HB 1059 Summary

• Creates new certification requirements for assessors in North Dakota, establishing class I (180 hours of instruction) and class II (80 hours of instruction) certifications, with assessors required to obtain certification within two years of appointment or by July 31, 2017.

• Increases homestead tax credit maximums for seniors and disabled persons, with income-based reductions ranging from 10-100 percent of taxable valuation up to maximum credits of $5,625 at lowest income levels (effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2015).

• Modifies rural fire protection district levy authority, allowing excess levies approved after July 31, 2015 to be effective for up to ten taxable years or the period necessary for debt repayment, changing from the previous five-year maximum.

• Establishes a $300 per mile tax on new transmission lines of 230 kilovolts or larger placed in service after October 1, 2002, with exemptions and phased reductions in the first four years of operation.

• Provides a 12 percent state-paid property tax relief credit against property taxes for owners of taxable property, railroads, utilities, transmission lines, and air carriers, with advance payments of 75 percent estimated amounts by April first.