2009 News

February 18, 2009

Commissioners Remind Residents of Homestead and Farmstead Property Tax Exclusion Application Deadline
Forms Due March 1 in the Bucks County Board of Assessment Appeals

The Taxpayer Relief Act of 2006 provides for property tax reduction allocations to be distributed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to each school district. The state funds must be used to reduce local residential school property tax bills. This property tax reduction is enacted through a “Homestead/Farmstead exclusion.”

Bucks County Commissioner Chairman Charles H. Martin encourages eligible Bucks County homeowners to file a Homestead/Farmstead application. The applications must be received on or before March 1 in the Bucks County Board of Assessment Appeals, 55 East Court St., Third Floor, Doylestown, PA 18901. To download an application, please visit the Board of Assessment pages on the county Web site, www.BucksCounty.org.

Under a Homestead or Farmstead property tax exclusion, the assessed value of each Homestead or Farmstead is reduced by the amount of the exclusion before the property tax is computed. The program, which is administered through the Bucks County Board of Assessment Appeals, is open to homeowners who maintain the property as their primary residence. The Homestead exclusion can be claimed only once.

The Farmstead exclusion is only applicable to buildings and structures use for commercial agricultural production. Only buildings and structures on farms which are at least 10 contiguous acres in area and used as the primary residence of an owner are eligible for a Farmstead exclusion. Land is not eligible for a Farmstead exclusion.

For questions about the Homestead/Farmstead exclusion, please contact the Bucks County Assessment office at 215-348-6219. The office is open from 8:30 a.m.-4:15 p.m., Monday through Friday.