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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 264
H.P. 167 House of Representatives, January 28, 2025
An Act to Remove the 12-month Waiting Period for the Maine
Resident Homestead Property Tax Exemption
Received by the Clerk of the House on January 23, 2025. Referred to the Committee on
Taxation pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative HEPLER of Woolwich.
Cosponsored by Representatives: ANKELES of Brunswick, DILL of Old Town, RAY of
Lincolnville, SINCLAIR of Bath.
Page 1 - 132LR0612(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 36 MRSA §681, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2005, c. 647, §3 and affected by
3 §5, is amended to read:
45. Qualifying shareholder. "Qualifying shareholder" means a person who is a:
5 A. Shareholder in a cooperative housing corporation that owns a homestead in this
6 State; and
7 B. Shareholder for the preceding 12 months in the cooperative housing corporation
8 specified in paragraph A; and
9 C. Permanent resident of this State.
10Sec. 2. 36 MRSA §683, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2017, c. 478, §1, is further
11 amended to read:
121. Exemption amount. Except for assessments for special benefits, the just value of
13 $10,000 of the homestead of a permanent resident of this State who has owned a homestead
14 in this State for the preceding 12 months is exempt from taxation. Notwithstanding this
15 subsection, a permanent resident of this State who loses ownership of a homestead in this
16 State due to a tax lien foreclosure and subsequently regains ownership of the homestead
17 from the municipality that foreclosed on the tax lien is deemed to have continuously owned
18 the homestead and may not be determined ineligible for the exemption provided in this
19 section due to the ownership of the homestead by the municipality. In determining the
20 local assessed value of the exemption, the assessor shall multiply the amount of the
21 exemption by the ratio of current just value upon which the assessment is based as furnished
22 in the assessor's annual return pursuant to section 383. If the title to the homestead is held
23 by the applicant jointly or in common with others, the exemption may not exceed $10,000
24 of the just value of the homestead, but may be apportioned among the owners who reside
25 on the property to the extent of their respective interests. A municipality responsible for
26 administering the homestead exemption has no obligation to create separate accounts for
27 each partial interest in a homestead owned jointly or in common.
28SUMMARY
29 This bill removes the 12-month waiting period before an eligible applicant may receive
30 the Maine resident homestead property tax exemption.
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