House File 444 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 444 BY AMOS JR. , WICHTENDAHL , SRINIVAS , B. MEYER , BROWN-POWERS , WILBURN , and BAGNIEWSKI A BILL FOR An Act relating to property assessment and property taxation 1 by creating a recreational class of real property for golf 2 courses. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 2386YH (3) 91 jm/md
H.F. 444 Section 1. Section 441.21, subsection 8, paragraph b, Code 1 2025, is amended to read as follows: 2 b. Notwithstanding paragraph a , any construction or 3 installation of a solar energy system on property classified 4 as agricultural, recreational, residential, commercial, or 5 industrial property shall not increase the actual, assessed, 6 and taxable values of the property for five full assessment 7 years. 8 Sec. 2. Section 441.21, subsections 9 and 10, Code 2025, are 9 amended to read as follows: 10 9. Not later than November 1, 1979, and November 1 of each 11 subsequent year, the director shall certify to the county 12 auditor of each county the percentages of actual value at 13 which residential property, agricultural property, commercial 14 property, industrial property, recreational property, property 15 valued by the department of revenue pursuant to chapters 428 16 and 438 , property valued by the department of revenue pursuant 17 to chapter 434 , and property valued by the department of 18 revenue pursuant to chapter 437 in each assessing jurisdiction 19 in the county shall be assessed for taxation, including for 20 assessment years beginning on or after January 1, 2022, the 21 percentages used to apply the assessment limitations under 22 subsection 5 , paragraphs b and c . The county auditor 23 shall proceed to determine the assessed values of agricultural 24 property, residential property, commercial property, industrial 25 property, recreational property, property valued by the 26 department of revenue pursuant to chapters 428 and 438 , 27 property valued by the department of revenue pursuant to 28 chapter 434 , and property valued by the department of revenue 29 pursuant to chapter 437 by applying such percentages to the 30 current actual value of such property, as reported to the 31 county auditor by the assessor, and the assessed values so 32 determined shall be the taxable values of such properties upon 33 which the levy shall be made. 34 10. The percentages of actual value computed by the 35 -1- LSB 2386YH (3) 91 jm/md 1/ 3
H.F. 444 department of revenue for agricultural property, residential 1 property, commercial property, industrial property, 2 recreational property, property valued by the department of 3 revenue pursuant to chapters 428 and 438 , property valued by 4 the department of revenue pursuant to chapter 434 , and property 5 valued by the department of revenue pursuant to chapter 437 , 6 including for assessment years beginning on or after January 1, 7 2022, the percentages used to apply the assessment limitations 8 under subsection 5 , paragraphs b and c , and used to 9 determine assessed values of those classes of property do not 10 constitute a rule as defined in section 17A.2, subsection 11 . 11 Sec. 3. Section 441.21, Code 2025, is amended by adding the 12 following new subsection: 13 NEW SUBSECTION . 15. a. For valuations established for 14 the assessment year beginning January 1, 2026, and each 15 assessment year thereafter, recreational property shall be 16 valued as a separate class of property and shall be assessed at 17 seventy-five percent of its actual value. 18 b. Recreational property is subject to reassessment by the 19 assessor and is subject to the same equalization percentage 20 amount determined by the director of revenue pursuant to 21 section 441.49 as is ordered for commercial property. 22 c. For purposes of this subsection, recreational property 23 means a golf course, if such property is operated as a 24 commercial enterprise and otherwise subject to taxation. 25 EXPLANATION 26 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 27 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 28 This bill creates a new class of property, recreational 29 property, for purposes of property assessment and taxation, 30 beginning with valuations established on or after January 1, 31 2026. The bill describes recreational property as a golf 32 course operated as a commercial enterprise and subject to 33 taxation. 34 The bill provides that for valuations established for the 35 -2- LSB 2386YH (3) 91 jm/md 2/ 3
H.F. 444 assessment year beginning January 1, 2026, and each assessment 1 year thereafter, recreational property shall be assessed at 75 2 percent of its actual value. 3 -3- LSB 2386YH (3) 91 jm/md 3/ 3