Property tax bill receives governor’s signature

During the 2025 Wyoming Legislative Session, leaders reviewed various property tax bills, which included Senate File (SF) 0069, House Bill (HB) 0282 and HB0012. 

Recently, the Wyoming Senate and House reached an agreement on a SF0069, and on Feb. 27, the Joint Conference Committee (JCC) approved the measure for consideration by the full legislature, before it was ready for Gov. Mark Gordon’s signature.

On March 4, Gordon signed SF0069, stating, “I have always supported tax accountability, and this bill provides tax relief without transferring the burden to our core energy industry.”

He adds, “This act, coupled with the bills I signed last year, responds to the call for property tax relief. Now the practical impacts of this legislation will need to be navigated by our cities, counties, special districts and citizens.”

SF0069 will provide a 25 percent property tax exemption on the first $1 million of a single-family home’s fair market value, does not have a sunset date and will take effect immediately, with an owner-occupied requirement beginning in the second year.

A work in progress

SF0069, referred to as the homeowner property tax exemption bill, has seen a variety of modifications since it was introduced at the beginning of this legislative session. 

Initially, the measure aimed to reduce property taxes by 50 percent on all residential homes and related properties, with a cap at $1 million in assessed value, but it faced concern from county officials. 

The purpose of the bill was to alleviate the financial burden on Wyoming residents, many of whom have experienced nearly double property taxes since 2019.

The bill passed the third reading in the Senate in a 23-to-eight vote before heading to the House where it passed in a 42-to-19 vote in the third reading, pushing it to the JCC.

As deadlines approached, a joint conference committee consisting of three Wyoming senators and three representatives were unable to reach an agreement on the property tax cut measure.

The Senate position on the bill had been a 50 percent tax cut without backfill, to sunset in two years, while the House had inserted over $200 million from state savings to make up for lost revenue to cities, towns and counties who depend on property tax revenue for local services, including a 25 percent cut in perpetuity without a sunset date.

Additionally, the proposal did not include a sunset clause, although the cuts might need to be repealed based on the results of a 2026 ballot initiative aimed at reducing homeowners’ property taxes by 50 percent.

During the JCC meeting on Feb. 27, Sen. Tim Salazar (R-S26) states, “It has been clear from the very beginning the people of Wyoming wanted property tax relief.”

He continues, “This is about one of the most important issues in the legislature, and I want to compliment the House because I know they also wanted property tax relief.”

House Majority Floor Leader Rep. Scott Heiner (R-H18) spoke during the JCC meeting, noting the House Republican Caucus met to discuss SF0069 and would like to offer up a proposal.

“We also ran a bunch of numbers based on the proposal offered, and we would like to accept the Senate’s position,” Heiner states. “But we would like to ask to amend the bill to include $15 million of backfill for special districts in the first year, such as hospital and fire protection districts, who will be hardest hit by the property tax reduction.”

Salazar rebuts, “We don’t feel the backfill is needed. The bill originally proposed a 50 percent property tax exemption. Now we’re at 25 percent, and we feel, at 25 percent, the hit is negligible.”

“This is something that provides immediate tax relief. It is important we do something this year and not kick the can down the road,” Heiner states. “So rather than lose the bill, we will withdraw our backfill proposal and go with the Senate position.”

Inside the bill

SF0069 includes provisions for active members of the military. It is not available to anyone who receives the long-term homeowner property tax exemption the legislature passed last year and is available to residents who have occupied the property for eight months. 

“One of the reasons we came down for this session was to give property tax relief to our constituency,” Salazar states. “This is a means to do it. It’s substantive. They will feel the benefits this year. I think it’s a win for the people of Wyoming.”

SF0069 underwent significant amendments during its progression to become law, a major point of contention was whether to reimburse counties for lost tax revenues, referred to as a backfill. 

In the end, the bill did not allocate any funds to compensate for these losses to the counties.

Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.