SHB 2850 -
By Representative McIntire
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"Sec. 1 RCW 84.34.070 and 1992 c 69 s 10 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1)(a) When land has once been classified under ((this chapter))
RCW 84.34.020 (1) or (3), or RCW 84.34.020(2) and does not meet the
ownership requirements in (b) of this subsection, it shall remain under
such classification and shall not be applied to other use except as
provided by subsection (2) of this section for at least ten years from
the date of classification and shall continue under such classification
until and unless withdrawn from classification after notice of request
for withdrawal shall be made by the owner. During any year after eight
years of the initial ten-year classification period have elapsed,
notice of request for withdrawal of all or a portion of the land may be
given by the owner to the assessor or assessors of the county or
counties in which such land is situated. In the event that a portion
of a parcel is removed from classification, the remaining portion must
meet the same requirements as did the entire parcel when such land was
originally granted classification pursuant to this chapter unless the
remaining parcel has different income criteria. Within seven days the
assessor shall transmit one copy of such notice to the legislative body
which originally approved the application. The assessor or assessors,
as the case may be, shall, when two assessment years have elapsed
following the date of receipt of such notice, withdraw such land from
such classification ((and the land)).
(b)(i) Except as provided in (b)(ii) of this subsection, when land
has once been classified under RCW 84.34.020(2), it shall remain under
such classification and shall not be applied to other use except as
provided by subsection (2) of this section for at least seven years
from the date of classification and shall continue under such
classification until and unless withdrawn from classification after
notice of request for withdrawal shall be made by the owner. During
any year after seven years have elapsed, notice of request for
withdrawal of all or a portion of the land may be given by the owner to
the assessor or assessors of the county or counties in which such land
is situated. In the event that a portion of a parcel is removed from
classification, the remaining portion must meet the same requirements
as did the entire parcel when such land was originally granted
classification pursuant to this chapter unless the remaining parcel has
different income criteria. Within seven days the assessor shall
transmit one copy of such notice to the legislative body which
originally approved the application. The assessor or assessors, as the
case may be, shall, when two assessment years have elapsed following
the date of receipt of such notice, withdraw such land from such
classification.
(ii) For land that has been classified under RCW 84.34.020(2) for
twenty or more years the assessor or assessors, as the case may be,
shall withdraw and revalue the affected land with reference to its true
and fair value on January 1st of the year specified in the notice of
request for withdrawal from classification and the assessed valuation
before and after the date of withdrawal of classification shall be
listed and taxes shall be allocated according to that part of the year
to which each assessed valuation applies.
(iii) To qualify for the preferential withdrawal requirements under
this subsection (1)(b), at least a fifty percent ownership interest in
the land must have been maintained by the owner or the owner's spouse
for the entire period the land has been classified under RCW
84.34.020(2).
(c) Land withdrawn from classification under this subsection shall
be subject to the additional tax and applicable interest due under RCW
84.34.108, except land withdrawn from classification under this
subsection shall not be subject to applicable interest if the land
meets the requirements of RCW 84.34.108(4)(b)(ii). Agreement to tax
according to use shall not be considered to be a contract and can be
abrogated at any time by the legislature in which event no additional
tax or penalty shall be imposed.
(2) The following reclassifications are not considered withdrawals
or removals ((and are not subject to additional tax under RCW
84.34.108)):
(a) Reclassification between lands under RCW 84.34.020 (2) and (3);
(b) Reclassification of land classified under RCW 84.34.020 (2) or
(3) or chapter 84.33 RCW to open space land under RCW 84.34.020(1);
(c) Reclassification of land classified under RCW 84.34.020 (2) or
(3) to forest land classified under chapter 84.33 RCW; and
(d) Reclassification of land classified as open space land under
RCW 84.34.020(1)(c) and reclassified to farm and agricultural land
under RCW 84.34.020(2) if the land had been previously classified as
farm and agricultural land under RCW 84.34.020(2).
(3) Applications for reclassification shall be subject to
applicable provisions of RCW 84.34.037, 84.34.035, 84.34.041, and
chapter 84.33 RCW.
(4) The income criteria for land classified under RCW 84.34.020(2)
(b) and (c) may be deferred for land being reclassified from land
classified under RCW 84.34.020 (1)(c) or (3), or chapter 84.33 RCW into
RCW 84.34.020(2) (b) or (c) for a period of up to five years from the
date of reclassification.
Sec. 2 RCW 84.34.108 and 2003 c 170 s 6 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) When land has once been classified under this chapter, a
notation of the classification shall be made each year upon the
assessment and tax rolls and the land shall be valued pursuant to RCW
84.34.060 or 84.34.065 until removal of all or a portion of the
classification by the assessor upon occurrence of any of the following:
(a) Receipt of notice from the owner to remove all or a portion of
the classification;
(b) Sale or transfer to an ownership, except a transfer that
resulted from a default in loan payments made to or secured by a
governmental agency that intends to or is required by law or regulation
to resell the property for the same use as before, making all or a
portion of the land exempt from ad valorem taxation;
(c) Sale or transfer of all or a portion of the land to a new
owner, unless the new owner has signed a notice of classification
continuance, except transfer to an owner who is an heir or devisee of
a deceased owner shall not, by itself, result in removal of
classification. The notice of continuance shall be on a form prepared
by the department. If the notice of continuance is not signed by the
new owner and attached to the real estate excise tax affidavit, all
additional taxes calculated pursuant to subsection (4) of this section
shall become due and payable by the seller or transferor at time of
sale. The auditor shall not accept an instrument of conveyance
regarding classified land for filing or recording unless the new owner
has signed the notice of continuance or the additional tax has been
paid, as evidenced by the real estate excise tax stamp affixed thereto
by the treasurer. The seller, transferor, or new owner may appeal the
new assessed valuation calculated under subsection (4) of this section
to the county board of equalization in accordance with the provisions
of RCW 84.40.038. Jurisdiction is hereby conferred on the county board
of equalization to hear these appeals;
(d) Determination by the assessor, after giving the owner written
notice and an opportunity to be heard, that all or a portion of the
land no longer meets the criteria for classification under this
chapter. The criteria for classification pursuant to this chapter
continue to apply after classification has been granted.
The granting authority, upon request of an assessor, shall provide
reasonable assistance to the assessor in making a determination whether
the land continues to meet the qualifications of RCW 84.34.020 (1) or
(3). The assistance shall be provided within thirty days of receipt of
the request.
(2) Land may not be removed from classification because of:
(a) The creation, sale, or transfer of forestry riparian easements
under RCW 76.13.120; or
(b) The creation, sale, or transfer of a fee interest or a
conservation easement for the riparian open space program under RCW
76.09.040.
(3) Within thirty days after such removal of all or a portion of
the land from current use classification, the assessor shall notify the
owner in writing, setting forth the reasons for the removal. The
seller, transferor, or owner may appeal the removal to the county board
of equalization in accordance with the provisions of RCW 84.40.038.
(4) Unless the removal is reversed on appeal, the assessor shall
revalue the affected land with reference to its true and fair value on
January 1st of the year of removal from classification. Both the
assessed valuation before and after the removal of classification shall
be listed and taxes shall be allocated according to that part of the
year to which each assessed valuation applies. Except as provided in
subsection (6) of this section, an additional tax, applicable interest,
and penalty shall be imposed which shall be due and payable to the
treasurer thirty days after the owner is notified of the amount of the
additional tax. As soon as possible, the assessor shall compute the
amount of additional tax, applicable interest, and penalty and the
treasurer shall mail notice to the owner of the amount thereof and the
date on which payment is due. The amount of the additional tax,
applicable interest, and penalty shall be determined as follows:
(a) The amount of additional tax shall be equal to the difference
between the property tax paid as "open space land", "farm and
agricultural land", or "timber land" and the amount of property tax
otherwise due and payable for the seven years last past had the land
not been so classified;
(b)(i) The amount of applicable interest shall be equal to the
interest upon the amounts of the additional tax paid ((at the same
statutory rate charged on delinquent property taxes)) from the dates on
which the additional tax could have been paid without penalty if the
land had been assessed at a value without regard to this chapter. The
interest rate shall be determined as follows:
(A) The same statutory rate charged on delinquent property taxes
for land classified under RCW 84.34.020 (1) and (3) and for land
classified under RCW 84.34.020(2) not meeting the requirements of
(b)(i)(B) or (C) of this subsection;
(B) An annual rate of eight percent for land classified under RCW
84.34.020(2) if the land has been classified for seven years or more
but less than twenty years and at least a fifty percent ownership
interest in the land has been maintained by the owner or the owner's
spouse for the entire period the land has been classified under RCW
84.34.020(2); and
(C) An annual rate of five percent for land classified under RCW
84.34.020(2) if the land has been classified under RCW 84.34.020(2) for
twenty years or more and at least a fifty percent ownership interest in
the land has been maintained by the owner or the owner's spouse for the
entire period the land has been classified under RCW 84.34.020(2),
except as provided in (b)(ii) of this subsection.
(ii) No interest shall be imposed for land classified under RCW
84.34.020(2) if the land has been classified under RCW 84.34.020(2) for
thirty years or more and at least a fifty percent ownership interest in
the land has been maintained by the owner or the owner's spouse for the
entire period the land has been classified under RCW 84.34.020(2);
(c) The amount of the penalty shall be as provided in RCW
84.34.080. The penalty shall not be imposed if the removal satisfies
the conditions of RCW 84.34.070.
(5) Additional tax, applicable interest, and penalty, shall become
a lien on the land which shall attach at the time the land is removed
from classification under this chapter and shall have priority to and
shall be fully paid and satisfied before any recognizance, mortgage,
judgment, debt, obligation or responsibility to or with which the land
may become charged or liable. This lien may be foreclosed upon
expiration of the same period after delinquency and in the same manner
provided by law for foreclosure of liens for delinquent real property
taxes as provided in RCW 84.64.050 now or as hereafter amended. Any
additional tax unpaid on its due date shall thereupon become
delinquent. From the date of delinquency until paid, interest shall be
charged at the same rate applied by law to delinquent ad valorem
property taxes.
(6) The additional tax, applicable interest, and penalty specified
in subsection (4) of this section shall not be imposed if the removal
of classification pursuant to subsection (1) of this section resulted
solely from:
(a) Transfer to a government entity in exchange for other land
located within the state of Washington;
(b)(i) A taking through the exercise of the power of eminent
domain, or (ii) sale or transfer to an entity having the power of
eminent domain in anticipation of the exercise of such power, said
entity having manifested its intent in writing or by other official
action;
(c) A natural disaster such as a flood, windstorm, earthquake, or
other such calamity rather than by virtue of the act of the landowner
changing the use of the property;
(d) Official action by an agency of the state of Washington or by
the county or city within which the land is located which disallows the
present use of the land;
(e) Transfer of land to a church when the land would qualify for
exemption pursuant to RCW 84.36.020;
(f) Acquisition of property interests by state agencies or agencies
or organizations qualified under RCW 84.34.210 and 64.04.130 for the
purposes enumerated in those sections. At such time as these property
interests are not used for the purposes enumerated in RCW 84.34.210 and
64.04.130 the additional tax specified in subsection (4) of this
section shall be imposed;
(g) Removal of land classified as farm and agricultural land under
RCW 84.34.020(2)(e);
(h) Removal of land from classification after enactment of a
statutory exemption that qualifies the land for exemption and receipt
of notice from the owner to remove the land from classification;
(i) The creation, sale, or transfer of forestry riparian easements
under RCW 76.13.120;
(j) The creation, sale, or transfer of a fee interest or a
conservation easement for the riparian open space program under RCW
76.09.040;
(k) The sale or transfer of land within two years after the death
of the owner of at least a fifty percent interest in the land if the
land has been assessed and valued as classified forest land, designated
as forest land under chapter 84.33 RCW, or classified under this
chapter continuously since 1993. The date of death shown on a death
certificate is the date used for the purposes of this subsection
(6)(k); or
(l) The sale or transfer of land after the death of the owner of at
least a fifty percent interest in the land if the land has been
assessed and valued as classified forest land, designated as forest
land under chapter 84.33 RCW, or classified under this chapter
continuously since 1993 and the sale or transfer takes place after July
22, 2001, and on or before July 22, 2003, and the death of the owner
occurred after January 1, 1991. The date of death shown on a death
certificate is the date used for the purpose of this subsection
(6)(l)."