Homesteads
Important Homestead Notice
The December 15th deadline to file for Homestead for taxes payable in 2012 is quickly approaching. If your property is currently not homesteaded, please take the time to read this very important
Property Tax Homestead Notice, to see if you may qualify and what you must do to change the homestead status of your property.
Homestead Market Value Exclusion
The 2011 Legislature repealed the Homestead Market Value Credit, (the homestead credit), and replaced it with a new Homestead Market Value Exclusion. The last year of the credit is for property taxes paid in 2011 and the exclusion begins for property taxes payable in 2012.
What is Homestead? 
Homestead is a program to reduce property taxes for owners who also occupy their homes.
You can qualify for this tax reduction if you own and occupy your house as your main place of residence.
Some relatives of the owner may qualify if they live in the owner's house. The relatives of the owner must be: child, stepchild, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, stepparent, parent-in-law, grandchild, grandparent, brother, brother-in-law, sister, Sister-in-law, aunt, uncle, nephew or niece.
In certain cases members of family farm corporations and farm partnerships may qualify. Other corporations or LLC's or partnerships do not qualify.
When and How to Apply
You should apply for homestead when you move into a house you own and it is your main place of residence. If you own and occupy by December 1st, your property taxes the next year will get the homestead reduction.
Applying
There are two ways to apply: in person, or by mail.
Applying in person
You can apply by visiting the Property Records & Licensing office on the first floor of the Government Center located at: 151 4 Street SE, Rochester, MN 55904
Applying by mail
You can apply by mail by completing the Application form and sending it to the following address:
Property Records & Licensing 151 4 Street SE, Rochester, MN 55904
When You Move
You are required by law to notify the assessor within 30-days if you move out of your home. Fill out the 
Application to Remove Homestead Classification(28KB) and send it to:Property Records & Licensing 151 4 Street SE, Rochester, MN 55904
Reporting Homestead Fraud
According to Minnesota Statutes section 609.41 it is illegal to falsify the information on a Homestead application. If you feel that you may know of someone who is homesteading their residence but not occupying the property please contact our office by using our secure email system to report this incident at: propertyweb@co.olmsted.mn.us
Homestead Applications
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