§ 466-D*3 — Volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance workers

* § 466-d. Volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance workers. 1.\nReal property owned by an enrolled member of an incorporated volunteer\nfire company, fire department or incorporated voluntary ambulance\nservice or such enrolled member and spouse residing in a county which\nhas a population of more than nine hundred thousand and less than nine\nhundred fifty thousand persons, shall be exempt from taxation to the\nextent of ten percent of the assessed value of such property for city,\nvillage, town, part town, school district, special district or county\npurposes, exclusive of special assessments, provided that the governing\nbody of a city, village, town, school district, or county, after a\npublic hearing, adopts a local law, ordinance or resolution providing\ntherefor.\n 2. Such exemption shall be granted to an enrolled member of an\nincorporated volunteer fire company, fire department or incorporated\nvoluntary ambulance service residing in such county only if:\n (a) the applicant resides in the city, town or village which is served\nby such incorporated volunteer fire company or fire department or\nincorporated voluntary ambulance service;\n (b) the property is the primary residence of the applicant;\n (c) the property is used exclusively for residential purposes;\nprovided, however, that in the event any portion of such property is not\nused exclusively for the applicant's residence but is used for other\npurposes, such portion shall be subject to taxation and the remaining\nportion only shall be entitled to the exemption provided by this\nsection;\n (d) the applicant has been certified by the authority having\njurisdiction for the incorporated volunteer fire company or fire\ndepartment as an enrolled member of such incorporated volunteer fire\ncompany or fire department for at least five years or the applicant has\nbeen certified by the authority having jurisdiction for the incorporated\nvoluntary ambulance service as an enrolled member of such incorporated\nvoluntary ambulance service for at least five years. It shall be the\nduty and responsibility of the municipality which adopts a local law,\nordinance or resolution pursuant to this section to determine the\nprocedure for certification; and\n (e) (i) for volunteer firefighters, the area served by the volunteer\nfire company does not encompass any area served by a fire company having\nfive or more professional firefighters.\n (ii) for volunteer ambulance workers, the area served by the volunteer\nambulance company does not encompass any area served by an ambulance\ncompany having five or more professional ambulance workers.\n 3. Any enrolled member of an incorporated volunteer fire company, fire\ndepartment or incorporated voluntary ambulance service who accrues more\nthan twenty years of active service and is so certified by the authority\nhaving jurisdiction for the incorporated volunteer fire company, fire\ndepartment or incorporated voluntary ambulance service, shall be granted\nthe ten percent exemption as authorized by this section for the\nremainder of his or her life as long as his or her primary residence is\nlocated within such a county provided that the governing body of a city,\nvillage, town, school district or county, after a public hearing, adopts\na local law, ordinance or resolution providing therefor.\n 4. Any volunteer firefighter or volunteer ambulance worker of such\ncounty who is or becomes permanently disabled due to the exercise of his\nor her duties as such firefighter or ambulance worker and who is\nprevented from being certified as an active service member shall be\nentitled to the annual certification during the period of his or her\ndisability.\n 5. Application for such exemption shall be filed with the assessor or\nother agency, department or office designated by the municipality\noffering such exemption on or before the taxable status date on a form\nas prescribed by the commissioner.\n 6. No applicant who is a volunteer firefighter or volunteer ambulance\nworker who by reason of such status is receiving any benefit under the\nprovisions of this article on the effective date of this section shall\nsuffer any diminution of such benefit because of the provisions of this\nsection.\n * NB There are 4 § 466-d's\n * NB Repealed December 9, 2028\n