1. "True and full value" of agricultural lands must be their agricultural value for the purposes of sections 57-02-27, 57-02-27.1, 57-02-27.2, and 57-55-04. Agricultural value is defined as the "capitalized average annual gross return", except for inundated agricultural land. The "annual gross return" must be determined from crop share rent, cash rent, or a combination thereof reduced by estimated property taxes and crop marketing expenses incurred by farmland owners renting their lands on a cash or crop share basis. 2. For purposes of this section, "annual gross return" for cropland used for growing crops other than sugar beets and potatoes means thirty percent of annual gross income produced, "annual gross return" for cropland used for growing sugar beets and potatoes means twenty percent of annual gross income produced, and "annual gross return" for land used for grazing farm animals means twenty -five percent of an amount determined by the department of agribusiness and applied economics of North Dakota state university to represent the annual gross income potential of the land based upon the animal unit carrying capacity of the land. 3. The "average annual gross return" for each county must be determined as follows: a. Total the annual gross returns for the ten years immediately preceding the current year for which data is available and discard the highest and lowest annual gross returns of the ten. b. The department of agribusiness and applied economics of North Dakota state university shall establish a base year index of prices paid by farmers using annual statistics on that topic compiled by the national agricultural statistics service for the seven-year period ending in 1995, discarding the highest and lowest years' indexes, and averaging the remaining five years' indexes. The department of agribusiness and applied economics shall gather the national agricultural statistics service annual index of prices paid by farmers for the ten years ending with the most recent year used under subdivision a, discard the highest and lowest years' indexes, average the remaining eight years' indexes, and divide the resulting amount by the base year index of prices paid by farmers. This amount must be divided into the amount determined under subdivision a. c. Divide the figure arrived at in subdivision b by eight. 4. To find the "capitalized average annual gross return", the average annual gross return must be capitalized by a rate that is a ten -year average of the gross agribank mortgage rate of interest for North Dakota. The ten -year average must be computed from the twelve years ending with the most recent year used under subdivision a of subsection 3, discarding the highest and lowest years, and the gross agribank mortgage rate of interest for each year must be determined in the manner provided in section 20.2032A-4(e)(1) of the United States treasury department regulations for valuing farm real property for federal estate tax purposes, except that the interest rate may not be adjusted as provided in section 20.2032A-4(e)(2). 5. The department of agribusiness and applied economics of North Dakota state university shall compute annually an estimate of the average agricultural value per acre [.40 hectare] of agricultural lands on a statewide and on a countywide basis; shall compute the average agricultural value per acre [.40 hectare] for cropland, noncropland, and inundated agricultural land for each county; and shall provide the tax commissioner with this information by December first of each year. Fifty percent of the annual gross income from irrigated cropland must be considered additional expense of production and may not be included in computation of the average agricultural value per acre [.40 hectare] for cropland for the county as determined by the department of agribusiness and applied economics. Before January first of each year, the tax commissioner shall provide to each county director of tax equalization these estimates of agricultural value for each county. 6. For purposes of this section, "inundated agricultural land" means property classified as agricultural property containing a minimum of ten contiguous acres if the value of the inundated land exceeds ten percent of the average agricultural value of noncropland for the county, which is inundated to an extent making it unsuitable for growing crops or grazing farm animals for two consecutive growing seasons or more, and which produced revenue from any source in the most recent prior year which is less than the county average revenue per acre for noncropland calculated by the department of agribusiness and applied economics of North Dakota state university. Application for classification as inundated agricultural land must be made in writing to the township assessor or county director of tax equalization by March thirty-first of each year. Before all or part of a parcel of property may be classified as inundated agricultural land, the board of county commissioners must approve that classification for that property for the taxable year. The agricultural value of inundated agricultural lands for purposes of this section must be determined by the department of agribusiness and applied economics of North Dakota state university to be ten percent of the average agricultural value of noncropland for the county as determined under this section. Valuation of individual parcels of inundated agricultural land may recognize the probability that the property will be suitable for agricultural production as cropland or for grazing farm animals in the future. Determinations made under this subsection may be appealed through the informal equalization process and formal abatement process provided for in this title. 7. Before February first of each year, the county director of tax equalization in each county shall provide to all assessors within the county an estimate of the average agricultural value of agricultural lands within each assessment district. The estimate must be based upon the average agricultural value for the county adjusted by the relative values of lands within each assessment district compared to the county average. In determining the relative value of lands for each assessment district compared to the county average, the county director of tax equalization shall use soil type and soil classification data from detailed and general soil surveys. 8. Each local assessor shall determine the relative value of each assessment parcel within the assessor's jurisdiction and shall determine the agricultural value of each assessment parcel by adjusting the agricultural value estimate for the assessment district by the relative value of the parcel. Each parcel must then be assessed according to section 57-02-27. If either a local assessor or a township board of equalization develops an agricultural value for the lands in its assessment district differing substantially from the estimate provided by the county director of tax equalization, written evidence to support the change must be provided to the county director of tax equalization. In determining the relative value of each assessment parcel, the local assessor shall apply the following considerations, which are listed in descending order of significance to the assessment determination: a. Actual use of the property for cropland or noncropland purposes by the owner of the parcel. b. Soil type and soil classification data from detailed or general soil surveys. c. The schedule of modifiers that must be used to adjust agricultural property assessments within the county as approved by the state supervisor of assessments under subsection 9. 9. a. In conjunction with the governing body of the county, the county director of tax equalization shall develop a schedule of modifiers to be used to adjust agricultural property assessments within the county and directions regarding how the modifiers must be applied by assessors. b. The county director of tax equalization shall submit the directions and schedule of modifiers developed under subdivision a to the state supervisor of assessments for approval for use within the county. c. Before February first of each year, the county director of tax equalization in each county shall provide to all assessors of agricultural property within the county the directions and schedule of modifiers approved by the state supervisor of assessments under subdivision b. The schedule of modifiers must be used to adjust agricultural property assessments within the county as provided in this section. d. To request an adjustment to an owner's agricultural property assessment, the owner shall sign and file with the assessor an initial application in the manner prescribed by the tax commissioner. The application must contain a verified statement of facts establishing the owner's property meets the eligibility requirements for an adjustment to the property assessment based on the schedule of modifiers developed and approved under this subsection as of the date of the application. The assessor shall consider applications submitted under this subdivision when determining the agricultural value of each parcel subject to assessment under this section and may request additional information from the applicant when making a determination of eligibility. After the submission of an initial application, the assessor periodically shall review the property and determine whether a continued adjustment to the property assessment based on the schedule of modifiers is appropriate. The property owner shall notify the assessor if there is a change in circumstance that may affect the applicability of an adjustment to the owner's property assessment based on the schedule of modifiers. 10. For any county that has not fully implemented use of soil type and soil classification data from detailed or general soil surveys by February first of any taxable year after 2011, the tax commissioner shall direct the state treasurer to withhold five percent of that county's allocation each quarter from the state aid distribution fund under section 57-39.2-26.1 beginning with the first quarter of 2013, and continuing until the tax commissioner certifies to the state treasurer that that county has fully implemented use of soil type or soil classification data. The amount withheld from the allocation must be deposited into the agricultural land valuation fund. The amount withheld from the allocation must be withheld entirely from the portion of the allocation which may be retained by the county and may not reduce allocations to any political subdivisions within the county.
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