Property Tax Legislative and National Trends

Legislative and National Trends

• Texas Legislative Session
  • The last day to file bills for the 89^th Texas Legislative regular session occurred on March 14^th. Amongst a handful of bill priorities, property tax relief is once again in the mix.  Several bills have been filed on both the House and Senate side with aims of reducing property taxes on both residential and business properties.  A mix of approaches are being considered, including changes to school district rate compression, changes to appraisal caps, increases to the homestead exemption ($140,000, up from the current $100,000), and increases to the business personal property exemption ($250,000, up from the current $2,500).  
  • Additional information on SB4/SJR2, HB8, and HB9/HJR1 (as well as other relevant proposals) can be found here: Texas’ 89th Legislature Mid-Session Update – Advantous

• Louisiana Constitutional Amendment on the Ballot
  • Last November, the Louisiana legislature convened for the 2024 Third Extraordinary session to focus on major tax reform proposals for the State, ultimately requiring amendments to Article VII of the Louisiana Constitution. Voters will decide on Article VII changes with a special election on March 29^th.  If approved by voters, almost all of the State’s property tax provisions (including most exemptions) will move from the Constitution and into Louisiana Statute.  On the flip side, the Article VII rewrite adds a new, optional local parish business inventory tax exemption into the Constitution, as well as establishing a distinct property assessment classification for business inventory.  Although not part of the Constitutional amendment, the State’s Tax Credit for Local Inventory Taxes Paid by (by C-Corporations only) is set to end in 2026, as part of Act 5 that was signed into law by the Governor. 
  • Additional information on Amendment 2 can be found in the PAR Guide to the 2025 Constitutional Amendments https://parlouisiana.org/resources/guide-to-the-constitutional-amendments/

• Property Tax Cut Push
  • Although we already mentioned Texas’ continued fight to reduce property tax burdens, they are certainly not the only state battling ever increasing property values and the associated ad valorem property tax. States like Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming (among others) have all pushed property tax reform legislation so far this year.  The challenge, as always, is where will the funding come from in order to replace this mostly local revenue source, and will business property owners be included in relief or be asked to take on more of the burden.
  • https://www.governing.com/finance/despite-slowing-revenues-property-tax-cuts-are-all-the-rage#:~:text=Most%20red%20states%20are%20looking,for%20locals%20remains%20a%20challenge.&text=Texas%20Gov.,the%20state%20by%20%2410%20billion.
  • https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/07/desantis-republican-florida-doge
  • https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2025/03/10/indiana-statehouse-property-tax-bill-overhaul
  • https://kvoe.com/2025/02/07/kansas-senate-passes-property-tax-constitutional-amendment/
  • https://www.governor.nd.gov/news/armstrong-outlines-property-tax-relief-and-reform-plan-2025-state-state-address-legislature
  • https://cowboystatedaily.com/2025/03/05/gordon-signs-25-property-tax-cut-into-law-more-relief-still-possible/
  • https://montanafreepress.org/2025/02/27/second-home-tax-other-property-tax-relief-bills-clear-the-house/

Upcoming Property Tax Deadlines

• Welcome once again to property tax rendition season! Although not all U.S. states levy property tax on personal property (11 states and counting), the states that do tax personal property mostly have personal property rendition deadlines in the March-May timeframe.
• • February 28^th– April 30^th – Alaska (varies by jurisdiction)
  • March 1^st—Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Wyoming
  • March 15^th—Idaho, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oregon
  • April 1^st—Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi,
  • April 15^th—Colorado, Maryland, Texas, Maryland
  • April 15^th– May 1^st – Maine (varies by jurisdiction)
  • April 20^th—Vermont (varies for some jurisdictions)
  • April 30^th—South Carolina, Washington
  • May 1^st—Nebraska, Virginia (varies for some jurisdictions)
  • May 15^th—Indiana, Kentucky, Utah
  • May 31^st—Arkansas