# KRS § 132.020: 132.020 State ad valorem taxes > Kentucky · Statutes · In force URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KY_TXI_C132_S132.020 ## Section - **Citation:** KRS § 132.020 - **Heading:** 132.020 State ad valorem taxes - **Jurisdiction:** Kentucky - **Kind:** Statutes - **Status:** In force - **Text as of:** August 14, 2026 - **Source:** Compiled text - **Location:** KY Code / Title XI / Chapter 132 / Section 132.020 ## Text 132.020 State ad valorem taxes. (1) The owner or person assessed shall pay an annual ad valorem tax for state purposes at the rate of: (a) Thirty-one and one-half cents ($0.315) upon each one hundred dollars ($100) of value of all real property directed to be assessed for taxation; (b) Twenty-five cents ($0.25) upon each one hundred dollars ($100) of value of all motor vehicles qualifying for permanent registration as historic motor vehicles under KRS 186.043; (c) Fifteen cents ($0.15) upon each one hundred dollars ($100) of value of all: 1. Machinery actually engaged in manufacturing; 2. Commercial radio and television equipment used to receive, capture, produce, edit, enhance, modify, process, store, convey, or transmit audio or video content or electronic signals which are broadcast over the air to an antenna, including radio and television towers used to transmit or facilitate the transmission of the signal broadcast and equipment used to gather or transmit weather information, but excluding telephone and cellular communication towers; and 3. Tangible personal property which has been certified as a pollution control facility as defined in KRS 224.1-300. In the case of tangible personal property certified as a pollution control facility which is incorporated into a landfill facility, the tangible personal property shall be presumed to remain tangible personal property for purposes of this paragraph if the tangible personal property is being used for its intended purposes; (d) Ten cents ($0.10) upon each one hundred dollars ($100) of value on the operating property of railroads or railway companies that operate solely within the Commonwealth; (e) Five cents ($0.05) upon each one hundred dollars ($100) of value of goods held for sale in the regular course of business, which includes: 1. Machinery and equipment held in a retailer's inventory for sale or lease originating under a floor plan financing arrangement; 2. Motor vehicles: a. Held for sale in the inventory of a licensed motor vehicle dealer, including licensed motor vehicle auction dealers, which are not currently titled and registered in Kentucky and are held on an assignment pursuant to KRS 186A.230; or b. That are in the possession of a licensed motor vehicle dealer, including licensed motor vehicle auction dealers, for sale, although ownership has not been transferred to the dealer; 3. Raw materials, which includes distilled spirits and distilled spirits inventory; 4. In-process materials, which includes distilled spirits and distilled spirits inventory, held for incorporation in finished goods held for sale in the regular course of business; and 5. Qualified heavy equipment; (f) One and one-half cents ($0.015) upon each one hundred dollars ($100) of value of all: 1. Privately owned leasehold interests in industrial buildings, as defined under KRS 103.200, owned and financed by a tax-exempt governmental unit, or tax-exempt statutory authority under the provisions of KRS Chapter 103, upon the prior approval of the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority, except that the rate shall not apply to the proportion of value of the leasehold interest created through any private financing; 2. Qualifying voluntary environmental remediation property, provided the property owner has corrected the effect of all known releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, petroleum, or petroleum products located on the property consistent with a corrective action plan approved by the Energy and Environment Cabinet pursuant to KRS 224.1-400, 224.1-405, or 224.60-135, and provided the cleanup was not financed through a public grant or the petroleum storage tank environmental assurance fund. This rate shall apply for a period of three s, pollutants, contaminants, petroleum, or petroleum products located on the property consistent with a corrective action plan approved by the Energy and Environment Cabinet pursuant to KRS 224.1-400, 224.1-405, or 224.60-135, and provided the cleanup was not financed through a public grant or the petroleum storage tank environmental assurance fund. This rate shall apply for a period of three (3) years following the Energy and Environment Cabinet's issuance of a No Further Action Letter or its equivalent, after which the regular tax rate shall apply; 3. Tobacco directed to be assessed for taxation; 4. Unmanufactured agricultural products; 5. Aircraft not used in the business of transporting persons or property for compensation or hire; 6. Federally documented vessels not used in the business of transporting persons or property for compensation or hire, or for other commercial purposes; and 7. Privately owned leasehold interests in residential property described in KRS 132.195(2)(g); and (g) Forty-five cents ($0.45) upon each one hundred dollars ($100) of value of all other property directed to be assessed for taxation shall be paid by the owner or person assessed, except as provided in KRS 132.030, 132.200, 136.300, and 136.320, providing a different tax rate for particular property. (2) Notwithstanding subsection (1)(a) of this section, the state tax rate on real property shall be reduced to compensate for any increase in the aggregate assessed value of real property to the extent that the increase exceeds the preceding year's assessment by more than four percent (4%), excluding: (a) The assessment of new property as defined in KRS 132.010(8); (b) The assessment from property which is subject to tax increment financing pursuant to KRS Chapter 65; and (c) The assessment from leasehold property which is owned and financed by a tax-exempt governmental unit, or tax-exempt statutory authority under the provisions of KRS Chapter 103 and entitled to the reduced rate of one and one-half cents ($0.015) pursuant to subsection (1)(f) of this section. In any year in which the aggregate assessed value of real property is less than the preceding year, the state rate shall be increased to the extent necessary to produce the approximate amount of revenue that was produced in the preceding year from real property. (3) By July 1 each year, the department shall compute the state tax rate applicable to real property for the current year in accordance with the provisions of subsection (2) of this section and certify the rate to the county clerks for their use in preparing the tax bills. If the assessments for all counties have not been certified by July 1, the department shall, when either real property assessments of at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the total number of counties of the Commonwealth have been determined to be acceptable by the department, or when the number of counties having at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the total real property assessment for the previous year have been determined to be acceptable by the department, make an estimate of the real property assessments of the uncertified counties and compute the state tax rate. (4) If the tax rate set by the department as provided in subsection (2) of this section produces more than a four percent (4%) increase in real property tax revenues, excluding: (a) The revenue resulting from new property as defined in KRS 132.010(8); (b) The revenue from property which is subject to tax increment financing pursuant to KRS Chapter 65; and ies and compute the state tax rate. (4) If the tax rate set by the department as provided in subsection (2) of this section produces more than a four percent (4%) increase in real property tax revenues, excluding: (a) The revenue resulting from new property as defined in KRS 132.010(8); (b) The revenue from property which is subject to tax increment financing pursuant to KRS Chapter 65; and (c) The revenue from leasehold property which is owned and financed by a tax- exempt governmental unit, or tax-exempt statutory authority under the provisions of KRS Chapter 103 and entitled to the reduced rate of one and one-half cents ($0.015) pursuant to subsection (1) of this section; the rate shall be adjusted in the succeeding year so that the cumulative total of each year's property tax revenue increase shall not exceed four percent (4%) per year. (5) The provisions of subsection (2) of this section notwithstanding, the assessed value of unmined coal certified by the department after July 1, 1994, shall not be included with the assessed value of other real property in determining the state real property tax rate. All omitted unmined coal assessments made after July 1, 1994, shall also be excluded from the provisions of subsection (2) of this section. The calculated rate shall, however, be applied to unmined coal property, and the state revenue shall be devoted to the program described in KRS 146.550 to 146.570, except that four hundred thousand dollars ($400,000) of the state revenue shall be paid annually to the State Treasury and credited to the Office of Energy Policy for the purpose of public education of coal-related issues. ## Nearby sections - [KRS § 132.010 132.010 Definitions for chapter](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KY_TXI_C132_S132.010.md) - [KRS § 132.012 132.012 "Abandoned urban property" defined -- Classification as real property for tax purposes](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KY_TXI_C132_S132.012.md) - [KRS § 132.015 132.015 List of real property additions and deletions to tax rolls to be maintained by property valuation administrator](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KY_TXI_C132_S132.015.md) - [KRS § 132.017 132.017 Recall petition -- Requirements and procedures -- Reconsideration -- Election -- Tax dollars not to be used to advocate for or against public question -- Second billing](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KY_TXI_C132_S132.017.md) - [KRS § 132.018 132.018 Reduction of tax rate on personal property](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KY_TXI_C132_S132.018.md) - [KRS § 132.020 132.020 State ad valorem taxes](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KY_TXI_C132_S132.020.md) - [KRS § 132.023 132.023 Limits for special purpose governmental entities -- Procedure for exceeding limits](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KY_TXI_C132_S132.023.md) - [KRS § 132.024 132.024 Limits for special purpose governmental entities on personal property tax rate](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KY_TXI_C132_S132.024.md) - [KRS § 132.025 132.025 Cumulative increase for 1982-83 only by taxing district -- Limit -- Public hearing and recall provisions not applicable](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KY_TXI_C132_S132.025.md) - [KRS § 132.027 132.027 City and urban-county government tax rate limitation -- Levy exceeding compensating tax rate subject to recall vote or reconsideration](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KY_TXI_C132_S132.027.md) - [KRS § 132.028 132.028 Rate on business inventories levied by a city or urban-county government -- Exception](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KY_TXI_C132_S132.028.md) - [KRS § 132.029 132.029 Limits for city and urban-county government on personal property tax rate](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KY_TXI_C132_S132.029.md) - [KRS § 132.030 132.030 Financial institution deposit tax](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KY_TXI_C132_S132.030.md) - [KRS § 132.040 132.040 Financial institutions to report and pay tax -- Lien](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KY_TXI_C132_S132.040.md) --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_KY_TXI_C132_S132.020. 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