Does a tract of timber land have to be planted timber to qualify for the ag property tax exemption?
Does a tract of timber land have to be planted timber to qualify for the ag property tax exemption?
IF I understand correctly it just has to a certain percentage of land with timber on it but also understand this varies county by county
When Son In law was re applying (long story but Anderson county swapped his back to Ag Use) they county agent told him to qualify for timber he did not have enough land with timber on it (which was true 42 acres and honestly maybe 5 total acres if that of timber and most of that along creek bottom ) He went on to tell him “you got fencing set up, put a few damn goats out here and let me see it before coyotes kill them and we can call it ag use then “
Is or has land ever been in Ag use, in SIL case land was in his Mom and his name and under Ag use. When she died it some how got changed out but county agent looked it up and SIL was grandfathered in to ag use. I will say county guy was very helpful and did everything he could to classify as ag use but there are black and white rules.
Last edited by tprice; 08-06-2022 at 05:09 AM.
It shouldn’t need to be planted to qualify for timber ag tax. Natural regeneration is a legitimate method of reforestation. That being said it probably needs to pass the laugh test. A field with 3 trees isn’t going to work for “timber”, a three year old cutover with a bunch of natural regeneration should be fine.
More Ducks, Less People
I will say too it varies by county. Some of the fast growing counties (Charleston area, York, etc.) are getting more strict on ag exemptions. As land values increase they are going to be looking at it harder because it’s so much lost tax revenue for them.
Think It just has to be 10 acres or larger to qualify as ag use land. Doesn’t specify that it has to be planted any certain way!
The reason I am asking is because a lady I know is running for a position on the school board here in Marlboro county. Our school board can raise our taxes without vote. Whenever I asked her what she thought about raising taxes she brought up the ag tax. She said that the county has been cracking down on people that are getting the ag tax break and shouldn't. She speficically mentioned that she thought timber had to be planted. I don't know myself, so it got me curious.
There is a state mandated maximum a district can raise , I think it is 6mills but not 100% sure, I can find out for you if you like That amount is fairly minimal but I agree does add up over time
Schools do not collect any operations tax on residential homes, only bond indebtedness
I am sure lot of developers buy Ag use land and that would be my guess what they are going after however IF it is developed as commercial then the schools are big benefactors UNLESS the “powers that be” do a fee in lieu of deal which is normally for major employers
My understanding, at least in Anderson County, they do not lose the Ag Use until land is sold or developed. Quite honestly we have never discussed such trivial stuff in our Board meetings Never thought of it being a big deal and lot of Ag Use in Anderson County
ACT 388 was/is a bitch but it is not going to change , think it was done in 2006. It is political suicide for any politician that tries to change it
However in lady’s defense the State of SC underfunds every school district by about $600 per student every year. Even though it is the law it is never funded fully
Schools are like everyone else right now, most all are raising teacher/employee pay to retain employees and this is a reoccurring costs that will not go away. Some districts are looking for money to keep employees
Most , if not all, school districts are flush with money now if you look at their financial statements BUT lot of that is ESSER money which is basically COVID stimulus money the schools got every time a Stimulus was issued to the public. However ESSER has to be used for certain items or if not used sent back to Washington by Sept 2024 Most of the uses are things pertaining to air quality (leaking roofs ) , HVAC , technology and some other items but nothing as far as reoccurring wages/expense. However way I look at it most schools should be able to make a lot of capital improvements/repairs with this money and this frees up money for higher salaries but when ESSER runs out schools may be in a pickle
Not complaining one way or another just kind of spelling facts out to help you
If you want to really know how the district is doing find out what their General Fund Balance is , SC state law required a min of 16% or so of yearly budget
Maybe way off topic of what you asked but just wanted to spell it all out but I will say this. School districts like every other government organization are ALWAYS complaining about money.
Still end of day kind of easy to meet Ag Use according to the laws I have seen, frankly to me Lady is barking up the wrong tree
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