(a) The planning commission of any municipality in preparing a plan of conservation and development for such municipality may designate upon such plan areas which it recommends for preservation as areas of open space land, provided such designation is approved by a majority vote of the legislative body of such municipality. Land included in any area so designated upon such plan as finally adopted may be classified as open space land for purposes of property taxation or payments in lieu thereof if there has been no change in the use of such area which has adversely affected its essential character as an area of open space land between the date of the adoption of such plan and the date of such classification.

(b) An owner of land included in any area designated as open space land upon any plan as finally adopted may apply for its classification as open space land on any grand list of a municipality by filing a written application for such classification with the assessor thereof not earlier than thirty days before or later than thirty days after the assessment date, provided in a year in which a revaluation of all real property in accordance with section 12-62 becomes effective such application may be filed not later than ninety days after such assessment date. The assessor shall determine whether there has been any change in the area designated as an area of open space land upon the plan of development which adversely affects its essential character as an area of open space land and, if the assessor determines that there has been no such change, said assessor shall classify such land as open space land and include it as such on the grand list. An application for classification of land as open space land shall be made upon a form prescribed by the Commissioner of Agriculture and shall set forth a description of the land, a general description of the use to which it is being put, a statement of the potential liability for tax under the provisions of section 12-504a to 12-504f, inclusive, and such other information as the assessor may require to aid in determining whether such land qualifies for such classification.

(c) Failure to file an application for classification of land as open space land within the time limit prescribed in subsection (b) of this section and in the manner and form prescribed in said subsection (b) shall be considered a waiver of the right to such classification on such assessment list.

(d) Any person aggrieved by the denial by an assessor of any application for the classification of land as open space land shall have the same rights and remedies for appeal and relief as are provided in the general statutes for taxpayers claiming to be aggrieved by the doings of assessors or boards of assessment appeals.

(1963, P.A. 490, S. 5; P.A. 73-585, S. 5; 73-616, S. 10; P.A. 77-614, S. 139, 610; P.A. 79-513, S. 3, 6; 79-610, S. 3, 47; P.A. 94-201, S. 2, 7; P.A. 95-283, S. 47, 68; P.A. 00-120, S. 4, 13; P.A. 01-195, S. 118, 181; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(e); P.A. 04-189, S. 1; P.A. 05-190, S. 5.)

History: P.A. 73-585 amended Subsec. (b) to require that application include statement of potential tax liability under Secs. 12-504a to 12-504e; P.A. 73-616 substituted “(b)” for “(a)” in Subsec. (c) re time limit; P.A. 77-614 substituted commissioner of revenue services for tax commissioner, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-513 amended Subsec. (a) to require approval of designation as open space land by legislative body of municipality and amended Subsec. (b) to allow application within 90 days after assessment date in years in which revaluation becomes effective, effective July 1, 1979, and applicable to sale of any land classified for first time as farm, forest or open space land on or after that date; P.A. 79-610 substituted secretary of the office of policy and management for commissioner of revenue services, effective July 1, 1980; P.A. 94-201 amended Subsec. (b) to change the officer responsible for administration of that Subsec. from the secretary of policy and management to the commissioner of agriculture, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 95-283 amended Subsec. (d) to replace board of tax review with board of assessment appeals, effective July 6, 1995; P.A. 00-120 amended Subsec. (a) to allow designation of open space land for purposes of payments in lieu of taxes and amended Subsec. (b) by substituting grand list for assessment list and making technical changes, effective May 26, 2000, and applicable to assessment years commencing October 1, 2000; P.A. 01-195 made technical changes in Subsec. (b), effective July 11, 2001; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Commissioner of Agriculture with Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004; P.A. 05-190 amended Subsec. (b) by replacing reference to Sec. 12-504e with reference to Sec. 12-504f and made technical changes in Subsecs. (a) and (c), effective July 1, 2005, and applicable to sales, transfers or changes in use of land classified as farm land, forest land or open space land that occur on or after that date.

See Sec. 12-63 re rule of valuation.

Cited. 168 C. 319; Id., 466; 173 C. 328; 174 C. 10; 178 C. 100; Id., 295; 241 C. 382. Property designated as open space land requires a majority vote of legislative body before the land is eligible for open space classification for tax assessment purposes; open space designation alone does not create a vested right to open space classification for tax assessment purposes, and such right only exists after a landowner applies for such classification within the statutorily prescribed time. 292 C. 817.

Cited. 3 CA 53; 18 CA 608.

Statute contains sufficient guidelines for planning commission and is not void for vagueness. 34 CS 52.

Subsec. (a):

Three elements are necessary to a successful application to classify land as open space: First, the land must be in an area designated in the town plan as eligible for such classification, second, the applicant must file within the statutorily mandated time period, and third, there may be no change in the use of the land between the date of the town plan's adoption and the date of the classification; land was within an area designated by the plan as proposed open space and, therefore, the land was eligible for open space classification. 302 C. 70.

Mere fact that airport exists on a wetlands and flood hazard plain does not, on its own, entitle applicant to open space classification. 115 CA 438; judgment reversed in part, see 302 C. 70.

Subsec. (d):

Taxpayer is sufficiently aggrieved and entitled to a de novo determination of value when his property is wrongly misclassified under Subsec. and then assessed at an improper valuation, and taxpayer is not further required to establish, pursuant to Sec. 12-117a, that denial of application resulted in an overassessment. 302 C. 70.

Taxpayer who alleges aggrievement by denial of application for open space classification must establish that denial resulted in overassessment of the property. 115 CA 438; judgment reversed, see 302 C. 70.