Massachusetts General Laws
Chapter 61 - Classification and Taxation of Forest Lands and Forest Products
Section 5 - Special and Betterment Assessments

Section 5. Land qualifying for valuation, assessment and taxation under this chapter shall be subject to special assessments or betterment assessments to the pro rata extent that the service or facility financed by the assessment is used for improving the forest production use capability of the land or for the personal benefit of the owner of the land. These assessments shall, upon application, be suspended during the time the land is in forest production use and shall become due and payable as of the date when the use of the land is changed. Payment of the assessment and interest on it shall be made in accordance with section 13 of chapter 80, but interest shall be computed from the date of the change in use. In the event only a portion of a tract of land which benefits from a suspension of payment is changed from this use, the assessment shall become due and payable as of the date when the use was changed only to the extent of and in the proportion that the frontage of that portion bears to the street frontage of the entire tract of land which originally benefited from a suspension of payment. Upon receipt of full payment of a portion of a suspended assessment, the tax collector shall dissolve the lien for the assessment insofar as it affects the portion of the land changed from forest production use. The lien for the portion of the original assessment which remains unpaid shall continue and remain in full force and effect until dissolved in accordance with law. A request for a release shall be made in writing to the tax collector and shall be accompanied by a plan and any other information that is required in the case of a request for a division of an assessment under section 4.

Structure Massachusetts General Laws