SF 1647

as introduced - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to taxation; expanding the class 4c property classification to certain
nonprofit community service oriented organizations; amending Minnesota
Statutes 2006, section 273.13, subdivision 25.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 273.13, subdivision 25, is amended to read:

Subd. 25.

Class 4.

(a) Class 4a is residential real estate containing four or more
units and used or held for use by the owner or by the tenants or lessees of the owner
as a residence for rental periods of 30 days or more, excluding property qualifying for
class 4d. Class 4a also includes hospitals licensed under sections 144.50 to 144.56, other
than hospitals exempt under section 272.02, and contiguous property used for hospital
purposes, without regard to whether the property has been platted or subdivided. The
market value of class 4a property has a class rate of 1.25 percent.

(b) Class 4b includes:

(1) residential real estate containing less than four units that does not qualify as class
4bb, other than seasonal residential recreational property;

(2) manufactured homes not classified under any other provision;

(3) a dwelling, garage, and surrounding one acre of property on a nonhomestead
farm classified under subdivision 23, paragraph (b) containing two or three units; and

(4) unimproved property that is classified residential as determined under subdivision
33.

The market value of class 4b property has a class rate of 1.25 percent.

(c) Class 4bb includes:

(1) nonhomestead residential real estate containing one unit, other than seasonal
residential recreational property; and

(2) a single family dwelling, garage, and surrounding one acre of property on a
nonhomestead farm classified under subdivision 23, paragraph (b).

Class 4bb property has the same class rates as class 1a property under subdivision 22.

Property that has been classified as seasonal residential recreational property at
any time during which it has been owned by the current owner or spouse of the current
owner does not qualify for class 4bb.

(d) Class 4c property includes:

(1) except as provided in subdivision 22, paragraph (c), real property devoted to
temporary and seasonal residential occupancy for recreation purposes, including real
property devoted to temporary and seasonal residential occupancy for recreation purposes
and not devoted to commercial purposes for more than 250 days in the year preceding
the year of assessment. For purposes of this clause, property is devoted to a commercial
purpose on a specific day if any portion of the property is used for residential occupancy,
and a fee is charged for residential occupancy. In order for a property to be classified as
class 4c, seasonal residential recreational for commercial purposes, at least 40 percent of
the annual gross lodging receipts related to the property must be from business conducted
during 90 consecutive days and either (i) at least 60 percent of all paid bookings by lodging
guests during the year must be for periods of at least two consecutive nights; or (ii) at least
20 percent of the annual gross receipts must be from charges for rental of fish houses,
boats and motors, snowmobiles, downhill or cross-country ski equipment, or charges for
marina services, launch services, and guide services, or the sale of bait and fishing tackle.
For purposes of this determination, a paid booking of five or more nights shall be counted
as two bookings. Class 4c also includes commercial use real property used exclusively
for recreational purposes in conjunction with class 4c property devoted to temporary
and seasonal residential occupancy for recreational purposes, up to a total of two acres,
provided the property is not devoted to commercial recreational use for more than 250
days in the year preceding the year of assessment and is located within two miles of the
class 4c property with which it is used. Owners of real property devoted to temporary and
seasonal residential occupancy for recreation purposes and all or a portion of which was
devoted to commercial purposes for not more than 250 days in the year preceding the year
of assessment desiring classification as class 1c or 4c, must submit a declaration to the
assessor designating the cabins or units occupied for 250 days or less in the year preceding
the year of assessment by January 15 of the assessment year. Those cabins or units and a
proportionate share of the land on which they are located will be designated class 1c or 4c
as otherwise provided. The remainder of the cabins or units and a proportionate share of
the land on which they are located will be designated as class 3a. The owner of property
desiring designation as class 1c or 4c property must provide guest registers or other
records demonstrating that the units for which class 1c or 4c designation is sought were
not occupied for more than 250 days in the year preceding the assessment if so requested.
The portion of a property operated as a (1) restaurant, (2) bar, (3) gift shop, and (4) other
nonresidential facility operated on a commercial basis not directly related to temporary and
seasonal residential occupancy for recreation purposes shall not qualify for class 1c or 4c;

(2) qualified property used as a golf course if:

(i) it is open to the public on a daily fee basis. It may charge membership fees or
dues, but a membership fee may not be required in order to use the property for golfing,
and its green fees for golfing must be comparable to green fees typically charged by
municipal courses; and

(ii) it meets the requirements of section 273.112, subdivision 3, paragraph (d).

A structure used as a clubhouse, restaurant, or place of refreshment in conjunction
with the golf course is classified as class 3a property;

(3) real property up to a maximum of deleted text begin one acre deleted text end new text begin two acres new text end of land owned new text begin and used new text end by
a nonprofit community service oriented organization deleted text begin ; provided that deleted text end new text begin and that is not used
for residential purposes on either a temporary or permanent basis, qualifies for class 4c
provided that it meets either of the following:
new text end

new text begin (i) new text end the property is not used for a revenue-producing activity for more than six days
in the calendar year preceding the year of assessment deleted text begin and the property is not used for
residential purposes on either a temporary or permanent basis deleted text end new text begin ; or
new text end

new text begin (ii) the organization makes annual charitable contributions and donations at least
equal to the property's previous year's property taxes and the property is allowed to be
used for public and community meetings or events for no charge, as appropriate to the
size of the facility new text end .

For purposes of this clause, new text begin (A) "charitable contributions and donations" has
the same meaning as lawful gambling purposes under section 349.12, subdivision 25,
excluding those purposes relating to the payment of taxes, assessments, fees, auditing
costs, and utility payments; (B) "property taxes" excludes the state general tax; (C) new text end a
"nonprofit community service oriented organization" means any corporation, society,
association, foundation, or institution organized and operated exclusively for charitable,
religious, fraternal, civic, or educational purposes, and which is exempt from federal
income taxation pursuant to section 501(c)(3), (10), or (19) of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, as amended through December 31, 1990 deleted text begin . For purposes of this clause, deleted text end new text begin ; and (D) new text end
"revenue-producing activities" shall include but not be limited to property or that portion
of the property that is used as an on-sale intoxicating liquor or 3.2 percent malt liquor
establishment licensed under chapter 340A, a restaurant open to the public, bowling
alley, a retail store, gambling conducted by organizations licensed under chapter 349, an
insurance business, or office or other space leased or rented to a lessee who conducts a
for-profit enterprise on the premises. Any portion of the property new text begin qualifying under item (i)
new text end which is used for revenue-producing activities for more than six days in the calendar year
preceding the year of assessment shall be assessed as class 3a. The use of the property
for social events open exclusively to members and their guests for periods of less than 24
hours, when an admission is not charged nor any revenues are received by the organization
shall not be considered a revenue-producing activity deleted text begin ; deleted text end new text begin .
new text end

new text begin The organization shall maintain records of its charitable contributions and donations
and of public meetings and events held on the property and make them available upon
request any time to the assessor to ensure eligibility. An organization meeting the
requirement under item (ii) must file an application by May 1 with the assessor for
eligibility for the current year's assessment. The commissioner shall prescribe a uniform
application form and instructions;
new text end

(4) postsecondary student housing of not more than one acre of land that is owned by
a nonprofit corporation organized under chapter 317A and is used exclusively by a student
cooperative, sorority, or fraternity for on-campus housing or housing located within two
miles of the border of a college campus;

(5) manufactured home parks as defined in section 327.14, subdivision 3;

(6) real property that is actively and exclusively devoted to indoor fitness, health,
social, recreational, and related uses, is owned and operated by a not-for-profit corporation,
and is located within the metropolitan area as defined in section 473.121, subdivision 2;

(7) a leased or privately owned noncommercial aircraft storage hangar not exempt
under section 272.01, subdivision 2, and the land on which it is located, provided that:

(i) the land is on an airport owned or operated by a city, town, county, Metropolitan
Airports Commission, or group thereof; and

(ii) the land lease, or any ordinance or signed agreement restricting the use of the
leased premise, prohibits commercial activity performed at the hangar.

If a hangar classified under this clause is sold after June 30, 2000, a bill of sale must
be filed by the new owner with the assessor of the county where the property is located
within 60 days of the sale;

(8) a privately owned noncommercial aircraft storage hangar not exempt under
section 272.01, subdivision 2, and the land on which it is located, provided that:

(i) the land abuts a public airport; and

(ii) the owner of the aircraft storage hangar provides the assessor with a signed
agreement restricting the use of the premises, prohibiting commercial use or activity
performed at the hangar; and

(9) residential real estate, a portion of which is used by the owner for homestead
purposes, and that is also a place of lodging, if all of the following criteria are met:

(i) rooms are provided for rent to transient guests that generally stay for periods
of 14 or fewer days;

(ii) meals are provided to persons who rent rooms, the cost of which is incorporated
in the basic room rate;

(iii) meals are not provided to the general public except for special events on fewer
than seven days in the calendar year preceding the year of the assessment; and

(iv) the owner is the operator of the property.

The market value subject to the 4c classification under this clause is limited to five rental
units. Any rental units on the property in excess of five, must be valued and assessed as
class 3a. The portion of the property used for purposes of a homestead by the owner must
be classified as class 1a property under subdivision 22.

Class 4c property has a class rate of 1.5 percent of market value, except that (i) each
parcel of seasonal residential recreational property not used for commercial purposes has
the same class rates as class 4bb property, (ii) manufactured home parks assessed under
clause (5) have the same class rate as class 4b property, (iii) commercial-use seasonal
residential recreational property has a class rate of one percent for the first $500,000 of
market value, and 1.25 percent for the remaining market value, (iv) the market value of
property described in clause (4) has a class rate of one percent, (v) the market value of
property described in clauses (2) and (6) has a class rate of 1.25 percent, and (vi) that
portion of the market value of property in clause (9) qualifying for class 4c property
has a class rate of 1.25 percent.

(e) Class 4d property is qualifying low-income rental housing certified to the assessor
by the Housing Finance Agency under section 273.128, subdivision 3. If only a portion
of the units in the building qualify as low-income rental housing units as certified under
section 273.128, subdivision 3, only the proportion of qualifying units to the total number
of units in the building qualify for class 4d. The remaining portion of the building shall be
classified by the assessor based upon its use. Class 4d also includes the same proportion of
land as the qualifying low-income rental housing units are to the total units in the building.
For all properties qualifying as class 4d, the market value determined by the assessor must
be based on the normal approach to value using normal unrestricted rents.

Class 4d property has a class rate of 0.75 percent.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective for assessment year 2007 and
thereafter, for taxes payable in 2008 and thereafter. For the 2007 assessment year, the
application deadline in paragraph (d), clause (3), item (ii), is extended to September
1, 2007.
new text end