Texas Airport Property Exemption Based on Tax Code – Minimal Taxes
Texas Property Tax Code 2021 Chapter 23 Subchapter G
Airport Property Exemption Can Reduce Property Taxes over 90% for Airport Available to Public
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 1. PROPERTY TAX CODE
SUBTITLE D. APPRAISAL AND ASSESSMENT
CHAPTER 23. APPRAISAL METHODS AND PROCEDURES
SUBCHAPTER G. APPRAISAL OF PUBLIC ACCESS AIRPORT PROPERTY
Sec. 23.91. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
(1) “Airport property” means real property that is designed to be used or is used for airport purposes, including the landing, parking, shelter, or takeoff of aircraft and the accommodation of individuals engaged in the operation, maintenance, or navigation of aircraft or of aircraft passengers in connection with their use of aircraft or of airport property.
(2) “Public access airport property” means privately owned airport property that is regularly used by the public for or regularly provides services to the public in connection with airport purposes.
(3) “Deed restriction” means a valid and enforceable provision that restricts the use of property and that is included in a written instrument filed and recorded in the deed records of the county in which the property is located.
Added by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 2355, ch. 581, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1982.
Sec. 23.92. VOLUNTARY RESTRICTIONS. (a) The owner of a fee simple estate in property of at least five acres may limit the use of that part of the property which is airport property to public access airport property by filing with the county clerk of the county in which the property is located a written instrument executed in the form and manner of a deed.
(b) The instrument must describe the property and the restricted part of the property, name each owner of the property, and provide that the restricted property may only be used as public access airport property during the term of the deed restriction. The term of the deed restriction must be for at least 10 years, and the length of the term must be stated in the instrument.
(c) The county attorney of the county in which the restricted property is located or any person owning or having an interest in the restricted property may enforce a deed restriction that complies with the requirements of this section.
Added by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 2355, ch. 581, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1982.
Sec. 23.93. APPRAISAL OF RESTRICTED LAND. (a) A person is entitled to have airport property he owns appraised under this subchapter if, on January 1:
(1) the property is restricted as provided by this subchapter;
(2) the property has been devoted exclusively to use as public access airport property for the preceding year; and
(3) he is using and intends to use the property exclusively as public access airport property in the current year.
(b) The chief appraiser may not consider any factor other than one relating to the value of the airport property as restricted. Sales of comparable airport property not restricted as provided by this subchapter may not be used to determine the value of restricted property.
(c) Improvements to the property that qualify as public access airport property are appraised as provided by this subchapter, but other improvements and the mineral estate are appraised separately at market value.
(d) If airport property is appraised under this subchapter for a year, the chief appraiser shall determine at the end of that year whether the property was used exclusively as public access airport property. If the airport property was not used exclusively as public access airport property, the assessor for each taxing unit shall impose an additional tax equal to the difference in the amount of tax imposed and the amount that would have been imposed for that year if the property had not been restricted to use as public access airport property. The assessor shall include the amount of additional tax plus interest on the next bill for taxes on the land.
(e) The comptroller shall promulgate rules specifying the methods to apply and the procedures to use in appraising property under this subchapter.
Added by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 2355, ch. 581, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1982. Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., 1st C.S., p. 152, ch. 13, Sec. 81, eff. Jan. 1, 1982; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., 2nd C.S., ch. 6, Sec. 30, eff. Sept. 1, 1991.
Sec. 23.94. APPLICATION. (a) A person claiming the right to have his airport property appraised under this subchapter must apply for the right the first year he claims it. Application for appraisal under this subchapter is made by filing a sworn application form with the chief appraiser for each 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, the property 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 property is eligible for appraisal under this subchapter during the term of the deed restriction without a new application unless the ownership of the property changes or its eligibility under this subchapter ends. However, the chief appraiser, if he has good cause to believe the property’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 property 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.
(d) A person whose property is allowed appraisal under this subchapter shall notify the appraisal office in writing before May 1 after eligibility of the property under this subchapter ends.
(e) If the chief appraiser discovers that appraisal under this subchapter has been erroneously allowed in any one of the five preceding years, the chief appraiser shall add the difference between the appraised value of the property under this subchapter and the value of the property if it had not been restricted to use as public access airport property to the appraisal roll as provided by Section 25.21 of this code for other property that escapes taxation.
(f) 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 and that the form requires the claimant to state that the airport property for which he claims appraisal under this subchapter will be used exclusively as public access airport property in the current year.
Added by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 2355, ch. 581, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1982. Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., 1st C.S., p. 152, ch. 13, Sec. 82, eff. Jan. 1, 1982; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., 2nd C.S., ch. 6, Sec. 31, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 579, Sec. 8, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
Sec. 23.95. ACTION ON APPLICATION. (a) The chief appraiser shall determine individually each claimant’s right to appraisal under this subchapter. After considering the application and all relevant information, the chief appraiser shall, as soon as practicable but not later than the 90th day after the later of the date the claimant is first eligible for appraisal under this subchapter or the date the claimant provides to the chief appraiser the information necessary for the chief appraiser to determine the claimant’s right to appraisal under this subchapter, 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 claimant in support of the claim; or
(3) deny the application.
(b) If the chief appraiser requires additional information from a claimant, the chief appraiser shall, as soon as practicable but not later than the 30th day after the date the application is filed with the chief appraiser, deliver a written notice to the claimant specifying the additional information the claimant must provide to the chief appraiser before the chief appraiser can determine the claimant’s right to appraisal under this subchapter. The claimant must furnish the information not later than the 30th day after the date of the request or before April 15, whichever is earlier, 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 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, the chief appraiser shall deliver a written notice of the denial to the claimant not later than the fifth day after the date of denial. The notice must state and fully explain each reason the chief appraiser denied the application. The notice must include a brief explanation of the procedures for protesting the denial.
Added by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 2355, ch. 581, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1982. Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., 1st C.S., p. 153, ch. 13, Sec. 83, eff. Jan. 1, 1982.
Amended by:
Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 533 (S.B. 63), Sec. 12, eff. September 1, 2021.
Sec. 23.96. TAXATION FOR PRECEDING YEARS. (a) If airport property that has been appraised under this subchapter is no longer subject to a deed restriction, an additional tax is imposed on the property equal to the difference between the taxes imposed on the property for each of the three years preceding the year in which the deed restriction expires that the property was appraised as provided by this subchapter and the tax that would have been imposed had the property not been restricted to use as public access airport property in each of those years.
(b) A tax lien attaches to the property on the date the deed restriction expires to secure payment of the additional tax imposed by this section and any penalties and interest incurred if the tax becomes delinquent. The lien exists in favor of all taxing units for which the additional tax is imposed.
(c) The assessor shall prepare and deliver a statement for the additional taxes as soon as practicable after the deed restriction expires. The taxes 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 date on which the unit’s taxes become delinquent that is more than 10 days after the date the statement is delivered.
(d) 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.
Added by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 2355, ch. 581, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1982. Amended by Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 4824, ch. 851, Sec. 15, eff. Aug. 29, 1983.
Amended by:
Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 726 (H.B. 3833), Sec. 6, eff. June 15, 2021.
Sec. 23.97. PENALTY FOR VIOLATING DEED RESTRICTION. (a) If airport property appraised under this subchapter is used as other than public access airport property before the term of the deed restriction expires, a penalty is imposed on the property equal to the difference between the taxes imposed on the property on the basis of appraisal under this subchapter for the year in which the violation occurs and the amount that would have been imposed for that year had the property not been restricted to use as public access airport property.
(b) 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 filed the application for appraisal under this subchapter. The notice shall include a brief explanation of the procedures for protesting the imposition of the penalty.
(c) 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 county assessor-collector shall add the amount of the penalty to the county’s tax bill for taxes on the property. 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.
Added by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 2355, ch. 581, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1982. Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., 1st C.S., p. 154, ch. 13, Sec. 84, eff. Jan. 1, 1982.
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