the extent that the provision attempts to require the borrower to waive the right to the appraisal or to prohibit the borrower from applying for or receiving the appraisal.

(c) A provision in an instrument pertaining to a loan secured by a lien in favor of the lender on land appraised according to this subchapter that requires the borrower to make a payment to protect the lender from loss because of the imposition of additional taxes and interest under Section 23.55 is void unless the provision:

(1) requires the borrower to pay into an escrow account established by the lender an amount equal to the additional taxes and interest that would be due under Section 23.55 if a change of use occurred on January 1 of the year in which the loan is granted or amended;

(2) requires the escrow account to bear interest to be credited to the account monthly;

(3) permits the lender to apply money in the escrow account to the payment of a bill for additional taxes and interest under Section 23.55 before the loan is paid and requires the lender to refund the balance remaining in the escrow account after the bill is paid to the borrower; and

(4) requires the lender to refund the money in the escrow account to the borrower on the payment of the loan.

(d) On the request of the borrower or the borrower's representative, the assessor for each taxing unit shall compute the additional taxes and interest that would be due that taxing unit under Section 23.55 if a change of use occurred on January 1 of the year in which the loan is granted or amended. The assessor may charge a reasonable fee not to exceed the actual cost of making the computation.

(e) In this section, "lender" has the meaning assigned by Section 23.47(e).

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.71. Timberland Definitions.

In this subchapter:

(1) "Category of the land" means the value classification of land for timber production, based on soil type, soil capability, general topography, weather, location, and other pertinent factors, as determined by competent governmental sources.

(2) "Net to land" means the average net income that would have been earned by a category of land over the preceding five years by a person using ordinary prudence in the management of the land and the timber produced on the land. The net income for each year is determined by multiplying the land's potential average annual growth, expressed in cords or board feet of wood, by the average stumpage value, taking into consideration the three general types of timber as produced on the four different soil types, as determined by using information from the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, the Soil Conservation Service, the Texas Forest Service, and colleges and universities within this state, and by subtracting from the product reasonable management costs and other reasonable expenses directly attributable to the production of the timber.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.72. Qualification for Productivity Appraisal.

Land qualifies for appraisal as provided by this subchapter if it is currently and actively devoted principally to production of timber or forest products to the degree of intensity generally accepted in the area with intent to produce income and has been devoted principally to production of timber or forest products or to agricultural use that would qualify the land for appraisal under Subchapter C or D of this chapter for five of the preceding seven years.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.73. Appraisal of Qualified Timber Land.

(a) The appraised value of qualified timber land is determined on the basis of the category of the land, using accepted income capitalization methods applied to average net to land. The appraised value so determined may not exceed the market value of the land as determined by other appraisal methods.

(b) The comptroller by rule shall develop and distribute to each appraisal office appraisal manuals setting forth this method of appraising qualified timber land, and each appraisal office shall use the appraisal manuals in appraising qualified timber land. The comptroller by rule shall develop and the appraisal office shall enforce procedures to verify that land meets the conditions contained in Section 23.72 of this code. The rules, before taking effect, must be approved by majority vote of a committee comprised of the following officials or their designees: the governor, the comptroller, the attorney general, the agriculture commissioner, and the Commissioner of the General Land Office.

(c) For the purposes of Section 23.76 of this code, the chief appraiser also shall determine the market value of qualified timber land and shall record both the market value and the appraised value in the appraisal records.

(d) The appraisal of minerals or subsurface rights to minerals is not within the provisions of this subchapter.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.74. Capitalization Rate.

The capitalization rate to be used in determining the appraised value of qualified timber land as provided by this subchapter is the interest rate specified by the Farm Credit Bank of Texas or its successor on December 31 of the preceding year plus 2 1/2 percentage points. Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 2262, ch. 841, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1982. Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 579, Sec. 5, eff. Jan. 1, 1996. Sec. 23.75. Application.

(a) A person claiming that his land is eligible for appraisal as provided by this subchapter must file a valid application with the chief appraiser.

(b) To be valid, the application must:

(1) be on a form provided by the appraisal office and prescribed by the comptroller; and

(2) contain the information necessary to determine the validity of the claim.

(c) The comptroller shall include on the form a notice of the penalties prescribed by Section 37.10, Penal Code, for making or filing an application containing a false statement. The comptroller, in prescribing the contents of the application form, shall require that the form permit a claimant who has previously been allowed appraisal under this subchapter to indicate that previously reported information has not changed and to supply only the eligibility information not previously reported.

(d) The form must be filed before May 1. However, for good cause the chief appraiser may extend the filing deadline for not more than 60 days.

(e) If a person fails to file a valid application on time, the land is ineligible for appraisal as provided by this subchapter for that year. Once an application is filed and appraisal under this subchapter is allowed, the land is eligible for appraisal under this subchapter in subsequent years without a new application unless the ownership of the land changes or its eligibility under this subchapter ends. However, the chief appraiser if he has good cause to believe the land's eligibility under this subchapter has ended, may require a person allowed appraisal under this subchapter in a prior year to file a new application to confirm that the land is currently eligible under this subchapter by delivering a written notice that a new application is required, accompanied by the application form, to the person who filed the application that was previously allowed.

(f) The appraisal office shall make a sufficient number of printed application forms readily available at no charge.

(g) Each year the chief appraiser for each appraisal district shall publicize, in a manner reasonably designed to notify all residents of the district, the requirements of this section and the availability of application forms.

(h) A person whose land is allowed appraisal under this subchapter shall notify the appraisal office in writing before May 1 after eligibility of the land under this subchapter ends. If a person fails to notify the appraisal office as required by this subsection a penalty is imposed on the property equal to 10 percent of the difference between the taxes imposed on the property in each year it is erroneously allowed appraisal under this subchapter and the taxes that would otherwise have been imposed.

(i) The chief appraiser shall make an entry in the appraisal records for the property against which the penalty is imposed indicating liability for the penalty and shall deliver a written notice of imposition of the penalty to the person who owns the property. The notice shall include a brief explanation of the procedures for protesting the imposition of the penalty. The assessor for each taxing unit that imposed taxes on the property on the basis of appraisal under this subchapter shall add the amount of the penalty to the unit's tax bill for taxes on the property against which the penalty is imposed. The penalty shall be collected at the same time and in the same manner as the taxes on the property against which the penalty is imposed. The amount of the penalty constitutes a lien on the property against which the penalty is imposed and accrues penalty and interest in the same manner as a delinquent tax.

(j) If the chief appraiser discovers that appraisal under this subchapter has been erroneously allowed in any one of the five preceding years because of failure of the person whose land was allowed appraisal under this subchapter to give notice that its eligibility had ended, the chief appraiser shall add the difference between the appraised value of the land under this subchapter and the market value of the land to the appraisal roll as provided by Section 25.21 of this code for other property that escapes taxation.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.751. Late Application for Appraisal as Timber Land.

(a) The chief appraiser shall accept and approve or deny an application for appraisal under this subchapter after the deadline for filing it has passed if it is filed before approval of the appraisal records by the appraisal review board.

(b) If appraisal under this subchapter is approved when the application is filed late, the owner is liable for a penalty of 10 percent of the difference between the amount of tax imposed on the property and the amount that would be imposed if the property were taxed at market value.

(c) The chief appraiser shall make an entry on the appraisal records indicating the person's liability for the penalty and shall deliver written notice of imposition of the penalty, explaining the reason for its imposition, to the person.

(d) The tax assessor for a taxing unit that taxes land based on an appraisal under this subchapter after a late application shall add the amount of the penalty to the owner's tax bill, and the tax collector for the unit shall collect the penalty at the time and in the manner he collects the tax. The amount of the penalty constitutes a lien against the property against which the penalty is imposed, as if it were a tax, and accrues penalty and interest in the same manner as a delinquent tax.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.76. Change of Use of Land.

(a) If the use of land that has been appraised as provided by this subchapter changes, an additional tax is imposed on the land equal to the difference between the taxes imposed on the land for each of the five years preceding the year in which the change of use occurs that the land was appraised as provided by this subchapter and the tax that would have been imposed had the land been taxed on the basis of market value in each of those years, plus interest at an annual rate of seven percent calculated from the dates on which the differences would have become due.

(b) A tax lien attaches to the land on the date the change of use occurs to secure payment of the additional tax and interest imposed by this section and any penalties incurred. The lien exists in favor of all taxing units for which the additional tax is imposed.

(c) The additional tax imposed by this section does not apply to a year for which the tax has already been imposed.

(d) If the change of use applies to only part of a parcel that has been appraised as provided by this subchapter, the additional tax applies only to that part of the parcel and equals the difference between the taxes imposed on that part of the parcel and the taxes that would have been imposed had that part been taxed on the basis of market value.

(e) A determination that a change in use of the land has occurred is made by the chief appraiser. The chief appraiser shall deliver a notice of the determination to the owner of the land as soon as possible after making the determination and shall include in the notice an explanation of the owner's right to protest the determination. If the owner does not file a timely protest or if the final determination of the protest is that the additional taxes are due, the assessor for each taxing unit shall prepare and deliver a bill for the additional taxes and interest as soon as practicable after the change of use occurs. The taxes and interest are due and become delinquent and incur penalties and interest as provided by law for ad valorem taxes imposed by the taxing unit if not paid before the next February 1 that is at least 20 days after the date the bill is delivered to the owner of the land.

(f) The sanctions provided by Subsection (a) of this section do not apply if the change of use occurs as a result of a sale for right-of-way or a condemnation.

(g) If the use of the land changes to a use that qualifies under Subchapter C or D of this chapter, the sanctions provided by Subsection (a) of this section do not apply.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.77. Land Ineligible for Appraisal as Timber Land.

Land is not eligible for appraisal as provided by this subchapter if:

(1) the land is located inside the corporate limits of an incorporated city or town, unless:

(A) the city or town is not providing the land with governmental and proprietary services substantially equivalent in standard and scope to those services it provides in other parts of the city or town with similar topography, land utilization, and population density; or

(B) the land has been devoted principally to production of timber or forest products continuously for the preceding five years;

(2) the land is owned by an individual who is a nonresident alien or by a foreign government if that individual or government is required by federal law or by rule adopted pursuant to federal law to register his ownership or acquisition of that property; or

(3) the land is owned by a corporation, partnership, trust, or other legal entity if the entity is required by federal law or by rule adopted pursuant to federal law to register its ownership or acquisition of that land and a nonresident alien or a foreign government or any combination of nonresident aliens and foreign governments own a majority interest in the entity.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.78. Minimum Taxable Value of Timber Land.

The taxable value of qualified timber land appraised as provided by this subchapter may not be less than the appraised value of that land for the taxing unit in the 1978 tax year, except that the taxable value used for any tax year may not exceed the market value of the land as determined by other generally accepted appraisal methods. If the appraised value of timber land determined as provided by this subchapter is less than a taxing unit's appraised value of that land in 1978, the assessor for the unit shall substitute the 1978 appraised value for that land on the unit's appraisal roll.

<Back to Top>

Sec. 23.79. Action on Applications.

(a) The chief appraiser shall determine separately each applicant's right to have his land appraised under this subchapter. After considering the application and all relevant information, the chief appraiser shall, as the law and facts warrant:

(1) approve the application and allow appraisal under this subchapter;

(2) disapprove the application and request additional information from the applicant in support of the claim; or

(3) deny the application.

(b) If the chief appraiser requests additional information from an applicant, the applicant must furnish it within 30 days after the date of the request or the application is denied. However, for good cause shown the chief appraiser may extend the deadline for furnishing the information by written order for a single period not to exceed 15 days.

(c) The chief appraiser shall determine the validity of each application for appraisal under this subchapter filed with him before he submits the appraisal records for review and determination of protests as provided by Chapter 41 of this code.

(d) If the chief appraiser denies an application, he shall deliver a written notice of the denial to the applicant within five days after the date he makes the determination. He shall include with the notice a brief explanation of the procedures for protesting his action.

<Back to Top>