New York Assembly Bill A04620

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/4/25
• Refer: 2/4/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Expands the tax exemption for new farm buildings to include buildings used for on-farm retail sales.

Summary

This bill amends New York’s real property tax law to expand the existing property tax exemption for new farm buildings. Under current law, the exemption applies to certain structures and buildings used directly and exclusively in agricultural production, storage, employee housing, horse training, maple syrup production, and beekeeping-related activities. The bill broadens the definition of covered farm structures to include buildings or portions of buildings used for the on-farm processing of agricultural and horticultural commodities. The bill also removes language that had excluded structures used for the processing or retail merchandising of agricultural and horticultural commodities, and it updates wording to use gender-neutral language. In practical terms, the measure would allow more farm-related buildings to qualify for the exemption, especially facilities tied to value-added processing and farm retail operations. The exemption would take effect one year after enactment and apply to assessment rolls based on taxable status dates on or after that date.

Impact

The bill would amend section 483 of the Real Property Tax Law, expanding eligibility for the new farm building tax exemption and thereby reducing property tax liability for qualifying agricultural properties. It would affect farmers and farm businesses that build or use structures for on-farm processing and related activities, while continuing to exclude certain facilities such as silos, bulk milk tanks or coolers, and manure storage, handling, and treatment facilities. Local assessing units would need to apply the broader exemption to future assessment rolls once the effective date is reached.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears generally supportive of agriculture and farm viability, with a policy goal of helping farms diversify into processing and retail sales without losing tax benefits. No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no documented opposition or support from debate or roll call history in the supplied materials. The overall framing suggests a favorable stance toward expanding tax relief for farm operations.

Contention

The main policy tension is the expansion of a tax exemption to include on-farm retail sales and processing, which could be viewed by some as broadening tax preferences beyond traditional production and storage uses. Potential concerns would likely center on revenue impacts to local governments and whether retail-oriented farm operations should receive the same exemption as core agricultural uses. However, no specific objections, amendments, or dissenting viewpoints are included in the provided record.