During the 2024 regular session of the Connecticut General Assembly, seven bills were passed and signed into law that deal with a variety of property tax matters. Of these, the most significant is Public Act No. 24-151. This large omnibus measure which was both introduced and passed in the final hours of the legislative session contains the following property tax provisions of note:

• Increases the property tax exemption available for farm machinery. (Section 70)
• Authorizes municipalities to institute a property tax exemption of between 5% and 35% for owner occupied dwellings (including condominiums and units in common interest communities) “that are the primary residences of such owners and consist of not more than two units.” (Section 71)
• Remedial provisions allowing taxpayers in Litchfield, Manchester, Meriden, Middletown, Thomaston, Waterbury and West Haven to file applications now for certain tax benefits that they qualified for but did not timely claim in the past. (Sections 72-79)
• Allows the municipalities of Derby and Stratford to delay their 2024 revaluations by one year. (Sections 80-81)
• Makes changes to Connecticut General Statutes Sec. 12-117a which is the primary tax appeal statute in Connecticut. (Section 114)

Other approved public acts addressing property tax matters include:

• Public Act No. 24-31 – Section 1 directs the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection in consultation with the Office of Policy and Management to “conduct a study concerning the feasibility and potential cost-related impacts of establishing a uniform capacity tax for solar photovoltaic systems installed in the state” as opposed to current real and personal property taxation. The report is to be delivered to the legislature by January 1, 2025.
• Public Act No. 24-132 – Section 5 allows real estate revaluations to be phased in over 5 years instead of 4 years.
• Public Act No. 24-143 – Section 6 amends Connecticut General Statutes Sec. 12-65b to allow assessment fixing agreements to have terms up to 30 years in length (previously limited to 10 years) and to cover personal property in addition to real estate. Section 9, which concerns the assessment of affordable housing, will be addressed in a separate blog post.

Finally, these additional approved public acts also address various property tax issues:

• Public Act No. 24-46 – An Act Establishing a Property Tax Exemption for Veterans Who Have a Service-Connected Permanent and Total Disability Rating
• Public Act No. 24-55 – An Act Requiring Notice of Revaluation to Certain Owners of Residential Buildings with Defective Concrete Foundations
• Public Act No. 24-90 – An Act Concerning the Waiver of Interest on Certain Delinquent Property Tax Payments

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