Barn Preservation Exemptions

The increase in value due to improvements made to a farm building to preserve it as a barn is exempt from taxes. To qualify, the building must have been built and used as a barn before 1937. This exemption continues until the structure is no longer used as a barn.

Enterprise Zone Exemption

This exemption can be approved by cities and counties for all or part of the value added by improvements to business property located in economic development enterprise zones. The Department of Economic Development approves the establishment of such zones and determines if a business within the zone is eligible for the benefit. This exemption lasts for ten years.

Forest & Fruit Tree Reservations Exemption

Land two acres or more in size containing a permanent forest qualifies for this exemption as does land between one and ten acres which contains fruit trees.

A forest reservation must contain at least 200 growing trees per acre. If a building is present on the land, one acre is excluded from the total area. If more than 1/5 of the total number of trees are removed from the land in any one year, the land no longer qualifies. The exception to this rule is if the trees die naturally.

A fruit tree reservation must contain at least 40 apple trees or 70 other fruit trees per acre. A fruit tree reservation exemption can only be granted for eight years from the time the trees were first planted.

These reservations cannot be used for financial gain Livestock are not permitted on these reservations

If a property no longer meets the requirements for the exemption, the property will be assessed for taxation. The property is eligible for having taxes levied against the assessment made as of January 1 of the year in which it no longer qualifies. The property is also subject to taxes that would have been levied against it for the preceding five years. The recapture tax will not be levied if it was owned for at least ten years by the owner or their immediate family.

Impoundment Structures Exemption

An impoundment structure is a dam, earthfill, or other structure used to create a reservoir or pond which can hold at least 18 acre-feet of water or sediment at the time of its construction. Impoundment structures and the underlying land are exempt from property taxes.

Indian Housing Authority Property Exemption

Property owned by an Indian housing authority is exempt if an agreement has been made with the local governing body. Indian housing authorities are defined by federal law.

Industrial Property Exemption & Cattle Facilities Exemption

A partial exemption can be granted by a city council or county board of supervisors for value added to industrial real estate due to new construction of industrial real estate, research-service facilities, warehouses, distribution centers, and the acquisition of, or improvement to, industrial machinery, equipment and computers. The ordinance may include a partial exemption from taxation of actual value added to owner-operated cattle facilities by either new construction or the retrofitting of existing facilities. This exemption is effective for five years.

Low Rent Housing for Elderly & Disability Exemption

To receive this exemption, the housing must be owned and operated by a nonprofit organization. This exemption is good until the final payment due date of the original low-income housing development mortgage or until the mortgage has been extended or paid in full. If the mortgage is refinanced, the property is still eligible for exemption until the final due date of the original mortgage or until the refinanced mortgage is paid in full or expires, whichever happens first. In this case, "elderly" means 62 years old and "person with physical or mental disabilities" is a person who is unable to acquire substantial gainful employment.

Methane Gas Conversion Property Exemption

Any property that is either used in conjunction with a publicly owned sanitary landfill to collect methane and other gases produced due to waste decomposition and convert the gas to energy is exempt from taxation. Any property that is used to collect waste that would otherwise be collected by, or deposited with, a publicly owned landfill in order to decompose the waste to produce methane or other gases to be converted to energy.

Military Service Tax Exemption
An exemption of $2,778 is given to World War I veterans and $1,852 to all other veterans for active or reserve duty service in the United States armed forces. These values can vary, however, if the state appropriation that funds this exemption is not sufficient to do so. For more information on signing up for this exemption in Clayton County, contact the Clayton County Assessor's Office.