Before the county auditor indorses any real property conveyance or manufactured or mobile home conveyance presented to the auditor pursuant to section 319.20 of the Revised Code or registers any manufactured or mobile home conveyance pursuant to section 4503.061 of the Revised Code, the grantee or the grantee's representative shall submit in triplicate a statement, prescribed by the tax commissioner, and other information as the county auditor may require, declaring the value of real property or manufactured or mobile home conveyed, except that when the transfer is exempt under division (G)(3) of section 319.54 of the Revised Code only a statement of the reason for the exemption shall be required. Each statement submitted under this section shall contain the information required under divisions (A) and (B) of this section.

(A) Each statement submitted under this section shall either:

(1) Contain an affirmation by the grantee that the grantor has been asked by the grantee or the grantee's representative whether to the best of the grantor's knowledge either the preceding or the current year's taxes on the real property or the current or following year's taxes on the manufactured or mobile home conveyed will be reduced under division (A) of section 323.152 or under section 4503.065 of the Revised Code and that the grantor indicated that to the best of the grantor's knowledge the taxes will not be so reduced; or

(2) Be accompanied by a sworn or affirmed instrument stating:

(a) To the best of the grantor's knowledge the real property or the manufactured or mobile home that is the subject of the conveyance is eligible for and will receive a reduction in taxes for or payable in the current year under division (A) of section 323.152 or under section 4503.065 of the Revised Code and that the reduction or reductions will be reflected in the grantee's taxes;

(b) The estimated amount of such reductions that will be reflected in the grantee's taxes;

(c) That the grantor and the grantee have considered and accounted for the total estimated amount of such reductions to the satisfaction of both the grantee and the grantor. The auditor shall indorse the instrument, return it to the grantee or the grantee's representative, and provide a copy of the indorsed instrument to the grantor or the grantor's representative.

(B) Each statement submitted under this section shall either:

(1) Contain an affirmation by the grantee that the grantor has been asked by the grantee or the grantee's representative whether to the best of the grantor's knowledge the real property conveyed qualified for the current agricultural use valuation under section 5713.30 of the Revised Code either for the preceding or the current year and that the grantor indicated that to the best of the grantor's knowledge the property conveyed was not so qualified; or

(2) Be accompanied by a sworn or affirmed instrument stating:

(a) To the best of the grantor's knowledge the real property conveyed was qualified for the current agricultural use valuation under section 5713.30 of the Revised Code either for the preceding or the current year;

(b) To the extent that the property will not continue to qualify for the current agricultural use valuation either for the current or the succeeding year, that the property will be subject to a recoupment charge equal to the tax savings in accordance with section 5713.34 of the Revised Code;

(c) That the grantor and the grantee have considered and accounted for the total estimated amount of such recoupment, if any, to the satisfaction of both the grantee and the grantor. The auditor shall indorse the instrument, forward it to the grantee or the grantee's representative, and provide a copy of the indorsed instrument to the grantor or the grantor's representative.

(C) The grantor shall pay the fee required by division (G)(3) of section 319.54 of the Revised Code; and, in the event the board of county commissioners of the county has levied a real property or a manufactured home transfer tax pursuant to Chapter 322. of the Revised Code, the amount required by the real property or manufactured home transfer tax so levied. If the conveyance is exempt from the fee provided for in division (G)(3) of section 319.54 of the Revised Code and the tax, if any, levied pursuant to Chapter 322. of the Revised Code, the reason for such exemption shall be shown on the statement. "Value" means, in the case of any deed or certificate of title not a gift in whole or part, the amount of the full consideration therefor, paid or to be paid for the real estate or manufactured or mobile home described in the deed or title, including the amount of any mortgage or vendor's lien thereon. If property sold under a land installment contract is conveyed by the seller under such contract to a third party and the contract has been of record at least twelve months prior to the date of conveyance, "value" means the unpaid balance owed to the seller under the contract at the time of the conveyance, but the statement shall set forth the amount paid under such contract prior to the date of conveyance. In the case of a gift in whole or part, "value" means the estimated price the real estate or manufactured or mobile home described in the deed or certificate of title would bring in the open market and under the then existing and prevailing market conditions in a sale between a willing seller and a willing buyer, both conversant with the property and with prevailing general price levels. No person shall willfully falsify the value of property conveyed.

(D) The auditor shall indorse each conveyance on its face to indicate the amount of the conveyance fee and compliance with this section and if the property is residential rental property include a statement that the grantee shall file with the county auditor the information required under division (A) or (C) of section 5323.02 of the Revised Code. The auditor shall retain the original copy of the statement of value, forward to the tax commissioner one copy on which shall be noted the most recent assessed value of the property, and furnish one copy to the grantee or the grantee's representative.

(E) In order to achieve uniform administration and collection of the transfer fee required by division (G)(3) of section 319.54 of the Revised Code, the tax commissioner shall adopt and promulgate rules for the administration and enforcement of the levy and collection of such fee.

(F) As used in this section, "residential rental property" has the same meaning as in section 5323.01 of the Revised Code.

Effective Date: 04-09-2001; 2007 HB119 06-30-2007 .