Housing (Property Taxes)

This bill eliminates two property tax relief programs in New Jersey: the ANCHOR Homestead Property Tax Credit Act and the Stay NJ Act, which previously provided tax credits to homeowners and renters. The legislation directly affects residents who were eligible for these property tax credits, removing their ability to claim these specific tax benefits. The bill also includes unrelated amendments to jury selection procedures and hospital debt collection processes, though these are separate from the main repeal provision. By repealing these acts, the state will stop administering these specific tax credit programs and will no longer process applications for them.

This bill amends New Jersey's Farmland Assessment Act to clarify that farmland owners who stop farming activities (e.g., due to retirement or disability) will not face "roll-back taxes" unless they actively convert the land to non-farming use (like building homes). Roll-back taxes are additional fees calculated as the difference between taxes paid under agricultural assessment and standard property taxes for the current year and the two prior years. The change specifically responds to a 1981 court ruling that deemed it unfair to tax owners who ceased farming without changing land use. It directly affects New Jersey farmland owners who may discontinue agricultural activity but do not develop the property.

This bill (S 3328) removes the property tax exemption for housing owned by school districts and occupied by faculty members. Currently, New Jersey law exempts certain school properties from property tax, but explicitly excludes "housing for faculty or other employees." This bill formally eliminates that exemption by amending the tax code to clarify that such faculty housing is no longer exempt. The change directly affects school districts that provide housing to faculty and the faculty members living in it, requiring them to pay property taxes on that housing. The key mechanism is a specific amendment to the state tax code (R.S.54:4-3.6) to remove the exclusion for faculty housing.

This bill (S 1955) limits New Jersey municipalities' ability to grant long-term property tax exemptions for redevelopment projects. It sets a 5% cap on the total value of exempt property relative to a municipality's overall taxable property value. Municipalities exceeding this threshold cannot approve new tax exemptions until their exemption rate drops below 5%, calculated by dividing exempt property value by total taxable value and multiplying by 100. The bill directly affects local governments seeking to use tax exemptions to attract redevelopment projects, ensuring such exemptions do not unfairly reduce state school aid allocations to other districts.

This bill exempts properties transferred through involuntary means (like foreclosures, tax sales, or sheriff sales) from requiring municipal approvals or water testing before or after the transfer. Property owners acquiring such properties are exempt from local building, zoning, and occupancy rules for 90 days after the transfer or until they regain possession through court action. For voluntary sales, it requires temporary 90-day approvals if sellers and buyers certify the property is unoccupied and commit to addressing violations within that period. The bill preempts conflicting local ordinances and waives water testing requirements specifically for involuntary transfers, while allowing municipalities to still address code violations.

This bill prohibits properties that received benefits under the "Grow New Jersey Assistance Act" (2011) or the "New Jersey Economic Stimulus Act of 2009" from qualifying for property tax exemptions or abatements under two specific laws: the "Long Term Tax Exemption Law" and the "Five-Year Exemption and Abatement Law." It directly affects property owners who used state economic incentive programs to develop or improve their properties, preventing them from receiving additional tax breaks. The bill states that these properties have already benefited from public funding, so municipalities should not provide further tax advantages through the targeted exemption laws. The law takes effect immediately upon passage.