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                                 SENATE AMENDED
        PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 1678, 2733, 2742,        PRINTER'S NO. 3957
        2863

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 1424 Session of 1999


        INTRODUCED BY MAITLAND, FARGO, BUNT, CALTAGIRONE, CLARK, HARHAI,
           HERSHEY, LAUGHLIN, NAILOR, PLATTS, ROBERTS, ROSS, RUBLEY,
           SEYFERT, STERN, VANCE, YOUNGBLOOD, GODSHALL, HENNESSEY,
           STEELMAN AND MAHER, MAY 4, 1999

        SENATOR LOEPER, RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, IN SENATE, RE-
           REPORTED AS AMENDED, SEPTEMBER 26, 2000

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of May 21, 1943 (P.L.571, No.254), entitled, as
     2     amended, "An act relating to assessment for taxation in
     3     counties of the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth
     4     classes; designating the subjects, property and persons
     5     subject to and exempt from taxation for county, borough,
     6     town, township, school, except in cities and county
     7     institution district purposes; and providing for and
     8     regulating the assessment and valuation thereof for such
     9     purposes; creating in each such county a board for the
    10     assessment and revision of taxes; defining the powers and
    11     duties of such boards; providing for the acceptance of this
    12     act by cities; regulating the office of ward, borough, town
    13     and township assessors; abolishing the office of assistant
    14     triennial assessor in townships of the first class; providing
    15     for the appointment of a chief assessor, assistant assessors
    16     and other employes; providing for their compensation payable
    17     by such counties; prescribing certain duties of and certain
    18     fees to be collected by the recorder of deeds and municipal
    19     officers who issue building permits; imposing duties on
    20     taxables making improvements on land and grantees of land;
    21     prescribing penalties; and eliminating the triennial
    22     assessment," further providing for changes in valuation, for
    23     issuance of a building permit and for information on
    24     improvements; and increasing a penalty.                        <--

    25     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    26  hereby enacts as follows:


     1     Section 1.  Section 602.1 of the act of May 21, 1943
     2  (P.L.571, No.254), known as The Fourth to Eighth Class County
     3  Assessment Law, amended July 31, 1968 (P.L.1033, No.313), is
     4  amended to read:
     5     Section 602.1.  Changes in Valuation.--The board may change
     6  the assessed valuation on real property when (i) a parcel of
     7  land is divided and conveyed away in smaller parcels, or (ii)
     8  when the economy of the county or any portion thereof has
     9  depreciated or appreciated to such extent that real estate
    10  values generally in that area are affected, and (iii) when
    11  improvements are made to real property or existing improvements
    12  are removed from real property or are destroyed.
    13     The painting of a building or the normal regular repairs to a
    14  building aggregating [one thousand dollars ($1000)] two thousand
    15  five hundred dollars ($2,500) or less in value annually shall
    16  not be deemed cause for a change in valuation.
    17     Section 2.  Section 602.2 of the act, amended July 31, 1968
    18  (P.L.1034, No.314), is amended to read:
    19     Section 602.2.  Abstracts of Building Permits and Information
    20  on Improvements to be Furnished Board.--(a)  The office issuing
    21  building permits in every political subdivision of each county
    22  shall keep a daily record, separate and apart from all other
    23  records, of every building permit issued, which shall set forth
    24  the following information: the date of issuance, the names and
    25  addresses of the persons owning and a description sufficient to
    26  identify the property for which the permit was issued, the
    27  nature of the improvements and the amount in dollars in which
    28  issued. On or before the first Monday of each month, such office
    29  shall file the daily record in the office of the board of the
    30  county in which it is located, together with a certificate of
    19990H1424B3957                  - 2 -

     1  the head of such office that its contents are correct. Such
     2  office may charge and collect from each person to whom a
     3  building permit is issued a sum of not more than [one dollar
     4  ($1.00)] ten dollars ($10.00) which shall be in full
     5  compensation for its services under the provisions of this act.
     6     (b)  Whenever any person makes improvements other than
     7  painting of or normal regular repairs to a building aggregating
     8  [one thousand dollars ($1000) or less] more than two thousand
     9  five hundred dollars ($2,500) in value annually to any real
    10  property in any political subdivision in the county and he is
    11  not required to obtain a building permit therefor by any
    12  political subdivision within thirty days of commencing the
    13  improvements, he shall furnish the following information to the
    14  board: the name and address of the person owning and a
    15  description sufficient to identify the property involved, the
    16  nature of the improvements made or to be made and the amount in
    17  dollars of the value of the improvements.
    18     Any person who wilfully fails to comply with the provisions
    19  of this subsection, or who in furnishing such information
    20  wilfully falsifies the same, shall, upon conviction thereof in a
    21  summary proceeding, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than
    22  [fifty dollars ($50.00)] two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00).     <--
    23     (c)  At least once every three months, the board shall
    24  forward copies of such improvement records to the assessors of
    25  the political subdivision in which such improvements are made or
    26  contemplated. The assessors shall visit the site of the
    27  improvements and secure any information the board requests,
    28  which [may include] shall include as a minimum the description    <--
    29  and measurements, type of construction, degree of completion,
    30  cost and probable value of the improvements.
    19990H1424B3957                  - 3 -

     1     Section 3.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.




















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