New Waterfront Tax proposed HB 629-FN

hemlock · 02-04-2025, 05:29 PM

So DES came up with a complicated formula to measure shorefront because in their opinion too many people were measuring every rock angle spit and indent to come up with actual frontage to allow them more docks.
So in a recent shoreland protection application for a family island camp this is how it went.

Deed from 1965 says 100 feet frontage. Surveyor measured 102 actual along the shoreline. Pin to pin was 73 feet (lot included a point of land).

DES calculation was this. 73+102=175/2=87.5 feet of frontage.

So the fee proposal is to use tax card info from the towns for invoicing. Tax card says 100 feet. I assume thats what we get taxed. Now who to I go to for an abatement? DES? The Town? BTLA? Superior Court? Is there even a process to abate fees? Talk about a can of worms!

02-04-2025, 05:29 PM	#11
hemlock Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 64 Thanks: 1 Thanked 37 Times in 17 Posts	Measuring shorefront So DES came up with a complicated formula to measure shorefront because in their opinion too many people were measuring every rock angle spit and indent to come up with actual frontage to allow them more docks. So in a recent shoreland protection application for a family island camp this is how it went. Deed from 1965 says 100 feet frontage. Surveyor measured 102 actual along the shoreline. Pin to pin was 73 feet (lot included a point of land). DES calculation was this. 73+102=175/2=87.5 feet of frontage. So the fee proposal is to use tax card info from the towns for invoicing. Tax card says 100 feet. I assume thats what we get taxed. Now who to I go to for an abatement? DES? The Town? BTLA? Superior Court? Is there even a process to abate fees? Talk about a can of worms!

The Following User Says Thank You to hemlock For This Useful Post:
WinnisquamZ (02-04-2025)