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HB 233

AN ACT proposing to amend Section 172B of the Constitution of Kentucky relating to property exempt from taxation.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Jared Bauman

Authorizes local governments to impose property tax assessment/reassessment moratoriums on both new developments and existing properties, with no fixed five-year cap.

to Elections, Const. Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs (H)
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Bill Summary · HB 233

Summary of HB 233 (2026 Regular Session, Kentucky)

Purpose and intent

  • Proposes a constitutional amendment to Section 172B of the Kentucky Constitution.
  • The core aim is to allow local governments (county, municipal, and urban-county) to declare property assessment or reassessment moratoriums. The stated policy rationale is to encourage development, repair, rehabilitation, or restoration of real property by providing temporary tax relief through valuation freezes.
  • The measure would remove previous limitations that tied moratoriums exclusively to repairing/restoring existing improvements and would lift the five-year maximum duration currently specified.

Key provisions and changes

  • Section 2 of the act would amend Section 172B to authorize local governments to implement property assessment or reassessment moratoriums for qualifying real property to stimulate development, repair, rehabilitation, or restoration (the phrase “existing improvements” would be removed).
  • The amendment would:
    • Allow moratoriums to apply to new development as well as existing structures needing work.
    • Remove the prior cap limiting moratoriums to five years for any single unit of property; the duration would be determined by the General Assembly through general law.
  • Section 1 and the ballot language in Section 4 set up a voter referendum for approval.
  • Section 3 outlines the process for submission to voters, with the amendment to be decided at a regular election following constitutionally prescribed procedures.
  • Section 5 provides the timing for certification and ballot placement, noting the ballot text must be delivered to county clerks by specified deadlines relative to elections (timelines vary by whether a presidential election year is involved).

Who/what would be affected

  • Local governments (counties, municipalities, and urban-county governments) could implement moratoriums on property tax assessments or reassessments for designated properties.
  • Eligible units would include both existing properties undergoing repair/restoration and new development projects, broadening the scope beyond the current emphasis on rehabilitating existing improvements.
  • County clerks and the local election infrastructure would handle ballot placement, printing, and related costs.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • The measure, if ratified, would amend the Kentucky Constitution and require submission to voters at the next regular election for General Assembly members (per constitutional and statutory election timing rules).
  • Ballot placement and publication would occur no later than the first Tuesday in August preceding the election, with full text certified and delivered to county clerks by specific deadlines before that election (timelines differ in presidential election years vs. non-presidential years).
  • Local election costs would be minimal to add a constitutional amendment category to ballots, but there could be modest incremental costs for ballot printing and ballot programming (as projection notes from LRC and vendor estimates).

Fiscal and implementation considerations

  • Local fiscal impact: Additional, but described as minimal, costs to counties for ballot preparation and potential ballot-page expansion.
  • Administrative impact: Requires local governing authorities to establish qualification standards and duration limits for moratorium participation (to be set by general law after the amendment passes).
  • State role: The General Assembly would determine the permissible duration of moratoriums through general law, and the amendment would authorize the creation of such programs in a broader context.

Bottom-line

HB 233 seeks to broaden and extend tax assessment/reassessment moratorium authority for local governments to include new development as well as rehabilitation, and to remove the five-year cap, subject to future General Assembly-determined duration limits. The measure would be decided by voters in the next regular election for General Assembly members, with associated publication and certification timelines for ballot placement.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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