This section lets qualifying child-care facility property get a county or municipal tax exemption if the local governing body adopts it, and it also sets application and use requirements.
Sec. 11.37. CHILD-CARE FACILITIES. (a) In this section: (1) "Child-care facility" means a facility licensed by the Health and Human Services Commission to provide assessment, care, training, education, custody, treatment, or supervision for a child who is not related by blood, marriage, or adoption to the owner or operator of the facility, for all or part of the 24-hour day, whether or not the facility is operated for profit or charges for the services it offers. (2) "Qualifying child-care facility" means a child-care facility: (A) the owner or operator of which participates in the Texas Workforce Commission's Texas Rising Star Program as described by Section 2308.3155, Government Code, for that facility; and (B) at which at least 20 percent of the total number of children enrolled at the facility receive subsidized child-care services provided through the child-care services program administered by the Texas Workforce Commission. (b) Subject to Subsection (d), if the governing body of a county or municipality in the manner required by law for official action by the governing body adopts the exemption, a person is entitled to an exemption from taxation by the county or municipality of all or part of the appraised value of: (1) the real property the person owns and operates as a qualifying child-care facility; or (2) the portion of the real property that the person owns and leases to a person who uses the property to operate a qualifying child-care facility. (c) The governing body of a county or municipality may adopt the exemption authorized by this section as a percentage of the appraised value of the property. The percentage specified by the governing body may not be less than 50 percent. (d) To qualify for the exemption authorized by this section, the property must be: (1) except as provided by Subsection (e), used exclusively to provide developmental and educational services for children attending the child-care facility; and (2) reasonably necessary for the operation of the child-care facility. (e) The use of exempt property for functions other than providing developmental and educational services for children attending the child-care facility located on the property does not result in the loss of an exemption authorized by this section if those other functions are incidental to the use of the property for providing those services to those children and benefit: (1) those children; or (2) the staff and faculty of the facility. (f) A person who claims an exemption under Subsection (b)(2) must include with the application for the exemption an affidavit certifying to the chief appraiser for the appraisal district that appraises the property that is the subject of the application that: (1) the person has provided to the child-care facility to which the property is leased a disclosure document stating the amount by which the taxes on the property are reduced as a result of the exemption and the method the person will implement to ensure that the rent charged for the lease of the property fully reflects that reduction; (2) the rent charged for the lease of the property reflects the reduction in the amount of taxes on the property resulting from the exemption through a monthly or annual credit against the rent; and (3) the person does not charge rent for the lease of the property in an amount that exceeds: (A) for property that consists of space in a commercial property, the rent charged by the person to other tenants of the commercial property for similar space; or (B) for property other than property described by Paragraph (A), the average rent charged for comparable rental property. (g) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a person may not claim an exemption under Subsection (b)(2) for property: (1) for which the person claims an exemption under Section 11.13; or (2) any part of which is leased by the person to another person for use as a principal residence. (h) Property is not ineligible for an exemption under this section if a portion of the property is used for functions other than those described by Subsections (d) and (e). However, the exemption does not apply to the value of the portion of the property that is used for those other functions. (i) Section 25.07 does not apply to a leasehold interest in property for which the owner receives an exemption under this section. (j) The comptroller may adopt rules and forms necessary for the administration of this section. Added by Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 281 (S.B. 1145), Sec. 1, eff. January 1, 2024. Redesignated from Tax Code, Section 11.36 by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 204 (H.B. 1620), Sec. 22.001(36), eff. September 1, 2025.