Housing
Columbia Veterans’ Property Tax Exemptions
Columbia’s assessor prints disability tiers of $1,500 to $3,000, the doubled and tripled income exemptions, a $20,000 local option under a Title X Sec. E ordinance, the specially equipped vehicle, and the Gold Star exemption.
Also called: property tax, 12-81g, veterans exemption, assessor, Columbia.
For: Veteran or service member, survivor.
Where it applies
Written for the jurisdictions listed here.
The assessor’s military personnel page requires combat-period veterans to file their honorable discharge with the Town Clerk by October 1, and its veterans’ exemptions brochure prints the disability-rating tiers: $1,500 for 10 to 25 percent, $2,000 for 26 to 50, $2,500 for 51 to 75, $3,000 for 76 to 100, and $3,000 at age 65 and over. The brochure states that once qualified for a veteran’s exemption a veteran is automatically entitled to a total exemption in the amount of $3,000. The additional veterans’ exemption doubles the entitlement for income-qualified veterans - the brochure prints income limits of $40,900 married and $33,500 single adjusted gross income, including social security, and adds that “one hundred percent disabled veterans income limit range is $18,000 single to $21,000 married adjusted gross income (not including social security)”, the 12-81g(a) doubling the brochure printed before P.A. 13-224 added the tripling later in 2013 - and the page carries the 12-81g(b) increase for fully disabled veterans at three times the prior required exemption, at income of $24,000 married and $21,000 single. The brochure’s income limits are the state’s 12-81g limits, printed in a Word file created February 2013 and last printed December 2007, years behind the 2026 grand list’s $56,500 married and $46,300 single. OLR’s 2023 survey recorded Columbia as offering no 12-81g(b) - the Appendix A row reads “Columbia No No No No No Yes No” - while the page prints the tripling.
The local option additional veterans’ exemption application prints a $20,000 exemption “Pursuant to Section 12-81f of the C.G.S. under local ordnance Title X Sec. E”; the Word file’s own title still reads $1,000, and its metadata carries created, last-saved and last-printed dates of July 10, 2020 - the application predates OLR’s June 2023 survey, which recorded Columbia as offering no 12-81f option, so the town’s 2020 form prints a $20,000 option Columbia’s assessor told OLR in 2023 did not exist. The brochure also carries a “Federal Soldiers & Sailors Relief Act - Non Resident” section: a non resident service person, as a result of military orders, stationed in Connecticut on October 1st, is exempt from personal property listed in the service person’s name, on an affidavit from the legal service officer, with annual filing required. The page’s active duty section says service persons must fill out an application with the assessor’s office to receive motor vehicle benefits - its copy still names the 2020 grand list and a December 31, 2022 filing deadline - and that Connecticut residents may apply for a real estate exemption as well, on the service person’s ID for the vehicle and a service status letter filed with the Town Clerk annually. The page also carries the specially equipped vehicle at one vehicle, and the Gold Star parents-and-spouses exemption at income not exceeding $41,000 married and $39,000 single. The code’s Title X Sec. E itself is on no readable host.
Thresholds
| Gate | Rule |
|---|---|
| Wartime service or a VA rating, set by state law | The exemptions rest on C.G.S. 12-81(19) to (26): 90 days of wartime service with a qualifying discharge filed with the town clerk, or a VA disability rating. Amounts above the base turn on rating and income. The rating filter does not hide this entry. |
Figures
Each figure is dated with the day it was read. A local figure moves whenever the statute or the local ordinance does, so confirm it with the office that grants it before you rely on it. Statute verified gives the day the weekly section check last found the statute standing on the legislature’s own code site; a figure without it rests on a statute the check does not read yet.
| Figure | Amount | Read from |
|---|---|---|
| Wartime exemption, as Columbia administers it | On an honorable discharge recorded with the Town Clerk by October 1; the page prints no amountC.G.S. § 12-81(19) | Town of Columbia, Military PersonnelRead |
| Disability-rating tiers, as Columbia’s brochure prints them | $1,500 for 10-25%, $2,000 for 26-50%, $2,500 for 51-75%, $3,000 for 76-100%, and $3,000 at age 65 and overC.G.S. § 12-81(20) | Town of Columbia, Veterans’ Exemptions brochureRead |
| Automatic additional exemption, as Columbia’s brochure prints it | Once qualified for a veteran’s exemption, automatically entitled to a total exemption in the amount of $3,000C.G.S. § 12-81g(d) | Town of Columbia, Veterans’ Exemptions brochureRead |
| Additional veterans’ exemption, as Columbia’s brochure prints it | Twice the entitlement, at income of $40,900 married and $33,500 single adjusted gross income, biennial application - the brochure’s printed limits, years behind the 2026 grand list’s $56,500 married and $46,300 singleC.G.S. § 12-81g | Town of Columbia, Veterans’ Exemptions brochureRead |
| 100 percent disabled income limits, as Columbia’s brochure prints them | One hundred percent disabled veterans income limit range is $18,000 single to $21,000 married adjusted gross income, not including social security - the 12-81g(a) doubling the brochure printed before P.A. 13-224 added the triplingC.G.S. § 12-81g(a) | Town of Columbia, Veterans’ Exemptions brochureRead |
| 100 percent disabled increase, as Columbia’s page prints it | Three times the prior required exemption, at income of $24,000 married and $21,000 singleC.G.S. § 12-81g(b) | Town of Columbia, Military PersonnelRead |
| Active duty motor vehicle exemption, as Columbia’s page prints it | On the Active Duty Motor Vehicle Exemption Application; the page prints no amount and still names the 2020 grand list, with the application due December 31, 2022C.G.S. § 12-81(53) | Town of Columbia, Military PersonnelRead |
| Columbia local option, as Columbia’s application prints it | $20,000, pursuant to 12-81f under local ordinance Title X Sec. EC.G.S. § 12-81f | Town of Columbia, Local Option Additional Veterans Exemption ApplicationRead |
| Specially equipped vehicle, as Columbia’s page prints it | One vehicle specially equipped for the disabled veteran, on proof of adaptation and application by October 1C.G.S. § 12-81h | Town of Columbia, Military PersonnelRead |
| Gold Star parents and spouses, as Columbia’s page prints it | Filed with required proofs no later than October 1, at income not exceeding $41,000 married and $39,000 singleC.G.S. § 12-81ii | Town of Columbia, Military PersonnelRead |
Sources
- Town of Columbia, AssessorOfficial
- Town of Columbia, Military PersonnelOfficial
- Town of Columbia, Veterans’ Exemptions brochureOfficial
- Town of Columbia, Local Option Additional Veterans Exemption ApplicationOfficial
- C.G.S. § 12-81g, Additional exemption from property tax for veterans (January 1, 2025 revision)Official
- C.G.S. chapter 203, 2026 SupplementOfficial
- OLR Report 2024-R-0018, Veterans Property Tax Exemptions by Town: Municipal-Option ExemptionsOfficial
Updated
Last updated .
What changed then:
- First published.
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Disclaimer
VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.