House
File
2224
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
2224
BY
HAGER
(COMPANION
TO
SF
2069
BY
SINCLAIR)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
the
property
tax
exemption
for
forest
1
reservations
for
certain
assessment
years.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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Section
1.
Section
427C.1,
Code
2018,
is
amended
to
read
as
1
follows:
2
427C.1
Tax
exemption
——
amount
of
exemption
.
3
1.
Any
person
who
establishes
a
forest
or
fruit-tree
4
reservation
as
provided
in
this
chapter
shall
be
entitled
to
5
the
tax
exemption
provided
by
law.
6
2.
a.
Except
as
provided
in
paragraph
“b”
,
the
exemption
7
for
forest
or
fruit-tree
reservations
authorized
in
this
8
chapter
shall
be
one
hundred
percent
of
the
actual
value
of
the
9
property
comprising
the
reservation.
10
b.
For
assessment
years
beginning
on
or
after
January
1,
11
2019,
the
exemption
for
forest
reservations
authorized
in
this
12
chapter
shall
be
fifty
percent
of
the
actual
value
of
the
13
property
comprising
the
forest
reservation.
14
Sec.
2.
Section
427C.2,
Code
2018,
is
amended
to
read
as
15
follows:
16
427C.2
Reservations.
17
1.
On
For
assessment
years
beginning
before
January
1,
2019,
18
any
tract
of
land
in
the
state
of
Iowa,
the
owner
or
owners
may
19
select
a
permanent
forest
reservation
or
reservations,
each
20
not
less
than
two
acres
in
continuous
area,
or
a
fruit-tree
21
reservation
or
reservations,
not
less
than
one
nor
more
than
22
ten
acres
in
total
area,
or
both,
and
upon
compliance
with
23
the
provisions
of
this
chapter
,
such
owner
or
owners
shall
be
24
entitled
to
the
benefits
provided
by
law.
25
2.
For
assessment
years
beginning
on
or
after
January
26
1,
2019,
any
tract
of
land
in
the
state
of
Iowa,
the
owner
27
or
owners
may
select
a
permanent
forest
reservation
or
28
reservations,
each
not
less
than
five
acres
in
continuous
area,
29
or
a
fruit-tree
reservation
or
reservations,
not
less
than
30
one
nor
more
than
ten
acres
in
total
area,
or
both,
and
upon
31
compliance
with
the
provisions
of
this
chapter,
such
owner
or
32
owners
shall
be
entitled
to
the
benefits
provided
by
law.
33
Sec.
3.
Section
427C.6,
Code
2018,
is
amended
to
read
as
34
follows:
35
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427C.6
Groves.
1
The
trees
of
a
forest
reservation
shall
be
in
groves
not
2
less
than
four
rods
wide
except
when
the
trees
are
growing
or
3
are
planted
in
or
along
a
gully
or
ditch
to
control
erosion
in
4
which
case
any
width
will
qualify
provided
the
area
meets
the
5
size
acreage
requirement
of
two
acres
.
6
Sec.
4.
Section
441.22,
Code
2018,
is
amended
to
read
as
7
follows:
8
441.22
Forest
and
fruit-tree
reservations.
9
Forest
and
fruit-tree
reservations
fulfilling
the
conditions
10
of
sections
427C.1
to
427C.13
chapter
427C
shall
be
exempt
from
11
taxation
to
the
extent
authorized
in
that
chapter
.
In
all
12
other
cases
where
trees
are
planted
upon
any
tract
of
land,
13
without
regard
to
area,
for
forest,
fruit,
shade,
or
ornamental
14
purposes,
or
for
windbreaks,
the
assessor
shall
not
increase
15
the
valuation
of
the
property
because
of
such
improvements.
16
EXPLANATION
17
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
18
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
19
Current
Code
chapter
427C
authorizes
a
property
tax
20
exemption
for
certain
forest
reservations
and
fruit-tree
21
reservations.
To
qualify
for
the
exemption
as
a
forest
22
reservation,
the
property
must
be
at
least
two
acres
in
23
continuous
area
and
meet
certain
tree
density
requirements.
24
This
bill
lowers
the
exemption
percentage
from
100
percent
25
to
50
percent
for
forest
reservations
for
assessment
years
26
beginning
on
or
after
January
1,
2019.
The
bill
also
increases
27
the
minimum
acreage
requirement
for
forest
reservations
for
28
assessment
years
beginning
on
or
after
January
1,
2019,
from
29
two
acres
to
five
acres
of
continuous
area.
30
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