PUBLIC Law, Chapter 618, An Act To Amend the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law and the Open Space Tax Law

An Act To Amend the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law and the Open Space Tax Law

Mandate preamble. This measure requires one or more local units of government to expand or modify activities so as to necessitate additional expenditures from local revenues but does not provide funding for at least 90% of those expenditures. Pursuant to the Constitution of Maine, Article IX, Section 21, 2/3 of all of the members elected to each House have determined it necessary to enact this measure.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

Sec. 1. 36 MRSA §573, sub-§6-A is enacted to read:

6-A. Residential structure. "Residential structure" means a building used for human habitation as a seasonal or year-round residence. It does not include structures that are ancillary to the residential structure, such as a garage or storage shed.

Sec. 2. 36 MRSA §574-B, as amended by PL 2009, c. 434, §15, is further amended to read:

§ 574-B. Applicability

An owner of a parcel containing forest land may apply at the landowner's election by filing with the assessor the schedule provided for in section 579, except that this subchapter does not apply to any parcel containing less than 10 acres of forest land. For purposes of this subchapter, a parcel is deemed to include a unit of real estate, notwithstanding that it is divided by a road, way, railroad or pipeline, or by a municipal or county line. The election to apply requires the written consent of all owners of an interest in a parcel except for the State. For applications submitted on or after August 1, 2012, the size of the exclusion from classification under this subchapter for each structure located on the parcel and for each residential structure located on the parcel in shoreland areas is determined pursuant to section 574-C.

A parcel of land used primarily for growth of trees to be harvested for commercial use shall be is taxed according to this subchapter, provided that as long as the landowner complies with the following requirements:

1. Forest management and harvest plan. A forest management and harvest plan must be prepared for each parcel and updated every 10 years. The landowner shall file a sworn statement with the municipal assessor for a parcel in a municipality or with the State Tax Assessor for a parcel in the unorganized territory that a forest management and harvest plan has been prepared for the parcel;

2. Evidence of compliance with plan. The landowner must comply with the plan developed under subsection 1, and must submit, every 10 years to the municipal assessor in a municipality or the State Tax Assessor for parcels in the unorganized territory, a statement from a licensed professional forester that the landowner is managing the parcel according to schedules in the plan required under subsection 1; and

3. Transfer of ownership. When land taxed under this subchapter is transferred to a new owner, within one year of the date of transfer, the new landowner must file with the municipal assessor or the State Tax Assessor for land in the unorganized territory one of the following:

A. A sworn statement indicating that a new forest management and harvest plan has been prepared; or

B. A statement from a licensed professional forester that the land is being managed in accordance with the plan prepared for the previous landowner.

The new landowner may not harvest or authorize the harvest of forest products for commercial use until a statement described in paragraph A or B is filed with the assessor. A person owning timber rights on land taxed under this subchapter may not harvest or authorize the harvest of forest products for commercial use until a statement described in paragraph A or B is filed with the assessor.

Parcels of land subject to section 573, subsection 3, paragraph B or C are exempt from the requirements under this section subsection.

For the purposes of this subsection, "transferred to a new owner" means the transfer of the controlling interest in the fee ownership of the land or the controlling interest in the timber rights on the land . ; and

4. Attestation. Beginning August 1, 2012, when a landowner is required to provide to the assessor evidence that a forest management and harvest plan has been prepared for the parcel or updated pursuant to subsection 1, or when a landowner is required to provide evidence of compliance pursuant to subsection 2, the landowner must provide an attestation that the landowner's primary use for the forest land classified pursuant to this subchapter is to grow trees to be harvested for commercial use or that the forest land is land described in section 573, subsection 3, paragraphs A, B, C or E. The existence of multiple uses on an enrolled parcel does not render it inapplicable for tax treatment under this subchapter, as long as the enrolled parcel remains primarily used for the growth of trees to be harvested for commercial use.

Sec. 3. 36 MRSA §574-C is enacted to read:

§ 574-C. Reduction of parcels with structures; shoreland areas

If a parcel of land for which an owner seeks classification under this subchapter on or after August 1, 2012 contains a structure for which a minimum lot size is required under state law or by municipal ordinance, the owner in the schedule under section 579 shall apply the following reduction to the land to be valued under this subchapter.

1. Structures. For each structure located on the parcel for which a minimum lot size is required under state law or by municipal ordinance, the owner in the schedule under section 579 shall exclude from the forest land subject to valuation under this subchapter the area of land in the parcel containing the structure or structures, which may not be less than 1/2 acre.

2. Shoreland areas. For each residential structure located within a shoreland area, as identified in Title 38, section 435, the owner in the schedule under section 579 shall exclude from the forest land subject to valuation under this subchapter the area of land in the parcel containing the structure or structures, which may not be less than 1/2 acre, and the excluded parcel must include 100 feet of shoreland frontage or the minimum shoreland frontage required by the applicable minimum requirements of the zoning ordinance for the area in which the land is located, whichever is larger. If the parcel has less than 100 feet of shoreland frontage, the entire shoreland frontage must be excluded. This subsection does not apply to a structure that is used principally for commercial activities related to forest products that have commercial value as long as any residential use of the structure is nonrecreational, temporary in duration and purely incidental to the commercial use.

Sec. 4. 36 MRSA §581, sub-§1-A, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 577, §2, is amended to read:

1-A. Notice of compliance. No earlier than 185 days prior to a deadline established by section 574-B, if the landowner has not yet complied with the requirements of that section, the assessor must provide the landowner with written notice by certified mail informing the landowner that failure to comply will result in the withdrawal of the property from taxation under this subchapter. The notice, at a minimum, must inform the landowner of the statutory requirements that need to be met to comply with section 574-B and the date of the deadline for compliance and that the consequences of withdrawal could include the assessment of substantial financial penalties against the owner or by which the parcel may be transferred to open space classification pursuant to subchapter 10. The notice must also state that if the owner fails to meet the deadline for complying with section 574-B or transferring the parcel to open space classification, a supplemental assessment of $500 will be assessed and that continued noncompliance will lead to a subsequent supplemental assessment of $500. If the notice is issued less than 120 days before the deadline, the owner has 120 days from the date of the notice to provide the assessor with the documentation to achieve compliance with section 574-B or transfer the parcel to open space classification, and the notice must specify the date by which the owner must comply.

At the expiration of the deadline for compliance with section 574-B or 120 days from the date of the notice, whichever is later, if the landowner has failed to meet the requirements of section 574-B, the assessor must withdraw the parcel from taxation under this subchapter and impose a withdrawal penalty under subsection 3.

If the landowner fails to provide the assessor with the documentation to achieve compliance with section 574-B or transfer the parcel to open space classification pursuant to subchapter 10 by the deadline specified in the notice, the assessor shall impose a $500 penalty to be assessed and collected as a supplemental assessment in accordance with section 713-B. The assessor shall send notification of the supplemental assessment by certified mail and notify the landowner that, no later than 6 months from the date of the 2nd notice, the landowner must comply with the requirements of section 574-B or transfer the parcel to open space classification pursuant to subchapter 10 and that failure to comply will result in an additional supplemental assessment of $500 and the landowner will have an additional 6-month period in which to comply with these requirements before the withdrawal of the parcel and the assessment of substantial financial penalties against the landowner.

At the expiration of 6 months, if the landowner has not complied with section 574-B or transferred the parcel to open space classification under subchapter 10, the assessor shall assess an additional $500 supplemental assessment. The assessor shall send notification of the 2nd supplemental assessment by certified mail and notify the landowner that, no later than 6 months from the date of the notice, the landowner must comply with the requirements of section 574-B or transfer the parcel to open space classification pursuant to subchapter 10 or the land will be withdrawn from the tree growth tax program.

If the landowner has not complied within 6 months from the date of the 2nd supplemental assessment, the assessor shall remove the parcel from taxation under this subchapter and assess a penalty for the parcel's withdrawal pursuant to subsection 3.

This subsection does not limit the assessor from issuing other notices or compliance reminders to property owners at any time in addition to the notice required by this subsection.

Sec. 5. 36 MRSA §1102, sub-§§4-A and 4-B are enacted to read:

4-A. Forest management and harvest plan. "Forest management and harvest plan" means a written document that outlines activities to regenerate, improve and harvest a standing crop of timber. A plan must include the location of water bodies and wildlife habitat as identified by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. A plan may include, but is not limited to, schedules and recommendations for timber stand improvement and harvesting plans and recommendations for regeneration activities. A plan must be prepared by a licensed professional forester or a landowner and be reviewed and certified by a licensed professional forester as consistent with sound silvicultural practices.

4-B. Forested land. "Forested land" means land that is used in the growth of trees but does not include ledge, marsh, open swamp, bog, water and similar areas that are unsuitable for growing trees.

Sec. 6. 36 MRSA §1106-A, sub-§2, ¶E is enacted to read:

E. Managed forest open space land is eligible for the reduction set in paragraphs A, B and D and an additional 10%.

Sec. 7. 36 MRSA §1106-A, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. B, §50 and affected by c. 614, §9, is further amended to read:

3. Definition of land eligible for additional percentage reduction. The following categories of open space land are eligible for the additional percentage reduction set forth in subsection 2, paragraphs B, C and , D and E.

A. Permanently protected open space is an area of open space land that is eligible for an additional cumulative percentage reduction in valuation because that area is subject to restrictions prohibiting building development under a perpetual conservation easement pursuant to Title 33, chapter 7, subchapter VIII-A 8-A or as an open space preserve owned and operated by a nonprofit entity in accordance with section 1109, subsection 3, paragraph H.

B. Forever wild open space is an area of open space land that is eligible for an additional cumulative percentage reduction in valuation because it is permanently protected and subject to restrictions or committed to uses by a nonprofit entity in accordance with section 1109, subsection 3, paragraph H that ensure that in the future the natural resources on that protected property will remain substantially unaltered, except for:

(1) Fishing or hunting;

(2) Harvesting shellfish in the intertidal zone;

(3) Prevention of the spread of fires or disease; or

(4) Providing opportunities for low-impact outdoor recreation, nature observation and study.

C. Public access open space is an area of open space land, whether ordinary, permanently protected or forever wild, that is eligible for an additional cumulative percentage reduction in valuation because public access is by reasonable means and the applicant agrees to refrain from taking action to discourage or prohibit daytime, nonmotorized and nondestructive public use. The applicant may permit, but is not obligated to permit as a condition of qualification for public access status, hunting, snowmobiling, overnight use or other more intensive outdoor recreational uses. The applicant, without disqualifying land from status as public access open space, may impose temporary or localized public access restrictions to:

(1) Protect active habitat of endangered species listed under Title 12, chapter 925, subchapter 3;

(2) Prevent destruction or harm to fragile protected natural resources under Title 38, chapter 3, subchapter 1, article 5-A; or

(3) Protect the recreational user from any hazardous area.

D. Managed forest open space land is an area of open space land whether ordinary, permanently protected pursuant to paragraph A or public access pursuant to paragraph C containing at least 10 acres of forested land that is eligible for an additional cumulative percentage reduction in valuation because the applicant has provided proof of a forest management and harvest plan. A forest management and harvest plan must be prepared for each parcel of managed forest open space land and updated every 10 years. The landowner must comply with the forest management and harvest plan and must submit every 10 years to the municipal assessor for parcels in a municipality or the State Tax Assessor for parcels in the unorganized territory a statement from a licensed professional forester that the landowner is managing the parcel according to the forest management and harvest plan. Failure to comply with the forest management and harvest plan results in the loss of the additional cumulative percentage reduction under this paragraph for 10 years. The assessor or the assessor's duly authorized representative may enter and examine the forested land and may examine any information in the forest management and harvest plan submitted by the owner. A copy of the forest management and harvest plan must be made available to the assessor to review upon request. For the purposes of this paragraph, "to review" means to see or possess a copy of a forest management and harvest plan for a reasonable amount of time to verify that the forest management and harvest plan exists or to facilitate an evaluation as to whether the forest management and harvest plan is appropriate and is being followed. Upon completion of a review, the forest management and harvest plan must be returned to the owner or an agent of the owner. A forest management and harvest plan provided in accordance with this section is confidential and is not a public record as defined in Title 1, section 402, subsection 3.

Sec. 8. 36 MRSA §1112, 3rd ¶, as amended by PL 2011, c. 404, §2, is further amended to read:

A penalty may not be assessed at the time of a change of use from the farmland classification of land subject to taxation under this subchapter to the open space classification of land subject to taxation under this subchapter. A penalty may not be assessed upon the withdrawal of open space land from taxation under this subchapter if the owner applies for the land to be classified as and the land is accepted for classification as timberland under subchapter 2-A. There also is no penalty imposed when land classified as timberland is accepted for classification as open space land. A penalty may not be assessed upon withdrawal of open space land from taxation under this subchapter if the owner applies for the land to be classified as and the land is accepted for classification as farmland under this subchapter. A penalty may not be assessed upon withdrawal of land enrolled under the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law if the owner applies for the land to be classified as and the land is accepted for classification as farmland under this chapter. The recapture penalty for withdrawal from farmland classification within 10 years of a transfer from either open space tax classification or timberland tax classification is the same imposed on withdrawal from the prior tax classification, open space or tree growth. The recapture penalty for withdrawal from farmland classification more than 10 years after such a transfer will be the regular farmland recapture penalty provided for in this section. In the event a penalty is later assessed under subchapter 2-A, the period of time that the land was taxed as farmland or as open space land under this subchapter must be included for purposes of establishing the amount of the penalty. The recapture penalty for withdrawal from open space classification within 10 years of a transfer from tree growth classification occurring on or after August 1, 2012 is the same that would be imposed if the land were being withdrawn from the tree growth classification. The recapture penalty for withdrawal from open space classification more than 10 years after such a transfer will be the open space recapture penalty provided for in this section.

Sec. 9. Unorganized territory property withdrawn between September 20, 2007 and July 1, 2010. Any property within the unorganized territory that was withdrawn from classification under the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law between September 20, 2007 and July 1, 2010 and returned to classification under the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law pursuant to Public Law 2009, chapter 577, section 3 is for all purposes deemed not to have been withdrawn from the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law classification during that period of time.

Effective 90 days following adjournment of the 125th Legislature, Second Regular Session, unless otherwise indicated.

HP0844 LD 1138	PUBLIC Law, Chapter 618 Signed on 2012-04-12 00:00:00.0 - Second Regular Session - 125th Maine Legislature
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