STAFF REPORT
Beginning next month, individuals seeking to apply for a homestead exemption in Texas will need to comply with a new application process.
The recent session of the Texas Legislature imposed rigorous new standards of mandatory disclosure for those property owners who apply for any one of several kinds of homestead exemptions starting September 1.
In order to receive a homestead exemption for property tax purposes, applicants must now provide a copy of their Texas driver’s license or Texas state-issued identification card and a copy of their vehicle registration receipt with their application for a homestead exemption.
The addresses shown on each of the documents must be the same as the address for which the homestead exemption is sought, according to Hays Central Appraisal District Chief Appraiser David Valle.
Those who do not own a vehicle will be required to submit a notarized affidavit certifying that fact and provide a copy of a current bill received from a utility company. The address on the utility bill must be the same as the address on the application for a homestead exemption.
The new requirement that takes effect on September 1 is required for any one of the several ways property owners can qualify for a residential property homestead. These include the following:
• General residential exemption
• Over-65 exemption
• Disability exemption
• 100% disabled veterans exemption
• Extension of exemption for a surviving spouse
• Exemption for manufactured (mobile) home
Each of the programs cited above have additional requirements for qualification. However, the common standard is that all such applicants must provide the additional documentation as noted before regarding driver’s license, Texas issued identification card, motor vehicle registration, and utility billing receipt.
Applications dated and submitted to Hays CAD by August 31 will be processed under the pre-September 1 guidelines.
