Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes
Chapter 88 - Consolidated County Assessment
Section 8811 - Subjects of local taxation


(a) Subjects of taxation enumerated.--Except as provided in subsection (b), all subjects and property made taxable by the laws of this Commonwealth for county, city, borough, town, township and school district purposes shall, as provided in this chapter, be valued and assessed at the annual rates, including all:
(1) Real estate, namely:
(i) houses;
(ii) manufactured homes and mobile homes permanently attached to land or connected with water, gas, electric or sewage facilities;
(iii) buildings permanently attached to land or connected with water, gas, electric or sewage facilities;
(iv) lands, lots of ground and ground rents, trailer parks and parking lots;
(v) mills and manufactories of all kinds, furnaces, forges, bloomeries, distilleries, sugar houses, malt houses, breweries, tan yards, fisheries, ferries and wharves;
(vi) all office buildings;
(vii) that portion of a steel, lead, aluminum or like melting and continuous casting structure which encloses or provides shelter or protection from the elements for the various machinery, tools, appliances, equipment, materials or products involved in the mill, mine, manufactory or industrial process; and
(viii) telecommunication towers that have become affixed to land.
(2) All other things now taxable by the laws of this Commonwealth for taxing districts.
(b) Exceptions.--The following are not subject to tax:
(1) Machinery, tools, appliances and other equipment contained in any mill, mine, manufactory or industrial establishment shall not be considered or included as a part of the real estate in determining the value for taxation of the mill, mine, manufactory or industrial establishment.
(2) Silos used predominantly for processing or storage of animal feed incidental to operation of the farm on which it is located, freestanding detachable grain bins or corn cribs used exclusively for processing or storage of animal feed incidental to the operation of the farm on which it is located and inground and aboveground structures and containments used predominantly for processing and storage of animal waste and composting facilities incidental to operation of the farm on which the structures and containments are located shall not be considered or included as part of the real estate.
(3) No amusement park rides shall be assessed or taxed as real estate regardless of whether they have become affixed to the real estate.
(4) No sign or sign structure primarily used to support or display a sign shall be assessed as real property by a county for purposes of the taxation of real property by the county or a political subdivision located within the county or by a municipality located within the county authorized to assess real property for purposes of taxation, regardless of whether the sign or sign structure has become affixed to the real estate.
(5) No wind turbine generators or related wind energy appliances and equipment, including towers and tower foundations, shall be considered or included as part of the real property in determining the fair market value and assessment of real property used for the purpose of wind energy generation. Real property used for the purpose of wind energy generation shall be valued under section 8842(b)(2) (relating to valuation of property).
(6) All high tunnels.
(Dec. 18, 2013, P.L.1190, No.114, eff. 60 days; July 1, 2020, P.L.543, No.46, eff. Jan. 1, 2021)

2020 Amendment. Act 46 amended subsec. (a)(1).
2013 Amendment. Act 114 added subsec. (b)(6).
Agreements or Assessment Practices. Section 5(2) of Act 93 of 2010 provided that subsec. (b)(5) shall not affect an agreement or agreed to assessment practice actively in place in a county on January 28, 2007.
Cross References. Section 8811 is referred to in section 8801 of this title.

Structure Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes

Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes

Title 53 - MUNICIPALITIES GENERALLY

Chapter 88 - Consolidated County Assessment

Extra - Chapter Notes

Section 8801 - Short title and scope of chapter

Section 8802 - Definitions

Section 8803 - Excluded provisions

Section 8804 - Construction of chapter

Section 8811 - Subjects of local taxation

Section 8812 - Exemptions from taxation

Section 8813 - Temporary tax exemption for residential construction

Section 8814 - Temporary assessment change for real estate subject to sewer connection ban order

Section 8815 - Catastrophic loss

Section 8816 - Clerical and mathematical errors

Section 8817 - Changes in assessed valuation

Section 8818 - Assessment of lands divided by boundary lines

Section 8819 - Separate assessment of coal and surface

Section 8820 - Assessment of real estate subject to ground rent or mortgage

Section 8821 - Assessment of mobile homes and manufactured homes

Section 8822 - Taxing districts lying in more than one county and choice of assessment ratio

Section 8823 - Limitation on tax increase after countywide reassessment

Section 8831 - Chief assessor

Section 8832 - Subordinate assessors

Section 8833 - Solicitor

Section 8834 - Assessment records system

Section 8841 - Assessment roll and interim revisions

Section 8842 - Valuation of property

Section 8843 - Spot reassessment

Section 8844 - Notices, appeals and certification of values

Section 8845 - Service of notices

Section 8846 - Notice of changes given to taxing authorities

Section 8847 - Application of assessment changed as result of appeal

Section 8848 - Special provisions relating to countywide revisions of assessments

Section 8851 - Board of assessment appeals and board of assessment revision

Section 8852 - Regulations and training of boards

Section 8853 - Auxiliary appeal boards

Section 8854 - Appeals to court

Section 8855 - Appeals by taxing districts

Section 8861 - Submission of permit and substantial improvement information to the county assessment office and civil penalty

Section 8862 - Recorder of deeds to furnish record of conveyances, compensation

Section 8862.1 - Grantees of real property to register deed with chief assessor

Section 8863 - Assessment of property of decedent's estates

Section 8864 - Assessment of personal property

Section 8865 - Assessment of occupations

Section 8866 - Limitation on rates of specific taxes

Section 8867 - Prohibition on certain levies

Section 8868 - Optional use by cities