PRINTER'S NO. 855

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 768 Session of 1983


        INTRODUCED BY A. C. FOSTER, JR., FRYER, GRUITZA, LEVI, STUBAN,
           CAPPABIANCA, GREENWOOD, LEHR, GEORGE, LIVENGOOD, DOMBROWSKI,
           KUKOVICH, FEE, ZWIKL, SIRIANNI, E. Z. TAYLOR, PETRARCA,
           BOYES, PRATT, BOWSER AND CORDISCO, APRIL 13, 1983

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, APRIL 13, 1983

                                     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," excluding solar energy systems in determining
    23     the value of real estate.

    24     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    25  hereby enacts as follows:
    26     Section 1.  Section 201(a) of the act of May 21, 1943
    27  (P.L.571, No.254), known as The Fourth to Eighth Class County


     1  Assessment Law, amended December 23, 1981 (P.L.587, No.170), is
     2  amended to read:
     3     Section 201.  Subjects of Taxation Enumerated.--The following
     4  subjects and property shall as hereinafter provided be valued
     5  and assessed and subject to taxation for all county, borough,
     6  town, township, school, (except in cities), poor and county
     7  institution district purposes, at the annual rate,
     8     (a)  All real estate, to wit: Houses, house trailers and
     9  mobilehomes permanently attached to land or connected with
    10  water, gas, electric or sewage facilities, buildings, lands,
    11  lots of ground and ground rents, trailer parks and parking lots,
    12  mills and manufactories of all kinds, all office type
    13  construction of whatever kind, that portion of a steel, lead,
    14  aluminum or like melting and continuous casting structures which
    15  enclose, provide shelter or protection from the elements for the
    16  various machinery, tools, appliances, equipment, materials or
    17  products involved in the mill, mine, manufactory or industrial
    18  process, and all other real estate not exempt by law from
    19  taxation. Machinery, tools, appliances and other equipment
    20  contained in any mill, mine, manufactory or industrial
    21  establishment shall not be considered or included as a part of
    22  the real estate in determining the value of such mill, mine,
    23  manufactory or industrial establishment. No equipment for solar
    24  or wind energy including collectors, controls, energy storage
    25  devices, pumps, heat exchangers, fans, pipes, ducts, windmills,
    26  rotors, shafts, generators, mounting towers and other hardware
    27  or equipment necessary to the process by which solar radiation
    28  or wind is received and converted into another form of energy,
    29  such as thermal, electrical, mechanical or chemical, when used
    30  as a supplemental energy source shall be included in determining
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     1  the value of real estate on which it is located. No in-ground
     2  and above-ground structures and containments used predominantly
     3  for processing and storage of animal waste and composting
     4  facilities incidental to operation of the farm on which the
     5  structures and containments are located, shall be included in
     6  determining the value of real estate used predominantly as a
     7  farm. No office type construction of whatever kind shall be
     8  excluded from taxation but shall be considered a part of real
     9  property subject to taxation. That portion of a steel, lead,
    10  aluminum or like melting and continuous casting structure which
    11  encloses, provides shelter or protection from the elements for
    12  the various machinery, tools, appliances, equipment, materials
    13  or products involved in the mill, mine, manufactory or
    14  industrial process shall be considered as part of real property
    15  subject to taxation.
    16     * * *
    17     Section 2.  This act shall apply to valuations for taxes
    18  levied for the calendar or fiscal year beginning on or after
    19  January 1, 1984.
    20     Section 3.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.







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