Budget & Taxes (Sales Tax)

HB 154 requires school districts to approve property tax exemptions for new residential construction or remodeling in designated "community reinvestment areas" before they can be granted. Property owners seeking these exemptions must submit applications to a housing officer, who then forwards them to the local school board for approval within 45 days. The bill ensures school districts have a formal role in approving exemptions for residential properties, though it includes an alternative where owners can pay school districts 25% of estimated tax savings instead of seeking approval. This directly affects homeowners and developers in areas designated for community reinvestment, changing how tax exemption approvals are processed.

To amend sections 351.01, 351.021, 353.06, 4735.11, 5739.01, 5739.08, 5739.09, 5739.091, and 5741.01 and to enact section 5325.01 of the Revised Code to limit the authority of local governments to regulate short-term rental properties, to extend local lodging taxes to short-term rentals, to require collection of those taxes by short-term rental platforms, and to require real estate licenses to be issued electronically.