[ Search ] [ Legislation ]
[ Home ] [ Back ] [ Bottom ]
91_HB1652
LRB9103385PTpk
1 AN ACT to amend the Property Tax Code by changing Section
2 15-172.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 5. The Property Tax Code is amended by changing
6 Section 15-172 as follows:
7 (35 ILCS 200/15-172)
8 Sec. 15-172. Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead
9 Exemption.
10 (a) This Section may be cited as the Senior Citizens
11 Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption.
12 (b) As used in this Section:
13 "Applicant" means an individual who has filed an
14 application under this Section.
15 "Base amount" means the base year equalized assessed
16 value of the residence plus the first year's equalized
17 assessed value of any added improvements which increased the
18 assessed value of the residence after the base year.
19 "Base year" means the taxable year prior to the taxable
20 year for which the applicant first qualifies and applies for
21 the exemption provided that in the prior taxable year the
22 property was improved with a permanent structure that was
23 occupied as a residence by the applicant who was liable for
24 paying real property taxes on the property and who was either
25 (i) an owner of record of the property or had legal or
26 equitable interest in the property as evidenced by a written
27 instrument or (ii) had a legal or equitable interest as a
28 lessee in the parcel of property that was single family
29 residence.
30 "Chief County Assessment Officer" means the County
31 Assessor or Supervisor of Assessments of the county in which
-2- LRB9103385PTpk
1 the property is located.
2 "Equalized assessed value" means the assessed value as
3 equalized by the Illinois Department of Revenue multiplied by
4 0.75.
5 "Household" means the applicant, the spouse of the
6 applicant, and all persons using the residence of the
7 applicant as their principal place of residence.
8 "Household income" means the combined income of the
9 members of a household for the calendar year preceding the
10 taxable year.
11 "Income" has the same meaning as provided in Section 3.07
12 of the Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons Property Tax
13 Relief and Pharmaceutical Assistance Act.
14 "Internal Revenue Code of 1986" means the United States
15 Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or any successor law or laws
16 relating to federal income taxes in effect for the year
17 preceding the taxable year.
18 "Life care facility that qualifies as a cooperative"
19 means a facility as defined in Section 2 of the Life Care
20 Facilities Act.
21 "Residence" means the principal dwelling place and
22 appurtenant structures used for residential purposes in this
23 State occupied on January 1 of the taxable year by a
24 household and so much of the surrounding land, constituting
25 the parcel upon which the dwelling place is situated, as is
26 used for residential purposes. If the Chief County Assessment
27 Officer has established a specific legal description for a
28 portion of property constituting the residence, then that
29 portion of property shall be deemed the residence for the
30 purposes of this Section.
31 "Taxable year" means the calendar year during which ad
32 valorem property taxes payable in the next succeeding year
33 are levied.
34 (c) Beginning in taxable year 1994, a senior citizens
-3- LRB9103385PTpk
1 assessment freeze homestead exemption is granted for real
2 property that is improved with a permanent structure that is
3 occupied as a residence by an applicant who (i) is 65 years
4 of age or older during the taxable year, (ii) has a household
5 income of $35,000 or less, (iii) is liable for paying real
6 property taxes on the property, and (iv) is an owner of
7 record of the property or has a legal or equitable interest
8 in the property as evidenced by a written instrument. This
9 homestead exemption shall also apply to a leasehold interest
10 in a parcel of property improved with a permanent structure
11 that is a single family residence that is occupied as a
12 residence by a person who (i) is 65 years of age or older
13 during the taxable year, (ii) has a household income of
14 $35,000 or less, (iii) has a legal or equitable ownership
15 interest in the property as lessee, and (iv) is liable for
16 the payment of real property taxes on that property.
17 The amount of this exemption shall be the equalized
18 assessed value of the residence in the taxable year for which
19 application is made minus the base amount.
20 When the applicant is a surviving spouse of an applicant
21 for a prior year for the same residence for which an
22 exemption under this Section has been granted, the base year
23 and base amount for that residence are the same as for the
24 applicant for the prior year.
25 Each year at the time the assessment books are certified
26 to the County Clerk, the Board of Review or Board of Appeals
27 shall give to the County Clerk a list of the assessed values
28 of improvements on each parcel qualifying for this exemption
29 that were added after the base year for this parcel and that
30 increased the assessed value of the property.
31 In the case of land improved with an apartment building
32 owned and operated as a cooperative or a building that is a
33 life care facility that qualifies as a cooperative, the
34 maximum reduction from the equalized assessed value of the
-4- LRB9103385PTpk
1 property is limited to the sum of the reductions calculated
2 for each unit occupied as a residence by a person or persons
3 65 years of age or older with a household income of $35,000
4 or less who is liable, by contract with the owner or owners
5 of record, for paying real property taxes on the property and
6 who is an owner of record of a legal or equitable interest in
7 the cooperative apartment building, other than a leasehold
8 interest. In the instance of a cooperative where a homestead
9 exemption has been granted under this Section, the
10 cooperative association or its management firm shall credit
11 the savings resulting from that exemption only to the
12 apportioned tax liability of the owner who qualified for the
13 exemption. Any person who willfully refuses to credit that
14 savings to an owner who qualifies for the exemption is guilty
15 of a Class B misdemeanor.
16 When a homestead exemption has been granted under this
17 Section and an applicant then becomes a resident of a
18 facility licensed under the Nursing Home Care Act, the
19 exemption shall be granted in subsequent years so long as the
20 residence (i) continues to be occupied by the qualified
21 applicant's spouse or (ii) if remaining unoccupied, is still
22 owned by the qualified applicant for the homestead exemption.
23 Beginning January 1, 1997, when an individual dies who
24 would have qualified for an exemption under this Section, and
25 the surviving spouse does not independently qualify for this
26 exemption because of age, the exemption under this Section
27 shall be granted to the surviving spouse for the taxable year
28 preceding and the taxable year of the death, provided that,
29 except for age, the surviving spouse meets all other
30 qualifications for the granting of this exemption for those
31 years.
32 When married persons maintain separate residences, the
33 exemption provided for in this Section may be claimed by only
34 one of such persons and for only one residence.
-5- LRB9103385PTpk
1 For taxable year 1994 only, in counties having less than
2 3,000,000 inhabitants, to receive the exemption, a person
3 shall submit an application by February 15, 1995 to the Chief
4 County Assessment Officer of the county in which the property
5 is located. In counties having 3,000,000 or more
6 inhabitants, for taxable year 1994 and all subsequent taxable
7 years, to receive the exemption, a person may submit an
8 application to the Chief County Assessment Officer of the
9 county in which the property is located during such period as
10 may be specified by the Chief County Assessment Officer. The
11 Chief County Assessment Officer in counties of 3,000,000 or
12 more inhabitants shall annually give notice of the
13 application period by mail or by publication. In counties
14 having less than 3,000,000 inhabitants, beginning with
15 taxable year 1995 and thereafter, to receive the exemption, a
16 person shall submit an application by July 1 of each taxable
17 year to the Chief County Assessment Officer of the county in
18 which the property is located. A county may, by ordinance,
19 establish a date for submission of applications that is
20 different than July 1. The applicant shall submit with the
21 application an affidavit of the applicant's total household
22 income, age, marital status (and if married the name and
23 address of the applicant's spouse, if known), and principal
24 dwelling place of members of the household on January 1 of
25 the taxable year. The Department shall establish, by rule, a
26 method for verifying the accuracy of affidavits filed by
27 applicants under this Section. The applications shall be
28 clearly marked as applications for the Senior Citizens
29 Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption.
30 Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, in
31 counties having fewer than 3,000,000 inhabitants, if an
32 applicant fails to file the application required by this
33 Section in a timely manner and this failure to file is due to
34 a mental or physical condition sufficiently severe so as to
-6- LRB9103385PTpk
1 render the applicant incapable of filing the application in a
2 timely manner, the Chief County Assessment Officer may extend
3 the filing deadline for a period of 30 days after the
4 applicant regains the capability to file the application, but
5 in no case may the filing deadline be extended beyond 3
6 months of the original filing deadline. In order to receive
7 the extension provided in this paragraph, the applicant shall
8 provide the Chief County Assessment Officer with a signed
9 statement from the applicant's physician stating the nature
10 and extent of the condition, that, in the physician's
11 opinion, the condition was so severe that it rendered the
12 applicant incapable of filing the application in a timely
13 manner, and the date on which the applicant regained the
14 capability to file the application.
15 Beginning January 1, 1998, notwithstanding any other
16 provision to the contrary, in counties having fewer than
17 3,000,000 inhabitants, if an applicant fails to file the
18 application required by this Section in a timely manner and
19 this failure to file is due to a mental or physical condition
20 sufficiently severe so as to render the applicant incapable
21 of filing the application in a timely manner, the Chief
22 County Assessment Officer may extend the filing deadline for
23 a period of 3 months. In order to receive the extension
24 provided in this paragraph, the applicant shall provide the
25 Chief County Assessment Officer with a signed statement from
26 the applicant's physician stating the nature and extent of
27 the condition, and that, in the physician's opinion, the
28 condition was so severe that it rendered the applicant
29 incapable of filing the application in a timely manner.
30 In counties having less than 3,000,000 inhabitants, if an
31 applicant was denied an exemption in taxable year 1994 and
32 the denial occurred due to an error on the part of an
33 assessment official, or his or her agent or employee, then
34 beginning in taxable year 1997 the applicant's base year, for
-7- LRB9103385PTpk
1 purposes of determining the amount of the exemption, shall be
2 1993 rather than 1994. In addition, in taxable year 1997, the
3 applicant's exemption shall also include an amount equal to
4 (i) the amount of any exemption denied to the applicant in
5 taxable year 1995 as a result of using 1994, rather than
6 1993, as the base year, (ii) the amount of any exemption
7 denied to the applicant in taxable year 1996 as a result of
8 using 1994, rather than 1993, as the base year, and (iii) the
9 amount of the exemption erroneously denied for taxable year
10 1994.
11 For purposes of this Section, a person who will be 65
12 years of age during the current taxable year shall be
13 eligible to apply for the homestead exemption during that
14 taxable year. Application shall be made during the
15 application period in effect for the county of his or her
16 residence.
17 The Chief County Assessment Officer may determine the
18 eligibility of a life care facility that qualifies as a
19 cooperative to receive the benefits provided by this Section
20 by use of an affidavit, application, visual inspection,
21 questionnaire, or other reasonable method in order to insure
22 that the tax savings resulting from the exemption are
23 credited by the management firm to the apportioned tax
24 liability of each qualifying resident. The Chief County
25 Assessment Officer may request reasonable proof that the
26 management firm has so credited that exemption.
27 Except as provided in this Section, all information
28 received by the chief county assessment officer or the
29 Department from applications filed under this Section, or
30 from any investigation conducted under the provisions of this
31 Section, shall be confidential, except for official purposes
32 or pursuant to official procedures for collection of any
33 State or local tax or enforcement of any civil or criminal
34 penalty or sanction imposed by this Act or by any statute or
-8- LRB9103385PTpk
1 ordinance imposing a State or local tax. Any person who
2 divulges any such information in any manner, except in
3 accordance with a proper judicial order, is guilty of a Class
4 A misdemeanor.
5 Nothing contained in this Section shall prevent the
6 Director or chief county assessment officer from publishing
7 or making available reasonable statistics concerning the
8 operation of the exemption contained in this Section in which
9 the contents of claims are grouped into aggregates in such a
10 way that information contained in any individual claim shall
11 not be disclosed.
12 (d) Each Chief County Assessment Officer shall annually
13 publish a notice of availability of the exemption provided
14 under this Section. The notice shall be published at least
15 60 days but no more than 75 days prior to the date on which
16 the application must be submitted to the Chief County
17 Assessment Officer of the county in which the property is
18 located. The notice shall appear in a newspaper of general
19 circulation in the county.
20 (Source: P.A. 89-62, eff. 1-1-96; 89-426, eff. 6-1-96;
21 89-557, eff. 1-1-97; 89-581, eff. 1-1-97; 89-626, eff.
22 8-9-96; 90-14, eff. 7-1-97; 90-204, eff. 7-25-97; 90-523,
23 eff. 11-13-97; 90-524, eff. 1-1-98; 90-531, eff. 1-1-98;
24 90-655, eff. 7-30-98.)
25 Section 90. The State Mandates Act is amended by adding
26 Section 8.23 as follows:
27 (30 ILCS 805/8.23 new)
28 Sec. 8.23. Exempt mandate. Notwithstanding Sections 6
29 and 8 of this Act, no reimbursement by the State is required
30 for the implementation of any mandate created by this
31 amendatory Act of the 91st General Assembly.
-9- LRB9103385PTpk
1 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
2 becoming law.