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                                                       PRINTER'S NO. 460

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


SENATE BILL

No. 413 Session of 2007


        INTRODUCED BY BROWNE, WONDERLING, WASHINGTON AND BOSCOLA,
           MARCH 13, 2007

        REFERRED TO FINANCE, MARCH 13, 2007

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of July 28, 1953 (P.L.723, No.230), entitled,
     2     as amended, "An act relating to counties of the second class
     3     and second class A; amending, revising, consolidating and
     4     changing the laws relating thereto," further providing for
     5     assessment of signs and sign structures; and making related
     6     repeals.

     7     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     8  hereby enacts as follows:
     9     Section 1.  Section 103(7) of the act of July 28, 1953
    10  (P.L.723, No.230), known as the Second Class County Code, is
    11  amended to read:
    12     Section 103.  Excluded Provisions.--This act does not include
    13  any provisions of, and shall not be construed to repeal:
    14     * * *
    15     (7)  [Any] Except as provided by Articles XIX-A and XIX-B,
    16  any law relating to the assessment and valuation of property and
    17  persons for taxation.
    18     * * *
    19     Section 2.  The act is amended by adding a section to read:


     1     Section 1902-B.  Assessment of Signs and Sign Structures.--No
     2  sign or structure predominantly used to support or display a
     3  sign shall be assessed as real property by a county for purposes
     4  of the taxation of real property by the county or a political
     5  subdivision located within the county, or by a municipality
     6  located within the county authorized to assess real property for
     7  purposes of taxation, regardless of whether the sign or sign
     8  structure has become affixed to the real estate.
     9     Section 3.  The amendment or addition of sections 103(7) and
    10  1902-B of the act are not intended to and shall not be
    11  interpreted as doing any of the following:
    12         (1)  Ratifying any actions taken by taxing authorities to
    13     assess or tax signs or sign structures as real property prior
    14     to the effective date of this section.
    15         (2)  Authorizing, ratifying or affirming the authority of
    16     counties not subject to the act and political subdivisions
    17     located within the county to assess or tax signs or sign
    18     structures as real property.
    19         (3)  Create an implication that the act of May 22, 1933
    20     (P.L.853, No.155), known as The General County Assessment
    21     Law, should not be uniformly applied to all classes of
    22     counties and political subdivisions located within the county
    23     authorized by law to assess real property for purposes of
    24     taxation, except as otherwise expressly provided by law.
    25     Section 4.  (a)  The General Assembly declares that the
    26  repeals under subsection (b) are necessary to effectuate the
    27  purposes of this act.
    28     (b)  The following acts and parts of acts are repealed
    29  insofar as they are inconsistent with the amendment or addition
    30  of sections 103(7) and 1902-B of the act:
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     1         (1)  Section 201 of the act of May 22, 1933 (P.L.853,
     2     No.155), known as The General County Assessment Law.
     3         (2)  Section 201 of the act of May 21, 1943 (P.L.571,
     4     No.254), known as The Fourth to Eighth Class County
     5     Assessment Law.
     6         (3)  All other acts and parts of acts.
     7     Section 5.  The amendment or addition of sections 103(7) and
     8  1902-B of the act shall apply retroactively to assessments used
     9  for purposes of real property taxes levied and collected for
    10  fiscal periods of political subdivisions beginning on or after
    11  January 1, 2005.
    12     Section 6.  This act shall take effect immediately.












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