New York City could soon let qualifying disabled veterans stop paying property taxes altogether, but the Council bill that would make it happen has been stuck in committee for more than two weeks. Council Member Frank Morano introduced the legislation, known as Introduction 1051, to extend a full property-tax exemption to disabled veterans across all five boroughs.
The bill would bring New York City in line with a state law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Dec. 19, 2025, which lets local governments exempt the primary residences of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled because of their military service from covered property taxes and certain additional assessments, according to Bronx Times. The state Department of Veterans' Services confirms that local taxing jurisdictions have the authority to adopt such a full exemption, though whether to do so remains a local decision in each municipality, per the New York State Department of Veterans' Services.
Morano introduced the bill on Sept. 10, and the Council's Veterans and General Welfare committees held a joint hearing on Oct. 21. The bill was left in committee without a vote that day, and the Bronx Times reported it remained pending as of Nov. 1. Crain's New York describes the Council as nearing a vote on the measure, though no vote date has been set.
What the Exemption Would Mean for Homeowners
If the city adopts the exemption, qualifying veterans would still need to apply and submit the required documents to claim it, the Bronx Times reports. The bill, as introduced, does not yet carry a confirmed vote date or outcome, leaving its path through the Council uncertain for now.
Crain's reported that 15 localities across New York had already adopted some version of the exemption, citing the state Department of Veterans' Services. Meanwhile, many counties, towns and school districts elsewhere in the state have yet to decide whether to offer it at all, according to WHEC.
How Other New York Communities Have Handled It
Monroe County and the towns of Irondequoit, Pittsford and Greece have already opted in, WHEC reports. Greece's town supervisor estimated the move would help between 300 and 350 disabled veterans in that town alone. Genesee County had its own version of the exemption scheduled for consideration at its Legislature's Ways and Means Committee meeting on Nov. 4.
Buffalo has already gone further than most, with the city approving and signing a local law establishing a full city property-tax exemption for veterans with permanent and total service-connected disabilities, according to WNY Papers. That exemption covers city property taxes only — it does not eliminate Buffalo school taxes or taxes from jurisdictions that haven't adopted it. Buffalo's version is set to appear on the city's final assessment roll dated March 1, 2027, and apply to city property-tax bills issued that July.
Whether New York City follows a similar model, and which specific taxes and assessments it would ultimately cover, remains unclear since Introduction 1051 has not advanced past committee. For now, the fate of the bill — and the tax relief it could bring to disabled veterans in the five boroughs — rests on when, or if, the full Council takes it up for a vote.
