[Adopted 5-23-2016]
Any owner of real property 70 years of age or older who has
resided in the City of West Haven for 20 consecutive years shall be
eligible to have the amount of taxes to be paid on his/her primary
residence frozen at the rate payable at the date of application, if
qualified.
A.
To qualify for the tax freeze, the applicant must meet all of the
following criteria:
(1)
The applicant must be 70 years of age or older and must be the owner
of record of the property; only one person need apply if property
is owned jointly.
(2)
The applicant must have resided in the City of West Haven for at
least 20 consecutive years.
(3)
The applicant's yearly income must not exceed $50,000 for a
couple or $35,000 for a single person. Social security payments are
not counted toward income.
(4)
There are no children residing in the property, under age 25, in
which the taxes are to be frozen.
(5)
The property on which the taxes are to be frozen must be the applicant's
primary residence.
(6)
The applicant must provide documentation annually to prove eligibility.
(7)
If the property is owned jointly and only one owner meets the age
criteria and dies, the surviving owner(s) may keep the taxes frozen
on the property so long as they reside in the residence, at least
one surviving owner is age 65, and all of the other qualifications
of this article are met.
(8)
The applicant, if qualified, shall be entitled to pay tax at the
amount frozen or such lesser amount as may be levied in any year.
B.
Applications shall be approved and maintained in the office of the
Assessor of the City of West Haven, who shall be responsible for the
implementation of this article and program.
