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HB345 • 2026

Real property tax; partial exemption for certain commercial and industrial structures.

<p class=ldtitle>A BILL to amend and reenact § 58.1-3221 of the Code of Virginia, relating to real property tax; partial exemption for certain commercial and industrial structures.</p>

Taxes Technology
Enacted

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

Sponsor
McLaughlin
Last action
2026-02-18
Official status
Failed
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about setting fees or requiring proof of completed work as mentioned in the candidate explanation.

Real Property Tax Exemption for Rehabilitated Structures

This law changes how real property tax exemptions work for certain commercial and industrial structures that are being rehabilitated, renovated, or replaced.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows local governments to create rules about partial tax breaks for buildings over 20 years old that have been fixed up for business use.
  • Limits the tax break if a building is part of Virginia's historic landmarks or in an area with special historical significance.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Local governments can make rules about tax exemptions.
  • Businesses and property owners who want to fix up old buildings may get tax breaks if they follow local rules.

Terms To Know

Enterprise Zone
An area designated by the state where businesses might receive special benefits like tax breaks or grants.
Technology Zone
A specific area within a city, town, or county that may have special rules for technology-related businesses.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how long the tax exemption will last after it is enacted.
  • It's unclear if there are any penalties for violating the new restrictions on historic landmarks and districts.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-18 House

    Left in Committee Education

  2. 2026-02-18 House

    Left in Finance

  3. 2026-02-03 Subcommittee #2

    Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2027 (Voice Vote)

  4. 2026-01-19 House

    Fiscal Impact statement From TAX (1/19/2026 10:21 pm)

  5. 2026-01-16 Subcommittee #2

    Assigned HFIN sub: Subcommittee #2

  6. 2026-01-12 House

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102956D

  7. 2026-01-12 Finance

    Referred to Committee on Finance

Official Summary Text

Real property tax; partial exemption for certain commercial and industrial structures.
Prohibits the application of a partial real property tax exemption to the demolition or replacement of an existing structure when such structure is a registered Virginia landmark or is determined by the Department of Historic Resources to contribute to the significance of a registered historic district. Current law prohibits the application of an exemption to the demolition or replacement of an existing structure when such structure is a registered Virginia landmark or is determined to contribute to the significance of a registered historic landmark.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
A BILL to amend and reenact §
58.1-3221
of the Code of Virginia, relating to real property tax; partial exemption for certain commercial and industrial structures.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §
58.1-3221
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§
58.1-3221
. Partial exemption for certain rehabilitated, renovated, or replacement commercial or industrial structures.

A. The governing body of any county, city or town may, by ordinance, provide for the partial exemption from taxation of real estate on which any structure or other improvement no less than 20 years of age, or 15 years of age if the structure is located in an area designated as an enterprise zone by the Commonwealth or as a technology zone by any county, city or town pursuant to §
58.1-3850
, has undergone substantial rehabilitation, renovation or replacement for commercial or industrial use, subject to such conditions as the ordinance may prescribe. The ordinance may, in addition to any other restrictions hereinafter provided, restrict such exemptions to real property located within described zones or districts whose boundaries shall be determined by the governing body. The governing body of a county, city or town may establish criteria for determining whether real estate qualifies for the partial exemption authorized by this provision and may require the structure to be older than 20 years of age, or 15 years of age if the structure is located in an area designated as an enterprise zone by the Commonwealth, or as a technology zone by any county, city or town pursuant to §
58.1-3850
or place such other restrictions and conditions on such property as may be prescribed by ordinance. Such ordinance may also provide for the partial exemption from taxation of real estate that has been substantially rehabilitated by complete replacement for commercial and industrial use.

B. The partial exemption provided by the local governing body may not exceed an amount equal to the increase in assessed value resulting from the rehabilitation, renovation or replacement of the commercial or industrial structure as determined by the commissioner of revenue or other local assessing officer or an amount up to 50 percent of the cost of rehabilitation, renovation or replacement as determined by ordinance. The exemption may commence upon completion of the rehabilitation, renovation or replacement, or on January 1 of the year following completion of the rehabilitation, renovation or replacement and shall run with the real estate for a period of no longer than 15 years. The governing body of a county, city or town may place a shorter time limitation on the length of such exemption, or reduce the amount of the exemption in annual steps over the entire period or a portion thereof, in such manner as the ordinance may prescribe.

C. Nothing in this section shall be construed as to permit the commissioner of the revenue to list upon the land book any reduced value due to the exemption provided in subsection B.

D. The governing body of any county, city or town may assess a fee not to exceed $125 for residential properties, or $250 for commercial, industrial, and/or apartment properties of six units or more, for processing an application requesting the exemption provided by this section. No property shall be eligible for such exemption unless the appropriate building permits have been acquired and the commissioner of the revenue or assessing officer has verified that the rehabilitation, renovation or replacement indicated on the application has been completed.

E. Where rehabilitation is achieved through demolition and replacement of an existing structure, the exemption provided in subsection A shall not apply when any structure demolished is a registered Virginia landmark or is determined by the Department of Historic Resources to contribute to the significance of a registered historic
landmark
district
.