Revises provisions relating to property tax abatements for certain buildings and structures which meet certain energy efficiency standards. (BDR 58-425)
Summary
AB 528 revises Nevada’s property tax abatement program for certain nonresidential buildings and structures that meet energy-efficiency standards under the Green Building Rating System administered by the Director of the Office of Energy. The bill removes the existing prohibition on accepting new applications after July 1, 2021, allowing the program to reopen for new applicants, and updates the rating system to incorporate new resilience-related credits, connected-parking certifications, and more specific performance thresholds tied to LEED or equivalent standards.
The bill also changes the structure of the abatements themselves. It adjusts the annual abatement percentages and durations for new buildings, existing buildings that had not previously received an abatement, and previously abated buildings seeking recertification. It adds a zero-carbon category for certain existing buildings, caps certain abatements at $100,000 per year, and requires annual benchmarking reports on energy and water use. The Director must also adopt regulations for assigning abatements in limited circumstances and for reporting and administrative procedures.
Impact
AB 528 would amend NRS 701A.100 and 701A.110, reopening and expanding Nevada’s green-building property tax abatement framework. It would affect owners of qualifying commercial and other nonresidential buildings, local governments that receive property tax revenue, county assessors and treasurers, the Department of Taxation, the Office of Economic Development, and the Office of Energy. The bill also requires new regulations and annual reporting, and it applies prospectively beginning January 1, 2026, except for preparatory rulemaking authority effective upon passage.
Sentiment
No committee transcript or recorded vote history was provided, so there is no direct evidence of support or opposition from hearings or floor action. Based on the bill text, the measure appears generally pro-development and pro-energy-efficiency, with an emphasis on resilience, emissions reduction, and data reporting. The fiscal note indicates possible impacts on local government and the state, suggesting the bill may draw interest from both clean-energy advocates and fiscal stakeholders.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are the fiscal cost of the abatements and the reopening of a program that had been closed to new applications since 2021. Local governments may be concerned about reduced property tax revenue, while supporters are likely to emphasize energy savings, resilience benefits, and economic development. Another possible area of debate is the complexity of the revised standards, including the new resilience-credit framework, recertification rules for previously abated buildings, and the requirement for annual benchmarking and reporting.