Texas Tax Abatement Based on Politics; Most for Companies New to Location
Texas Property Code 2021 Chapter 312 Subchapter A
Texas tax abatement agreements are primarily intended to: 1) increase employment or 2) sizable investment in an area. It is for businesses new to the area and not relevant for existing businesses.
Texas Property Tax Code
2021 Edition
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
The Texas Property Tax Code available on this website are current through the Regular Session of the 87th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2021. The Texas Constitution is current through the amendments approved by voters in November 2019.
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TITLE 3. LOCAL TAXATION
SUBTITLE B. SPECIAL PROPERTY TAX PROVISIONS
CHAPTER 312. PROPERTY REDEVELOPMENT AND TAX ABATEMENT ACT
SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 312.001. SHORT TITLE. This chapter may be cited as the Property Redevelopment and Tax Abatement Act
Added by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 191, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.
Sec. 312.002. ELIGIBILITY OF TAXING UNIT TO PARTICIPATE IN TAX ABATEMENT. (a) A taxing unit may not enter into a tax abatement agreement under this chapter and the governing body of a municipality or county may not designate an area as a reinvestment zone unless the governing body has established guidelines and criteria governing tax abatement agreements by the taxing unit and a resolution stating that the taxing unit elects to become eligible to participate in tax abatement. The guidelines applicable to property other than property described by Section 312.211(a) must provide for the availability of tax abatement for both new facilities and structures and for the expansion or modernization of existing facilities and structures.
(b) The governing body of a taxing unit may not enter into a tax abatement agreement under this chapter unless it finds that the terms of the agreement and the property subject to the agreement meet the applicable guidelines and criteria adopted by the governing body under this section.
(c) The guidelines and criteria adopted under this section are effective for two years from the date adopted. During that period, the guidelines and criteria may be amended or repealed only by a vote of three-fourths of the members of the governing body.
(c-1) Before the governing body of a taxing unit may adopt, amend, repeal, or reauthorize guidelines and criteria, the body must hold a public hearing regarding the proposed adoption, amendment, repeal, or reauthorization at which members of the public are given the opportunity to be heard.
(c-2) A taxing unit that maintains an Internet website shall post the current version of the guidelines and criteria governing tax abatement agreements adopted under this section on the website.
(d) The adoption of the guidelines and criteria by the governing body of a taxing unit does not:
(1) limit the discretion of the governing body to decide whether to enter into a specific tax abatement agreement;
(2) limit the discretion of the governing body to delegate to its employees the authority to determine whether or not the governing body should consider a particular application or request for tax abatement; or
(3) create any property, contract, or other legal right in any person to have the governing body consider or grant a specific application or request for tax abatement.
(e) The guidelines and criteria adopted by the commissioners court of a county may include a requirement that an application or request for tax abatement submitted to the county under this chapter must be accompanied by a reasonable application fee not to exceed $1,000.
(f) On or after September 1, 2001, a school district may not enter into a tax abatement agreement under this chapter.
(g) “Taxing unit” has the meaning assigned by Section 1.04, except that for a tax abatement agreement executed on or after September 1, 2001, the term does not include a school district that is subject to Chapter 48, Education Code, and that is organized primarily to provide general elementary and secondary public education.
Added by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 2, Sec. 14.07(a), eff. Aug. 28, 1989. Amended by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 1137, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 20, Sec. 22, eff. Aug. 26, 1991; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 391, Sec. 26, eff. Aug. 26, 1991; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 836, Sec. 9.2, eff. Aug. 26, 1991; Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 347, Sec. 4.13(2), eff. May 31, 1993; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 855, Sec. 9, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1333, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1029, Sec. 3, eff. June 15, 2001; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1145, Sec. 1, eff. June 15, 2001; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1275, Sec. 2(124), eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
Amended by:
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 943 (H.B. 3), Sec. 3.093, eff. September 1, 2019.
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1155 (H.B. 3143), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2019.
Sec. 312.0021. PROHIBITION ON ABATEMENT OF TAXES ON CERTAIN PROPERTY NEAR MILITARY AVIATION FACILITY. (a) In this section:
(1) “Military aviation facility” means a base, station, fort, or camp at which fixed-wing aviation operations or training is conducted by the United States Air Force, the United States Air Force Reserve, the United States Army, the United States Army Reserve, the United States Navy, the United States Navy Reserve, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Marine Corps Reserve, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Coast Guard Reserve, or the Texas National Guard.
(2) “Wind-powered energy device” has the meaning assigned by Section 11.27.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, an owner or lessee of a parcel of real property that is located wholly or partly in a reinvestment zone may not receive an exemption from taxation of any portion of the value of the parcel of real property or of tangible personal property located on the parcel of real property under a tax abatement agreement under this chapter that is entered into on or after September 1, 2017, if, on or after that date, a wind-powered energy device is installed or constructed on the same parcel of real property at a location that is within 25 nautical miles of the boundaries of a military aviation facility located in this state. The prohibition provided by this section applies regardless of whether the wind-powered energy device is installed or constructed at a location that is in the reinvestment zone.
(c) The prohibition provided by this section does not apply if the wind-powered energy device is installed or constructed as part of an expansion or repowering of an existing project.
Added by Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 444 (S.B. 277), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2017.
Sec. 312.0025. DESIGNATION OF REINVESTMENT ZONE BY SCHOOL DISTRICT
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter to the contrary, the governing body of a school district, in the manner required for official action and for purposes of Subchapter B or C, Chapter 313, may designate an area entirely within the territory of the school district as a reinvestment zone if the governing body finds that, as a result of the designation and the granting of a limitation on appraised value under Subchapter B or C, Chapter 313, for property located in the reinvestment zone, the designation is reasonably likely to:
(1) contribute to the expansion of primary employment in the reinvestment zone; or
(2) attract major investment in the reinvestment zone that would:
(A) be a benefit to property in the reinvestment zone and to the school district; and
(B) contribute to the economic development of the region of this state in which the school district is located.
(b) The governing body of the school district may seek the recommendation of the commissioners court of each county and the governing body of each municipality that has territory in the school district before designating an area as a reinvestment zone under Subsection (a).
Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1505, Sec. 4, eff. Jan. 1, 2002.
Sec. 312.003. CONFIDENTIALITY OF PROPRIETARY INFORMATION
Information that is provided to a taxing unit in connection with an application or request for tax abatement under this chapter and that describes the specific processes or business activities to be conducted or the equipment or other property to be located on the property for which tax abatement is sought is confidential and not subject to public disclosure until the tax abatement agreement is executed. That information in the custody of a taxing unit after the agreement is executed is not confidential under this section.
Added by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 1137, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1989.
Sec. 312.004. TAXING UNIT WITH TAX RATE SET BY COMMISSIONERS COURT
(a) The commissioners court of a county that enters into a tax abatement agreement for the county may enter into a tax abatement agreement applicable to the same property on behalf of a taxing unit other than the county if by statute the ad valorem tax rate of the other taxing unit is approved by the commissioners court or the commissioners court is expressly required by statute to levy the ad valorem taxes of the other taxing unit. The tax abatement agreement entered into on behalf of the other taxing unit is not required to contain the same terms as the tax abatement agreement entered into on behalf of the county.
(b) This section does not apply to a taxing unit because the county tax assessor-collector is required by law to assess or collect the taxing unit’s ad valorem taxes.
Added by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 1137, Sec. 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1989. Amended by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1039, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.
Sec. 312.005. STATE ADMINISTRATION
(a) The comptroller shall maintain a central registry of reinvestment zones designated under this chapter and of ad valorem tax abatement agreements executed under this chapter. The chief appraiser of each appraisal district that appraises property for a taxing unit that has designated a reinvestment zone or executed a tax abatement agreement under this chapter shall deliver to the comptroller before July 1 of the year following the year in which the zone is designated or the agreement is executed a report providing the following information:
(1) for a reinvestment zone, a general description of the zone, including its size, the types of property located in it, its duration, and the guidelines and criteria established for the reinvestment zone under Section 312.002, including subsequent amendments and modifications of the guidelines or criteria;
(2) a copy of each tax abatement agreement to which a taxing unit that participates in the appraisal district is a party;
(3) the information described by Section 312.205(a)(1) in connection with each tax abatement agreement described by Subdivision (2) of this subsection; and
(4) any other information required by the comptroller to administer this section.
(a-1) For each of the first three tax years following the expiration of a tax abatement agreement executed under this chapter, the chief appraiser shall deliver to the comptroller a report containing the appraised value of the property that was the subject of the agreement.
(b) The comptroller may provide assistance to a taxing unit on request of its governing body or the presiding officer of its governing body relating to the administration of this chapter. The Texas Department of Commerce and the comptroller may provide technical assistance to a local governing body regarding the designation of reinvestment zones, the adoption of tax abatement guidelines, and the execution of tax abatement agreements.
(c) Not later than December 31 of each even-numbered year, the comptroller shall submit a report to the legislature and to the governor on reinvestment zones designated under this chapter and on tax abatement agreements adopted under this chapter, including a summary of the information reported under this section.
Added by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 1137, Sec. 4, eff. Sept. 1, 1989. Amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., 2nd C.S., ch. 6, Sec. 59, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 995, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1995; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1382, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 268, Sec. 4, eff. Sept. 1, 2001; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1029, Sec. 2, eff. June 15, 2001.
Amended by:
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1155 (H.B. 3143), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2019.
Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 391 (S.B. 1257), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2021.
Sec. 312.006. EXPIRATION DATE. If not continued in effect, this chapter expires September 1, 2029
Added by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 1137, Sec. 5, eff. Sept. 1, 1989. Amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., 1st C.S., ch. 17, Sec. 2.16, eff. Nov. 12, 1991; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 995, Sec. 4, eff. Aug. 31, 1995; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1029, Sec. 1, eff. June 15, 2001; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1505, Sec. 5, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.
Amended by:
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 610 (H.B. 773), Sec. 1, eff. June 19, 2009.
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1155 (H.B. 3143), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2019.
Sec. 312.007. DEFERRAL OF COMMENCEMENT OF ABATEMENT PERIOD
(a) In this section, “abatement period” means the period during which all or a portion of the value of real property or tangible personal property that is the subject of a tax abatement agreement is exempt from taxation.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the governing body of the taxing unit granting the abatement and the owner of the property that is the subject of the agreement may agree to defer the commencement of the abatement period until a date that is subsequent to the date the agreement is entered into, except that the duration of an abatement period may not exceed 10 years.
Added by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1195 (H.B. 3896), Sec. 2, eff. June 19, 2009.
Added by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1225 (S.B. 1458), Sec. 2, eff. June 19, 2009.
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