Melissa Van Gorkom (786-7491)
All real and personal property in the state is subject to property tax each year based on its value, unless a specific exemption is provided by law.
In 2023, the Legislature authorized a county legislative authority for a county with a population of 1.5 million or more to exempt an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) from property tax if all the following conditions are met:
A Tax Preference Performance Statement specifies the exemption is intended to encourage homeowners to rent ADUs to low-income households and increase the overall availability of affordable housing. The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee must review the tax preference and complete a final report by December 1, 2029, that includes:
The exemption can continue for as long as the ADU is leased to a low-income household and applies to taxes levied for collection in 2024 and thereafter. The exemption expires January 1, 2034.
The restriction for the ADU property tax exemption to apply to a county with a population of 1.5 million or more is removed, allowing any county legislative authority to choose to exempt an ADU from property tax if the ADU meets the necessary conditions.
The Tax Preference Performance Statement and Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee review are updated to include this legislation. If the review finds a county offers this exemption and the exemption increases the amount of ADUs rented to low-income households, then the Legislature intends to extend the expiration. The exemption applies to taxes levied for collection in 2025 and thereafter, and expires January 1, 2034.
PRO: This follows on a bill that we did recently to provide one more option to address our housing issue. We know that the housing issues are not just in large counties, it is across the state so adding an additional way for counties to help encourage the development and maintenance of rural ADUs to address the housing problem will help. It's not a big part of the solution but it is part of the solution.