Feb. 04, 2022

OSWEGO COUNTY – An executive order passed by the Governor’s office late in December authorized local governments to grant certain property tax exemptions this year without the need for filing a renewal application.

The executive order only gives cities and towns the option of forgoing renewal application if they pass a resolution and only applies to households receiving the “senior citizen” exemption or the “disability with limited income” exemption that also had the exemption last year.

Usually, local assessors send annual renewal applications to households that received these exemptions the year before and it’s up to the homeowners to file them by March 1.

As of January 28, only the following municipalities have passed a resolution to grant automatic renewals for these two exemptions: City of Fulton, City of Oswego, Oswego Town, Parish and Redfield. Homeowners in other municipalities will need to file their renewal application with their local assessor by Tuesday, March 1.

Last year there were 1,016 households that received the “senior” exemption and 138 households that received the “disability” exemption, according to Oswego County’s Department of Real Property Tax Services. In 2020, the New York State Legislature passed a law mandating automatic renewals for last year’s assessment rolls, but every municipality was required to comply.

“We now have two years in a row without renewal applications for some of our cities and towns, but I want everyone to remember this isn’t a permanent change to the process,” said Oswego County Director of Real Property Tax Services Corey Metz. “It’s just another a one-time thing this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Next year, everyone should expect to file renewal applications like usual.”

New applicants for either exemption are still required to file an application with their local assessor even if they are in a town that passed a resolution.

Anyone with questions concerning eligibility for exemptions should contact their assessor. A full list of local assessors along with their contact information is available online at www.oswegocounty.com/rpts or by calling the Oswego County Department of Real Property Tax Services at 315-349-8315.