Anne Arundel County - Residential Property Tax Payment Deferrals - Eligibility
Summary
HB606 expands an existing Anne Arundel County property tax payment deferral program for owner-occupied residential real property. Under current law, the county may authorize deferrals for qualifying homeowners who have lived in the dwelling for at least five consecutive years and who meet age, disability, and income requirements. This bill broadens the disability-related eligibility category by replacing a narrower reference to federal benefits for members of the United States armed forces with a broader reference to federal benefits for service members.
The bill also expressly adds certain members of reserve components, as well as certain members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Public Health Service, to the class of people whose federal service-related disability benefits can qualify them for the deferral. The measure takes effect June 1, 2026, and applies to taxable years beginning after June 30, 2026.
Impact
HB606 amends Section 10-204.6 of the Tax-Property Article, which governs Anne Arundel County’s authority to offer residential property tax payment deferrals. The practical effect is to expand the pool of homeowners who may qualify for delayed payment of county property taxes, while leaving the county’s discretion to authorize the program and the program’s other eligibility requirements intact. The bill affects Anne Arundel County homeowners, especially older residents and disabled veterans or other qualifying service members, and may modestly reduce near-term county tax collections for approved participants.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the House and Senate unanimously, with recorded third-reading votes of 121-0 and 43-0, respectively. The lack of recorded opposition and the favorable committee report suggest general agreement that the change is a targeted expansion of an existing local tax relief program.
Contention
No committee testimony or recorded debate is provided, and the voting history shows no opposition. Any potential point of contention would likely have centered on whether to extend the deferral benefit beyond traditional armed forces members to reserve components and to members of NOAA and the Public Health Service, but the available record does not show active disagreement. The bill is narrowly tailored to Anne Arundel County and does not appear to raise broader statewide policy disputes.