City of Rensselaer, NY Article II Senior Citizens Exemption

[Adopted 6-15-1977; amended in its entirety 2-15-1995 by L.L. No. 1-1995]

§ 155-4 Qualification for exemption.

Real property in the City of Rensselaer owned by one or more persons 65 years of age or over (in the case of spouses, only one need be over 65) shall be exempt from taxation to the extent of 50% of the existing valuation thereof, subject to the following exemptions and considerations:

A. Exemption from taxation for school purposes shall not be granted in the case of real property where a child resides, if such child attends a public school in the Rensselaer City School District.

B. Income requirements.

(1) Effective as hereinafter provided, there shall be an exemption from taxation for general City purposes to the extent of the percentage of assessed evaluation provided in the following schedule, determined by the maximum income exemption eligibility level also provided in the following schedule up to a maximum of 50% of the assessed valuation of real property owned by one or more persons at least 65 years of age or over, and whose combined owners' incomes, as otherwise defined in § 155-4 of the Code of the City of Rensselaer, meet the following schedule so as to determine the partial tax exemptions provided herein:

[Amended 5-20-2020 by L.L. No. 4-2020]

Income	Tax Exemption (percent)
$29,000 or less	50%
$29,001 but less than $30,001	45%
$30,001 or more but less than $31,001	40%
$31,001 or more but less than $32,001	35%
$32,001 or more but less than $32,901	30%
$32,901 or more but less than $33,801	25%
$33,801 or more but less than $34,701	20%
$34,701 or more but less than $35,601	15%
$35,601 or more but less than $36,501	10%
$36,501 or more but less than $37,401	5%

(2) Where title is vested in either the husband or the wife, their combined income may not exceed such sum. Such income shall include social security and retirement or pension benefits, bank interest, dividends, rental income, salary or earnings and income from self-employment, but shall not include gifts or inheritances.

C. The title of the property shall have been vested in the owner or one of the owners of the property for at least 24 consecutive months prior to the date of making application for exemptions.

D. The real property is used exclusively for residential purposes (one-, two- or three-family houses only).

E. The real property is the legal residence of and is occupied in whole or in part by the owner or by all of the owners of the property.

F. Proof of income shall include a New York State income tax return, if filed, statements from social security, bank statements and rent receipts.

§ 155-5 Applications.

A. Application for such exemptions shall be made by the owner or all of the owners of the property on forms to be furnished by the office of the Commissioner of Assessment and Taxation and shall furnish the information and be executed the names required or prescribed in such forms and shall be filed in the office of the Commissioner of Assessment and Taxation by the taxable status date of March 1.

B. New applicants shall provide proof of age and ownership.

§ 155-6 Penalties for offenses.

A conviction of having made any willful false statement in the application for such exemption shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $250 or imprisonment for not more than 15 days, or both, and shall disqualify the applicant or applicants from further exemptions for a period of five years.