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HB155 • 2026

Homestead Exemptions; removing the annual verification requirement for qualifying permanently and totally disabled veterans

Homestead Exemptions; removing the annual verification requirement for qualifying permanently and totally disabled veterans

Taxes
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Lee
Last action
2026-04-17
Official status
Enacted
Effective date
2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide additional details beyond removing the annual verification requirement, so other claims were removed or narrowed.

Removing Annual Verification for Disabled Veterans' Homestead Exemptions

This law removes the requirement for permanently and totally disabled veterans to verify annually that they qualify for a homestead exemption from state property taxes.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes the annual verification requirement for permanently and totally disabled veterans who have qualified for a homestead exemption under certain sections of Alabama's tax code.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Permanently and totally disabled veterans of the United States Armed Forces who qualify for a homestead exemption under specific sections of Alabama's tax code.

Terms To Know

Homestead Exemption
A reduction in property taxes allowed by law to protect a person’s primary residence from being seized and sold to pay debts.
Permanently and Totally Disabled Veteran
A veteran who has been determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to be unable to work due to disability.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law only applies to veterans with permanent and total disabilities, not all disabled veterans.
  • Veterans must still initially qualify for the exemption before this annual verification requirement is waived.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

3PSLKVE-1

R 337

Adopted

Plain English: 3PSLKVE-1 01/21/2026 MR (H) HSE 2025-3666 House Military and Veterans' Affairs Reported Substitute for HB155 Page 1 SYNOPSIS: Under existing law, certain homesteads owned and occupied by residents of this state who are permanently and totally disabled, including qualifying disabled veterans of the United States Armed Forces, are exempt from ad valorem taxation.

  • 3PSLKVE-1 01/21/2026 MR (H) HSE 2025-3666 House Military and Veterans' Affairs Reported Substitute for HB155 Page 1 SYNOPSIS: Under existing law, certain homesteads owned and occupied by residents of this state who are permanently and totally disabled, including qualifying disabled veterans of the United States Armed Forces, are exempt from ad valorem taxation.
  • Current law also allows qualifying permanently and totally disabled veterans to annually verify the continuation of their qualifying conditions rather than annually reapply for the exemption.
  • This bill would provide that permanently and totally disabled veterans of the United States Armed Forces are released from the annual verification requirement for homestead exemptions.
  • This bill would also make nonsubstantive, technical revisions to update existing code language to current style.
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-17 House

    Enacted

  2. 2026-04-07 Senate

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 1169 (Yeas 30, Nays 0)

  3. 2026-04-07 Senate

    Third Reading in Second House (Yeas 29, Nays 0)

  4. 2026-04-07 Senate

    Signature Requested

  5. 2026-04-07 House

    Delivered to Governor

  6. 2026-04-07 House

    Enrolled

  7. 2026-04-07 House

    Ready to Enroll

  8. 2026-03-19 Senate

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  9. 2026-03-18 Senate

    Reported Out of Committee Second House

  10. 2026-02-10 House

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 338 (Yeas 105, Nays 0)

  11. 2026-02-10 House

    Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 337 (Yeas 104, Nays 0)

  12. 2026-02-10 House

    Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 104, Nays 0)

  13. 2026-02-10 Senate

    Pending Committee Action in Second House

  14. 2026-02-10 Senate

    Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Finance and Taxation General Fund

  15. 2026-02-10 House

    Engrossed

  16. 2026-02-10 House

    Military and Veterans' Affairs Engrossed Substitute Offered

  17. 2026-01-21 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  18. 2026-01-21 House

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  19. 2026-01-13 House

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  20. 2026-01-13 House

    Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs

Official Summary Text

This act amends Sections 40-7-2.1 and 40-9-21.1, Code of Alabama 1975, to exempt permanently and totally disabled veterans from the required annual verification of eligibility to maintain an exemption of his or her homestead from state ad valorem taxes.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB155 ENROLLED
Page 0
HB155
3PSLKVE-3
By Representative Lee
RFD: Military and Veterans' Affairs
First Read: 13-Jan-26
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HB155 Enrolled
Page 1
First Read: 13-Jan-26
Enrolled, An Act,
Relating to ad valorem tax; to amend Section 40-7-2.1
and Section 40-9-21.1, Code of Alabama 1975, to provide that
permanently and totally disabled veterans of the United States
Armed Forces are released from the annual verification
requirement for homestead exemptions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Section 40-7-2.1, Code of Alabama 1975, is
amended as follows:
"§40-7-2.1
(a) This amendatory act shall be known as the 1983
Taxpayer Convenience Act.
(b) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the
county tax assessor may assess property for tax purposes and
perform related tax assessing functions and requirements,
including the acceptance of applications for homestead
exemptions, from January 1 to September 30 of each taxable
year and the assessment, including the homestead exemption,
shall become effective on the following October 1. Provided,
however, nothing herein contained shall be construed to
relieve a person claiming a homestead exemption under Sections
40-9-19 tothrough 40-9-21, inclusive, or any other law of the
responsibility of furnishing proof of age, or disability, and
total gross income for the year preceding the year for which
the exemption will be effective as required by law. Any person
who has qualified for thea homestead exemption because of age
or disability and income under Section 40-9-19 through Section
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HB155 Enrolled
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or disability and income under Section 40-9-19 through Section
40-9-21 shall not be required to reapply for the personal
exemption based on age, disability, and income until the
eligibility ceases. Except for a permanently and totally
disabled veteran granted a permanent exemption under
40-9-21.1(b)(2.), Thea person shall only be required to verify
by signature, on a form provided by the county tax assessor,
that the qualifying conditions continue to exist and return
the form by mail.
(c) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, an
attorney in a timely manner may apply to the county tax
assessor for a homestead exemption on behalf of a person
entitled to claim the exemption."
Section 2. Section 40-9-21.1, Code of Alabama 1975, is
amended as follows:
"§40-9-21.1
(a) Any person who qualifies for the homestead
exemption in Section 40-9-19 or Section 40-9-21 shall
initially claim the exemption in person or by mail on a form
affidavit provided by the tax assessing official. The tax
assessing official may also elect to establish a process to
receive the form affidavit electronically as provided in this
subsection.
(b)(1) Any law to the contrary notwithstanding, any
person who qualifies for the homestead exemptions in Section
40-9-19(a)(2) or (d) or Section 40-9-21 shall not be required
to annually claim the exemptions after the initial
qualification, but shall verify eligibility for the
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HB155 Enrolled
Page 3
qualification, but shall verify eligibility for the
exemptions, as required by law, including Section 40-7-2.1,
each year thereafter in person or by mail on a form affidavit
provided by the tax assessing official. The tax assessing
official may also elect to establish a process to receive the
form affidavit electronically as provided in this subsection.
(2) Notwithstanding subdivision (1), a veteran of the
United States Armed Forces who has been determined to be
permanently and totally disabled by the United States
Department of Veterans Affairs and who qualifies for a
homestead exemption under Section 40-9-19(d) or Section
40-9-21, shall not be required to annually claim the exemption
nor verify eligibility for the exemption after the initial
qualification. This release from the annual verification
requirement shall terminate immediately upon the death of the
qualifying, permanently and totally disabled veteran or upon
the establishment of a new homestead.
(c) Any cost necessary to establish and operate a
process to receive the homestead exemption form affidavit
electronically, as authorized in this section, shall be paid
from the funds available for the cost of equalization of ad
valorem taxes as established in Chapter 7. No later than
October 1, 2021, the Association of Alabama Tax Administrators
shall develop and forward to the Commissioner of the
Department of Revenue a form affidavit and procedures, to be
used by the tax assessing officials, electing to provide for
the acceptance of the form affidavit electronically. The
commissioner shall approve and distribute the form affidavit
and procedures to all tax assessing officials no later than
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HB155 Enrolled
Page 4
and procedures to all tax assessing officials no later than
January 1, 2022."
Section 3. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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HB155 Enrolled
Page 5
1, 2026.
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
House of Representatives
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and
was passed by the House 10-Feb-26.
John Treadwell
Clerk
Senate 07-Apr-26 Passed
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