Winter Storm Damage? You could get an Exemption.

by Beth Brake | May 10, 2021 | Beth's Blog | 0 comments

Winter storm damage? You could get an exemption. I’ve made quite a few phone calls and emails to my clients, but, I wanted to write a brief blog regarding the possible storm damage you may have had from the storm this February 2021 in Texas.

If you are a homeowner and had damage to your home or pool from the severe weather in February, you may be eligible to get an exemption from the county in which you live. Because Governor Abbott declared Texas a disaster area on February 12, 2021, certain properties within any of the counties in Texas could receive an exemption. You may qualify for a temporary exemption under Section 11.35 of the Texas Property Tax Code. For the counties in North Texas; Denton County, Collin, Dallas, Tarrant, Wise, Johnson and Ellis counties I will include information on these and a link to the form you can access. The exemption applies to homes, pools as well as possibly tangible business personal property used in the production of income. To qualify you must file the exemption by May 28, 2021.

To qualify for the exemption the damage to the property must be at least 15% of the District’s 2021 appraised value of the improvement (structure). The percent damage calculation uses the cost of damages to an improvement (structure) compared to the appraised value of the improvement (structure). For purposes of this exemption the damage rating is calculated for each improvement (structure) separately. For example, the damage to a home may not meet the minimum 15% threshold but the damage sustained to the pool, since it is a separate improvement, could qualify for the exemption. In the case of the pool, the damage assessment percentage would be applied to the District’s appraised value of the pool. The amount of the exemption is determined by multiplying the property value after applying the damage assessment rating to a fraction (365 divided by the number of days remaining in the tax year after the date the governor declares the disaster).

Keep in mind, land value is not used in either the percentage damage calculation to qualify for the exemption or exemption amount calculation itself.

Click here for a copy of the application, form 50-312.

Collin County

www.Collincad.org

Dallas County

https://www.dallascad.org/News.aspx?ID=1

Denton County

https://www.dentoncounty.gov/778/Tax-Assessor-Collector

Johnson County

https://www.johnsoncountytaxoffice.org/Default.asp

Tarrant County

https://www.tarrantcounty.com/content/main/en/county/winter-storm.html