Section 48-5-7.7. Short title; definitions; qualifications for conservation use assessment

   (a) This Code section shall be known and may be cited as the "Georgia Forest Land Protection Act of 2008."

(b) As used in this Code section, the term:

   (1) "Contiguous" means real property within a county that abuts, joins, or touches and has the same undivided common ownership. If an applicant's tract is divided by a county boundary, public roadway, public easement, public right of way, natural boundary, land lot line, or railroad track, then the applicant has, at the time of the initial application, a one-time election to declare the tract as contiguous irrespective of a county boundary, public roadway, public easement, public right of way, natural boundary, land lot line, or railroad track.

   (2) "Forest land conservation use property" means forest land each tract of which consists of more than 200 acres of tangible real property of an owner subject to the following qualifications:

      (A) Such property must be owned by an individual or individuals or by any entity registered to do business in this state;

      (B) Such property excludes the entire value of any residence and its underlying land located on the property; as used in this subparagraph, the term "underlying land" means the minimum lot size required for residential construction by local zoning ordinances or two acres, whichever is less. This provision for excluding the underlying land of a residence from eligibility in the conservation use covenant shall only apply to property that is first made subject to such a covenant, or is subject to a renewal of a previous conservation use covenant, on or after January 1, 2014;

      (C) Such property has as its primary use the good faith subsistence or commercial production of trees, timber, or other wood and wood fiber products from or on the land. Such primary use includes land conservation and ecological forest management in which commercial production of wood and wood fiber products may be undertaken primarily for conservation and restoration purposes rather than financial gain. Such property may, in addition, have one or more of the following secondary uses:

         (i) The promotion, preservation, or management of wildlife habitat;

         (ii) Carbon sequestration in accordance with the Georgia Carbon Sequestration Registry;

         (iii) Mitigation and conservation banking that results in restoration or conservation of wetlands and other natural resources; or

         (iv) The production and maintenance of ecosystem products and services, such as, but not limited to, clean air and water.

Forest land conservation use property may include, but is not limited to, land that has been certified as environmentally sensitive property by the Department of Natural Resources or which is managed in accordance with a recognized sustainable forestry certification program, such as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Forest Stewardship Council, American Tree Farm Program, or an equivalent sustainable forestry certification program approved by the State Forestry Commission.

   (3) "Qualified owner" means any individual or individuals or any entity registered to do business in this state.

   (4) "Qualified property" means forest land conservation use property as defined in this subsection.

   (5) "Qualifying purpose" means a use that meets the qualifications of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of this subsection.

(c) The following additional rules shall apply to the qualification of forest land conservation use property for conservation use assessment:

   (1) All contiguous forest land conservation use property of an owner within a county for which forest land conservation use assessment is sought under this Code section shall be in a single covenant unless otherwise required under subsection (e) of this Code section;

   (2) When one-half or more of the area of a single tract of real property is used for the qualifying purpose, then the entirety of such tract shall be considered as used for such qualifying purpose unless some other type of business is being operated on the portion of the tract that is not being used for a qualifying purpose; provided, however, that such other portion must be minimally managed so that it does not contribute significantly to erosion or other environmental or conservation problems or must be used for one or more secondary purposes specified in subparagraph (b)(2)(C) of this Code section. The following uses of real property shall not constitute using the property for another type of business:

      (A) The lease of hunting rights or the use of the property for hunting purposes;

      (B) The charging of admission for use of the property for fishing purposes;

      (C) The production of pine straw or native grass seed;

      (D) The granting of easements solely for ingress and egress; and

      (E) Any type of business devoted to secondary uses listed under subparagraph (b)(2)(C) of this Code section; and

   (3) No otherwise qualified forest land conservation use property shall be denied conservation use assessment on the grounds that no soil map is available for the county or counties, if applicable, in which such property is located; provided, however, that if no soil map is available for the county or counties, if applicable, in which such property is located, the board of tax assessors shall use the current soil classification applicable to such property.

(d) No property shall qualify for conservation use assessment under this Code section unless and until the qualified owner of such property agrees by covenant with the appropriate taxing authority to maintain the eligible property in forest land conservation use for a period of 15 years beginning on the first day of January of the year in which such property qualifies for such conservation use assessment and ending on the last day of December of the final year of the covenant period. After the qualified owner has applied for and has been allowed conservation use assessment provided for in this Code section, it shall not be necessary to make application thereafter for any year in which the covenant period is in effect and conservation use assessment shall continue to be allowed such qualified owner as specified in this Code section. At least 60 days prior to the expiration date of the covenant, the county board of tax assessors where the property is located shall send by first-class mail written notification of such impending expiration. Upon the expiration of any covenant period, the property shall not qualify for further conservation use assessment under this Code section unless and until the qualified owner of the property has entered into a renewal covenant for an additional period of 15 years; provided, however, that the qualified owner may enter into a renewal contract in the fourteenth year of a covenant period so that the contract is continued without a lapse for an additional 15 years.

(e) Subject to the limitations of paragraph (1) of subsection (c) of this Code section, a qualified owner shall be authorized to enter into more than one covenant under this Code section for forest land conservation use property. Any such qualified property may include a tract or tracts of land which are located in more than one county in which event the owner shall enter into a covenant with each county. In the event a single contiguous tract is required to have separate covenants under this subsection, the total acreage of that single contiguous tract shall be utilized for purposes of determining the 200 acre requirement of this Code section.

(f) (1) A qualified owner shall not be authorized to make application for and receive conservation use assessment under this Code section for any property which at the time of such application is receiving preferential assessment under Code Section 48-5-7.1 or current use assessment under Code Section 48-5-7.4; provided, however, that if any property is subject to a covenant under either of those Code sections, it may be changed from such covenant and placed under a covenant under this Code section if it is otherwise qualified. Any such change shall terminate the existing covenant and shall not constitute a breach thereof. No property may be changed more than once under this paragraph.

   (2) Any property that is subject to a covenant under this Code section and subsequently fails to adhere to the qualifying purpose, as defined in paragraph (5) of subsection (b) of this Code section, may be changed from the covenant under this Code section and placed under a covenant provided for in Code Section 48-5-7.4 if the property otherwise qualifies under the provisions of that Code section. In such a case, the existing covenant under this Code section shall be terminated, and the change shall not constitute a breach thereof. No property may be changed more than once under this paragraph.

(g) Except as otherwise provided in this Code section, no property shall maintain its eligibility for conservation use assessment under this Code section unless a valid covenant or covenants, if applicable, remain in effect and unless the property is continuously devoted to forest land conservation use during the entire period of the covenant or covenants, if applicable.

(h) If any breach of a covenant occurs, the existing covenant shall be terminated and all qualification requirements must be met again before the property shall be eligible for conservation use assessment under this Code section.

(i) (1) If ownership of all or a part of a forest land conservation use property is acquired during a covenant period by another qualified owner, then the original covenant may be continued only by both such acquiring owner and the transferor for the remainder of the term, in which event, no breach of the covenant shall be deemed to have occurred if the total size of a tract from which the transfer was made is reduced below 200 acres or the size of the tract transferred is less than 200 acres. Following the expiration of the original covenant, no new covenant shall be entered with respect to either tract unless such tract exceeds 200 acres. If a qualified owner has entered into an original forest land conservation use covenant and subsequently acquires additional qualified property contiguous to the property in the original covenant, the qualified owner may elect to enter the subsequently acquired qualified property into the original covenant for the remainder of the 15 year period of the original covenant; provided, however, that such subsequently acquired qualified property shall be less than 200 acres.

   (2) If, following such transfer, a breach of the covenant occurs by the acquiring owner, the penalty and interest shall apply to the entire transferred tract and shall be paid by the acquiring owner who breached the covenant. In such case, the covenant shall terminate on such entire transferred tract but shall continue on such entire remaining tract from which the transfer was made and on which the breach did not occur for the remainder of the original covenant.

   (3) If, following such transfer, a breach of the covenant occurs by the transferring owner, the penalty and interest shall apply to the entire remaining tract from which the transfer was made and shall be paid by the transferring owner who breached the covenant. In such case, the covenant shall terminate on such entire remaining tract from which the transfer was made but shall continue on such entire transferred tract and on which the breach did not occur for the remainder of the original covenant.

(j) (1) For each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2014, all applications for conservation use assessment under this Code section, including any forest land covenant required under this Code section, shall be filed on or before the last day for filing ad valorem tax appeals of the annual notice of assessment except that in the case of property which is the subject of a tax appeal of the annual notice of assessment under Code Section 48-5-311, an application for forest land conservation use assessment may be filed at any time while such appeal is pending. An application for continuation of such forest land conservation use assessment upon a change in ownership of all or a part of the qualified property shall be filed on or before the last date for filing tax returns in the year following the year in which the change in ownership occurred. Applications for forest land conservation use assessment under this Code section shall be filed with the county board of tax assessors in which the property is located who shall approve or deny the application. Such county board of tax assessors shall file a copy of the approved covenant in the office of the clerk of the superior court in the county in which the eligible property is located. The clerk of the superior court shall file and index such covenant in the real property records maintained in the clerk's office. If the covenant is not so recorded in the real property records, a transferee of the property affected shall not be bound by the covenant or subject to any penalty for its breach. The fee of the clerk of the superior court for recording such covenants shall be paid by the qualified owner of the eligible property with the application for forest land conservation use assessment under this Code section and shall be paid to the clerk by the board of tax assessors when the application is filed with the clerk. If the application is denied, the board of tax assessors shall notify the applicant in the same manner that notices of assessment are given pursuant to Code Section 48-5-306 and shall return any filing fees advanced by the owner. Appeals from the denial of an application or covenant by the board of tax assessors shall be made in the same manner that other property tax appeals are made pursuant to Code Section 48-5-311.

   (2) In the event such application is approved, the qualified owner shall continue to receive annual notification of any change in the forest land fair market value of such property, and any appeals with respect to such valuation shall be made in the same manner as other property tax appeals are made pursuant to Code Section 48-5-311.

(k) The commissioner shall by regulation provide uniform application and covenant forms to be used in making application for conservation use assessment under this Code section.

(l) In the case of an alleged breach of the covenant, the qualified owner shall be notified in writing by the board of tax assessors. The qualified owner shall have a period of 30 days from the date of such notice to cease and desist the activity alleged in the notice to be in breach of the covenant or to remediate or correct the condition or conditions alleged in the notice to be in breach of the covenant. Following a physical inspection of property, the board of tax assessors shall notify the qualified owner that such activity or activities have or have not properly ceased or that the condition or conditions have or have not been remediated or corrected. The qualified owner shall be entitled to appeal the decision of the board of tax assessors and file an appeal disputing the findings of the board of tax assessors. Such appeal shall be conducted in the same manner that other property tax appeals are made pursuant to Code Section 48-5-311.

(m) (1) A penalty shall be imposed under this subsection if during the period of the covenant entered into by a qualified owner the covenant is breached.

   (2) Except as provided in subsection (i) of this Code section and paragraph (4) of this subsection, the penalty shall be applicable to the entire tract which is the subject of the covenant.

   (3) The penalty shall be twice the difference between the total amount of the tax paid pursuant to the conservation use assessment under this Code section and the total amount of taxes which would otherwise have been due under this chapter for each completed or partially completed year of the covenant period. Any such penalty shall bear interest at the rate specified in Code Section 48-2-40 from the date the covenant is breached.

   (4) If ownership of a portion of the land subject to the original covenant constituting at least 200 acres is transferred to another owner qualified to enter into an original forest land conservation use covenant in a bona fide arm's length transaction and breach subsequently occurs, then the penalty shall either be assessed against the entire remaining tract from which the transfer was made or the entire transferred tract, on whichever the breach occurred. The calculation of penalties in paragraph (3) of this subsection shall be used except that the penalty amount resulting from such calculation shall be multiplied by the percentage which represents the acreage of such tract on which the breach occurs to the original covenant acreage. The resulting amount shall be the penalty amount owed by the owner of such tract of land on which the breach occurred.

(n) In any case of a breach of the covenant where a penalty under subsection (m) of this Code section is imposed, an amount equal to the amount of reimbursement to each county, municipality, and board of education in each year of the covenant shall be collected under subsection (o) of this Code section and paid over to the commissioner who shall deposit such amount in the general fund.

(o) Penalties and interest imposed under this Code section shall constitute a lien against that portion of the property to which the penalty has been applied under subsection (m) of this Code section and shall be collected in the same manner as unpaid ad valorem taxes are collected. Except as provided in subsection (n) of this Code section, such penalties and interest shall be distributed pro rata to each taxing jurisdiction wherein conservation use assessment under this Code section has been granted based upon the total amount by which such conservation use assessment has reduced taxes for each such taxing jurisdiction on the property in question as provided in this Code section.

(p) The penalty imposed by subsection (m) of this Code section shall not apply in any case where a covenant is breached solely as a result of:

   (1) The acquisition of part or all of the property under the power of eminent domain;

   (2) The sale of part or all of the property to a public or private entity which would have had the authority to acquire the property under the power of eminent domain; or

   (3) The death of an individual qualified owner who was a party to the covenant.

(q) The following shall not constitute a breach of a covenant:

   (1) Mineral exploration of the property subject to the covenant or the leasing of the property subject to the covenant for purposes of mineral exploration if the primary use of the property continues to be the good faith production from or on the land of timber;

   (2) Allowing all or part of the property subject to the covenant to lie fallow or idle for purposes of any forestry conservation program, for purposes of any federal agricultural assistance program, or for other agricultural management purposes;

   (3) Allowing all or part of the property subject to the covenant to lie fallow or idle due to economic or financial hardship if the qualified owner notifies the board of tax assessors on or before the last day for filing a tax return in the county where the land lying fallow or idle is located and if such qualified owner does not allow the land to lie fallow or idle for more than two years of any five-year period;

   (4) (A) Any property which is subject to a covenant for forest land conservation use being transferred to a place of religious worship or burial or an institution of purely public charity if such place or institution is qualified to receive the exemption from ad valorem taxation provided for under subsection (a) of Code Section 48-5-41. No qualified owner shall be entitled to transfer more than 25 acres of such person's property in the aggregate under this paragraph.

      (B) Any property transferred under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph shall not be used by the transferee for any purpose other than for a purpose which would entitle such property to the applicable exemption from ad valorem taxation provided for under subsection (a) of Code Section 48-5-41 or subsequently transferred until the expiration of the term of the covenant period. Any such use or transfer shall constitute a breach of the covenant; or

   (5) Leasing a portion of the property subject to the covenant, but in no event more than six acres of every unit of 2,000 acres, for the purpose of placing thereon a cellular telephone transmission tower. Any such portion of such property shall cease to be subject to the covenant as of the date of execution of such lease and shall be subject to ad valorem taxation at fair market value.

(r) In the following cases, the penalty specified by subsection (m) of this Code section shall not apply and the penalty imposed shall be the amount by which conservation use assessment has reduced taxes otherwise due for the year in which the covenant is breached, such penalty to bear interest at the rate specified in Code Section 48-2-40 from the date of the breach:

   (1) Any case in which a covenant is breached solely as a result of the foreclosure of a deed to secure debt or the property is conveyed to the lienholder without compensation and in lieu of foreclosure, if:

      (A) The deed to secure debt was executed as a part of a bona fide commercial loan transaction in which the grantor of the deed to secure debt received consideration equal in value to the principal amount of the debt secured by the deed to secure debt;

      (B) The loan was made by a person or financial institution who or which is regularly engaged in the business of making loans; and

      (C) The deed to secure debt was intended by the parties as security for the loan and was not intended for the purpose of carrying out a transfer which would otherwise be subject to the penalty specified by subsection (m) of this Code section;

   (2) Any case in which a covenant is breached solely as a result of a medically demonstrable illness or disability which renders the qualified owner of the real property physically unable to continue the property in the qualifying use, provided that the board of tax assessors or boards of assessors, if applicable, shall require satisfactory evidence which clearly demonstrates that the breach is the result of a medically demonstrable illness or disability;

   (3) Any case in which a covenant is breached solely as a result of a qualified owner electing to discontinue the property in its qualifying use, provided such qualified owner has renewed without an intervening lapse at least once the covenant for land conservation use, has reached the age of 65 or older, and has kept the property in the qualifying use under the renewal covenant for at least three years. Such election shall be in writing and shall not become effective until filed with the county board of tax assessors or boards of assessors, if applicable; or

   (4) Any case in which a covenant is breached solely as a result of a qualified owner electing to discontinue the property in its qualifying use, provided such qualified owner entered into the covenant for forest land conservation use for the first time after reaching the age of 67 and has either owned the property for at least 15 years or inherited the property and has kept the property in the qualifying use under the covenant for at least three years. Such election shall be in writing and shall not become effective until filed with the county board of tax assessors where the property is located.

(s) Property which is subject to forest land conservation use assessment under this Code section shall be separately classified from all other property on the tax digest; and such separate classification shall be such as will enable any person examining the tax digest to ascertain readily that the property is subject to conservation use assessment under this Code section. Covenants shall be public records and shall be indexed and maintained in such manner as will allow members of the public to locate readily the covenant affecting any particular property subject to conservation use assessment under this Code section. Based on information submitted by the county boards of tax assessors, the commissioner shall maintain a central registry of conservation use property, indexed by qualified owners.

(t) The commissioner shall annually submit a report to the Governor, the Department of Agriculture, the Georgia Agricultural Statistical Service, the State Forestry Commission, the Department of Natural Resources, and the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service and the House Ways and Means, Natural Resources and Environment, and Agriculture and Consumer Affairs committees and the Senate Finance, Natural Resources and the Environment, and Agriculture and Consumer Affairs committees and shall make such report available to other members of the General Assembly, which report shall show the fiscal impact of the assessments provided for in this Code section. The report shall include the amount of assessed value eliminated from each county's digest as a result of such assessments; approximate tax dollar losses, by county, to all local governments affected by such assessments; and any recommendations regarding state and local administration of this Code section, with emphasis upon enforcement problems, if any, attendant with this Code section. The report shall also include any other data or facts which the commissioner deems relevant.

(u) A public notice containing a brief, factual summary of the provisions of this Code section shall be posted in a prominent location readily viewable by the public in the office of the board of tax assessors and in the office of the tax commissioner of each county in this state.

(v) At such time as the property ceases to be eligible for forest land conservation use assessment or when any 15 year covenant period expires and the property does not qualify for further forest land conservation use assessment, the qualified owner of the property shall file an application for release of forest land conservation use treatment with the county board of tax assessors where the property is located who shall approve the release upon verification that all taxes and penalties with respect to the property have been satisfied. After the application for release has been approved by such board of tax assessors, the board shall file the release in the office of the clerk of the superior court in the county in which the original covenant was filed. The clerk of the superior court shall file and index such release in the real property records maintained in the clerk's office. No fee shall be paid to the clerk of the superior court for recording such release. The commissioner shall by regulation provide uniform release forms.

(w) The commissioner shall have the power to make and publish reasonable rules and regulations for the implementation and enforcement of this Code section. Without limiting the commissioner's authority with respect to any other such matters, the commissioner may prescribe soil maps and other appropriate sources of information for documenting eligibility as a forest land conservation use property. The commissioner also may provide that advance notice be given to a qualified owner of the intent of a board of tax assessors to deem a change in use as a breach of a covenant.

Code 1981, § 48-5-7.7, enacted by Ga. L. 2008, p. 297, § 2/HB 1211; Ga. L. 2009, p. 27, § 2/SB 55; Ga. L. 2009, p. 216, § 2A/SB 240; Ga. L. 2011, p. 285, § 1/HB 95; Ga. L. 2013, p. 655, § 2/HB 197.