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SF0039 • 2026

Long-term homeowner tax exemption-amendments.

AN ACT relating to taxation; repealing the sunset date of the property tax exemption for long-term homeowners; revising the deadline to apply for the property tax exemption for long-term homeowners; providing a method to claim the property tax exemption in subsequent years; amending the amount of the long‑term homeowner property tax exemption; and providing for an effective date.

Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor
Senator Crago
Last action
2026-03-05
Official status
inactive
Effective date
3/1/2026

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Changes to Long-term Homeowner Tax Exemption

The bill changes the rules for a property tax exemption for long-time homeowners in Wyoming.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes the end date for the property tax exemption for long-term homeowners.
  • Changes when people can apply for this tax break to March 1 each year instead of a later date.
  • Allows homeowners who already got the tax break to renew it by contacting their assessor's office before March 1 in future years.
  • Increases the amount of property value that qualifies for the exemption from an unspecified percentage to 50% of the assessed value, but only up to $3 million.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Long-term homeowners who are at least 65 years old and have lived in Wyoming for over 25 years.
  • County assessors responsible for processing tax exemption claims.

Terms To Know

Sunset date
The end date when a law or program stops being valid.
Assessor's office
A government office that evaluates property values for tax purposes.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill did not pass and was voted down in the Senate on March 5, 2026.
  • It is unclear how many homeowners will benefit from these changes if the bill had passed.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-05 House

    H 3rd Reading:Failed 23-38-1-0-0

  2. 2026-03-04 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  3. 2026-03-03 House

    H COW:Passed 26-25-6-5-0

  4. 2026-02-24 House

    H Placed on General File

  5. 2026-02-24 House

    H03 - Revenue:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 8-0-0-0-1

  6. 2026-02-23 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H03 - Revenue

  7. 2026-02-20 House

    H Received for Introduction

  8. 2026-02-20 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Passed 21-1-0-0-9

  9. 2026-02-19 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  10. 2026-02-18 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  11. 2026-02-11 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  12. 2026-02-11 Senate

    S03 - Revenue:Recommend Do Pass 4-1-0-0-0

  13. 2026-02-10 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S03 - Revenue 24-2-1-0-4

  14. 2026-01-14 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  15. 2026-01-08 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
26LSO-0332
2026
STATE OF WYOMING
26LSO-0332
ENGROSSED
3.0

SENATE FILE NO. SF0039

Long-term homeowner tax exemption-amendments.

Sponsored by: Senator(s) Crago, Barlow, Cooper, Crum, Dockstader, Gierau, Landen, Love, Nethercott and Olsen and Representative(s) Clouston, Connolly, Harshman and Williams

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to taxation; repealing the sunset date of the property tax exemption for long-term homeowners; revising the deadline to apply for the property tax exemption for long-term homeowners; providing a method to claim the property tax exemption in subsequent years; amending the amount of the long‑term homeowner property tax exemption; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.

W.S. 39
‑
11
‑
105(a)(xlv)(A), (B) and by creating a new subparagraph (D) is amended to read:

39
‑
11
‑
105.

Exemptions.

(a)

The following property is exempt from property taxation:

(xlv)

A portion of property used as a primary residence by long
‑
term homeowners as provided in this paragraph. The following shall apply to this exemption:

(A)

For residential real property used as a primary residence, if the owner or their spouse is sixty
‑
five (65) years of age or older and the owner or their spouse has paid residential property tax in Wyoming for twenty
‑
five (25) years or more on any residential property, the amount of the exemption shall be fifty percent (50%) of the assessed value of the residential real property
, provided that the exemption shall only apply to the first three million dollars ($3,000,000.00) of the fair market value of the residential real property
;

(B)

Not more than one (1) exemption under this paragraph shall apply to the same property in any year and no owner shall claim more than one (1) exemption under this paragraph in any year including property that houses more than one (1) family. To claim an exemption under this paragraph the owner of the residential real property shall submit a claim to the county assessor not later than
the fourth Monday in May
March 1
each year on forms provided by the department of revenue demonstrating that the person is the owner of the property, that the person or the person's spouse is sixty
‑
five (65) years of age or older and has paid residential property tax in Wyoming for twenty
‑
five (25) years or more on any residential property and that the property is the person's primary residence. A surviving spouse of a person who qualified under this paragraph and who would not otherwise qualify under this paragraph shall continue to qualify for the exemption under this paragraph. False claims are punishable as provided by W.S. 6
‑
5
‑
303;

(D)

After filing a claim pursuant to subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, in subsequent years the claimant shall remain qualified for the tax exemption provided by this paragraph if the claimant contacts the assessor's office by telephone, mail or other communication method on or before March 1 and confirms that the claimant continues to meet the requirements set forth in this paragraph.

Section 2
.

2024 Wyoming Session Laws, Chapter 106, Section 2 is repealed.

Section 3
.

This act is effective July 1, 2026
.

(END)

1
SF0039