Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas Senate Bill SB332

Introduced
1/15/26  
Refer
1/16/26  

Caption

Excluding buyer's premiums from the sale price of property purchased at auction for real estate sales validation questionnaire and property tax valuation purposes.

Summary

SB 332 amends Kansas property tax law governing the real estate sales validation questionnaire and the information used by the director of property valuation. The bill keeps the questionnaire’s existing purpose—collecting details about property sales, financing, and sale circumstances—but adds a specific rule for auction transactions. It provides that buyer’s premiums, charges, or fees paid separately in writing to an auctioneer or auction company, and not received by the seller, are not part of the property’s sale price or total sale price for questionnaire and valuation purposes. In practical terms, the bill would require assessors and the property valuation system to exclude these separately stated auction-related buyer charges when determining the sale price used for ad valorem property tax valuation. The measure amends K.S.A. 79-1437d and repeals the existing version of that statute, making the change part of the state’s property tax administration framework. It is aimed at ensuring that auction premiums paid to third parties are not treated as part of the real estate’s market sale price.

Impact

The bill would narrow the definition of sale price for certain auctioned real estate transactions under Kansas property valuation law. This affects the real estate sales validation questionnaire, county registers of deeds, the director of property valuation, county appraisers, and property owners or buyers involved in auction sales. By excluding separately stated buyer’s premiums and similar fees from the taxable sale price, the bill could reduce the assessed value used in some ad valorem property tax determinations and create a more uniform treatment of auction transactions across the state.

Sentiment

The available record shows no committee transcript, recorded vote, or other debate, so there is no documented public disagreement or support to characterize. Based on the bill’s narrow technical focus and its committee-originated introduction, the measure appears to be a targeted administrative clarification rather than a broad policy dispute. The absence of recorded opposition suggests the proposal may be relatively noncontroversial, though that cannot be confirmed from the provided materials.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. The main issue the bill addresses is whether buyer’s premiums and similar auction fees should count as part of the real estate sale price for tax valuation purposes. Any potential disagreement would likely center on valuation methodology, fairness between auction and non-auction sales, and whether excluding these fees could lower taxable values, but no named stakeholders or opposing arguments are recorded here.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS HB2003

Establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, modifying the definition of household income and increasing the appraised value threshold for eligibility of seniors and disabled veterans related to increased property tax claims and citing the section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, providing property tax exemptions for certain personal property including watercraft, marine equipment, off-road vehicles, motorized bicycles and certain trailers, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value, providing for certain exclusions from the prohibition of paying taxes under protest after a valuation notice appeal and providing four prior years' values on the annual valuation notice.

KS SB1

Modifying income tax rates for individuals, exempting all social security benefits from Kansas income tax, increasing the Kansas standard deduction and the Kansas personal exemption, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, decreasing the privilege tax normal tax, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value for property tax valuation purposes, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund and abolishing the local ad valorem tax reduction fund and the county and city revenue sharing fund.

KS SCR1604

Proposing to amend section 1 of article 11 of the constitution of the state of Kansas to limit property tax valuation increases for real property and personal property mobile homes.

KS SB2

Eliminating the income limit to qualify for the subtraction modification exempting social security benefits, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, citing the increased property tax homestead refund claim section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, decreasing the normal privilege tax rate, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, decreasing the rate of ad valorem tax imposed by a school district; providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund, reducing the state rate of tax on sales of food and food ingredients and modifying the percent credited to the state highway fund from revenue collected.

KS SB8

Exempting the sale of firearms, firearms accessories, ammunition, firearm safes and firearm safety devices from the retatilers' sales tax.

KS SCR1603

Proposing to amend section 1 of article 11 of the constitution of the state of Kansas to limit property tax valuation increases for residential property.

KS SB6

Providing a sales tax exemption for sales of electricity to residential premises by municipally owned or operated utilities.

KS HB2001

Authorizing the secretary of commerce to enter into agreements with major professional sports franchises to establish STAR bond projects for a major professional sports complex, providing for additional revenue sources, expanding the powers and discretion of the secretary and making other changes to the STAR bonds financing act to facilitate such projects, limiting the secretary’s authority to approve such projects to one year unless extended by the legislative coordinating council, authorizing the Kansas development finance authority to issue STAR bonds for such projects, transferring funds under certain circumstances from the state gaming revenues fund to the attracting professional sports to Kansas fund for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, and, if approved by the legislative coordinating council, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.

KS HB2004

Authorizing counties to propose an earnings tax for ballot question.

KS SB5

Authorizing counties to impose an earnings tax.

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