Wood County: CAUV renewal forms mailed
Last year, owners of agricultural property in Wood County saved more than $14.2 million in property taxes by having 317,634 acres enrolled in the Current Agricultural Use Value program, according to Matthew Oestreich, county auditor, who announced CAUV renewal forms for 2020 have been mailed to enrolled property owners.
Eligible property owners who aren’t currently enrolled may apply for the program. This year, applications must be filed with the auditor’s office by March 2.
CAUV authorizes county auditors to assess farmland at its value for producing crops rather than market value. That assessment procedure is intended to help preserve farmland operations by gearing the tax base to production rather than its development potential.
CAUV soil values are set by the Ohio Department of Taxation and are adjusted every three years for each county.
Oestreich said current CAUV assessments in Wood County were set for the 2017 tax year. New values will be issued for the 2020 tax year, which will be payable in 2021.
In the 2017 biennium budget, the state legislature included a major change for valuing CAUV land used only for conservation practices. That land is now being assessed at the lowest value in the soil valuation table used for CAUV, which is $230 per acre, rather than the value for a specific soil type.
As an example, Oestreich said Hoytville Clay soil that is tillable has a value of $3,110 per acre. If the land is used exclusively for conservation practices the value would be $230 per acre under CAUV.
There is no fee to renew land in CAUV but there is a $25 fee for initial applications.
Oestreich said if renewal forms aren’t filed by March 2 county auditors are required to assess the acreage at market value and recoup the tax savings of the past three years.
To qualify for the CAUV, land must meet one of the following requirements during the three years preceding an application: 10 or more acres must be devoted exclusively to commercial agricultural use; or, if less than 10 acres are devoted exclusively to commercial agricultural use, the farm must produce an average yearly gross income of at least $2,500.