Iowa Admin. Code r. 223-48.6

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 6, September 18, 2024

Rule 223-48.6 - Application and review process

(1) All applications for historic tax credits shall be on the current state fiscal year's forms and in accordance with the current state fiscal year's instructions provided by the SHPO. All applications must be complete and include all required supporting documentation before being considered for review and before beginning the review periods outlined in subrule 48.6(3). Application forms are available from the Tax Incentives Program Manager, State Historic Preservation Office, Department of Cultural Affairs, 600 E. Locust Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0290. Applications may also be downloaded from the department of cultural affairs-state historical society of Iowa Web site.

a. Part one of the application identifies the eligibility of the property for the historic tax credit. Part one of the application is accepted year-round. Part one of the application must include all requested information. SHPO staff shall notify the applicant if part one of the application is incomplete. Incomplete applications will not be processed.

b. Part two of the application provides a detailed description of the rehabilitation project. Part two of the application is accepted when tax credits are available for the fund specified by the applicant pursuant to subrule 48.7(6) or, if no tax credits are available, in accordance with rule 223-48.8 (303,404A). Part two of the application must include all requested information. SHPO staff shall notify the applicant if part two of the application is incomplete. Incomplete applications will not be processed.

c. Part three of the application provides the information and documentation required to request certification of project completion and includes an economic impact questionnaire. Part three of the application must include all requested information including certification in accordance with subrule 48.4(2). SHPO staff shall notify the applicant if part three of the application is incomplete. Incomplete applications will not be processed. Incomplete applications may be subject to abandonment as outlined in rule 223-48.12(303,404A).

(1) For projects for which part two of the application was approved and tax credits reserved before July 1, 2009, part three of the application shall be submitted within 6 months of the date on which the building is placed in service.

(2) For projects for which part two of the application was approved and tax credits reserved on or after July 1, 2009, and before July 1, 2014, part three of the application shall be submitted within 24 months of the date on which the rehabilitation period ends.

d. Amendments to applications. An applicant shall amend an approved part one of the application or an approved part two of the application if the property changes ownership or if the applicant's name or address changes. An applicant shall amend an approved part two of the application to notify SHPO of, and to request review of, modifications to the original description of the rehabilitation project. Amendments to part two of the application shall not include modification of the rehabilitation costs estimated in the originally approved part two of the application. Amendments to part two of the application shall not result in the reservation of additional tax credits for a project. Amendments to part two will not be accepted after SHPO has approved part three of the application pursuant to subrule 48.6(8). An applicant may amend an approved part three of the application. Any amendment to part three shall meet all requirements applicable to part three. The total application processing fee charged for part three under rule 223-48.16 (303,404A) is based on the final qualified rehabilitation costs as reported on the part three amendment.

(2) SHPO staff trained by the National Park Service for reviewing rehabilitation projects to ensure compliance with Standards will review part two and part three of each submitted application.

(3) SHPO staff shall review and respond to each part of a completed or amended application within 90 days of receipt when submitted pursuant to subrule 48.6(1). If an applicant submits more than one part of the application simultaneously, SHPO staff shall review each part sequentially and the 90-day review period for part two or three of the application will begin upon approval of the previous part.

(4) Applicants who undertake rehabilitation projects without prior approval from the SHPO do so at their own risk.

(5) Response to application parts.

a. Review of part one of the application shall result in one of two responses:

(1) The property is eligible for the historic tax credit; or

(2) The property is not eligible for the historic tax credit.

b. Review of part two of the application shall result in one of three responses which may be provided to the department of revenue:

(1) The rehabilitation described in the application is consistent with the historic character of the property or the district in which it is located, and the project meets the Standards. The initial review of part two is a preliminary determination only. A formal certification of rehabilitation shall be issued only after rehabilitation work is completed;

(2) The rehabilitation or proposed rehabilitation described in part two of the application will meet the Standards if the stipulated conditions are met; or

(3) The rehabilitation described in part two of the application is not consistent with the historic character of the property or the district in which it is located, and the project does not meet the Standards. The application will not be approved and SHPO will not reserve tax credits for the project.

c. Review of part three of the application shall result in one of two responses which may be provided to the department of revenue:

(1) The completed rehabilitation meets the Standards and is consistent with the historic character of the property or the district in which it is located. Effective on the date of approval of part three of the application, the project shall be designated a "certified rehabilitation"; or

(2) The rehabilitation is not consistent with the historic character of the property or the district in which it is located, and the project does not meet the Standards. If the work cannot be corrected to meet the Standards, the SHPO shall recapture the tax credit reservation in accordance with the provisions of rule 223-48.12 (303,404A).

(6) Approval of part one of the application. Upon approval of part one of the application, an applicant may proceed to submission of part two of the application. If the applicant submitted part two of the application simultaneously, the SHPO shall complete review of part one of the application before reviewing part two of the application.

(7) Approval of part two of the application.

a. Upon approval of part two of the application with no conditions, the SHPO shall reserve tax credits for the project in an amount equal to 25 percent of the estimated qualified rehabilitation costs for the earliest year in which tax credits are available in the appropriate fund, and the applicant may proceed to implement the project.

b. Upon approval of part two of the application with conditions, the SHPO shall reserve tax credits for the project in an amount equal to 25 percent of the estimated qualified rehabilitation costs for the earliest year in which tax credits are available in the appropriate fund. The applicant may proceed to implement the project, and the applicant shall document compliance with the conditions.

c. An authorized representative of the SHPO, with due notice to the applicant, may inspect projects to determine if the work meets the Standards.

(8) Approval of part three of the application. Upon approval of part three of the application, the SHPO shall issue a tax credit certificate to the applicant in an amount equal to 25 percent of the qualified rehabilitation costs as estimated in part two of the application for the tax credit year originally reserved for the project upon approval of part two of the application, unless the qualified rehabilitation costs in part three of the application differ from the estimated qualified rehabilitation costs in part two of the application. Notwithstanding anything contained in this chapter to the contrary, the eligibility for the tax credit and the amount of the tax credit remain subject to audit by the department of revenue in accordance with Iowa Code chapters 421 and 422.

a. If the qualified rehabilitation costs documented in part three of the application are less than the qualified rehabilitation costs estimated in part two of the application, the SHPO shall issue a certificate in an amount equal to 25 percent of the final qualified rehabilitation costs and return any unused tax credits to the tax credit fund from which they were reserved. Notwithstanding the foregoing, tax credits that were reserved for a project but not used for that project may be used in accordance with Iowa Code chapter 404A as in effect beginning July 1, 2014, and Division II of this chapter.

b. For projects with tax credits reserved from the small projects fund and final qualified rehabilitation costs of $750,000 or less: If the final qualified rehabilitation costs documented in part three of the application are greater than the qualified rehabilitation costs estimated in part two of the application, the SHPO shall issue tax credit certificates totaling 25 percent of the final qualified rehabilitation costs, with the initial tax credit certificate issued in the amount originally reserved for the project and the remainder for the earliest year in which tax credits are available in the small projects fund or, if no tax credits are available, in accordance with rule 223-48.8 (303,404A).

c. For projects with tax credits reserved from the small projects fund and final qualified rehabilitation costs over $750,000: The SHPO shall notify the applicant that the applicant may either:

(1) Apply for the cumulative total of qualified rehabilitation costs under any other fund for which the project is eligible. If the applicant receives a tax credit reservation from another fund, the applicant shall abandon the entirety of the applicant's tax credit reservation in the small projects fund in accordance with rule 223-48.12 (303,404A); or

(2) Claim only the final qualified rehabilitation costs up to $750,000. If the applicant chooses this option, the SHPO shall issue tax credit certificates totaling no more than $187,500 for the project, with the initial tax credit certificate issued in the amount originally reserved for the project and the remainder for the earliest year in which tax credits are available in the small projects fund or, if no tax credits are available, in accordance with rule 223-48.8 (303,404A).

d. For projects with tax credits reserved from any other fund: If the final qualified rehabilitation costs documented in part three of the application are greater than the qualified rehabilitation costs estimated in part two of the application, the SHPO shall issue tax credit certificates totaling 25 percent of the final qualified rehabilitation costs in the same fund from which tax credits were initially awarded, with the initial tax credit certificate issued for the amount originally reserved for the project and the remainder for the earliest year in which tax credits are available in the appropriate fund or, if no tax credits are available, in accordance with rule 223-48.8 (303,404A).

e. Transition provisions. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in paragraphs 48.6(8)"b, " "c " and"d" above, beginning on and after July 1, 2014, the taxpayer shall not be eligible for a reservation for any credits awarded in excess of the reservation amount, but shall be eligible to receive credits as they become available, in the small projects fund or otherwise, in accordance with the procedures developed from time to time by the SHPO. Such procedures shall give preference to taxpayers that had a reservation prior to July 1, 2014.

(9) Disaster recovery projects. An applicant may apply for the disaster recovery fund as described in subrule 48.7(3) if the project meets the following requirements:

a. The initial submittal of part two of the application shall be made no later than the first filing window (see subrule 48.8(2)) that occurs after the five-year anniversary of the disaster declaration date.

b. Disasters declared before January 1, 2008, will not be considered.

(10) Projects creating new permanent jobs. An applicant may apply for the new permanent jobs fund as described in subrule 48.7(4) if the applicant meets the following requirements:

a. The applicant shall document the employment base for an eligible property on the date part one of the application is approved;

b. The applicant must provide information to SHPO documenting the creation of at least 500 new permanent jobs within two years of the date on which the tax credit certificate is issued. This information shall be verified by the Iowa department of economic development using the process outlined in 261-Chapter 188, Iowa Administrative Code. If the Iowa department of economic development is unable to verify the number of new permanent jobs required, tax credits claimed by the applicant will be subject to repayment to the department of revenue and unclaimed credits shall be unavailable; and

c. The applicant (and any leaseholders or tenants, if applicable) must enter into a contract with the SHPO specifying the employment base, reporting mechanisms required to document 500 new permanent jobs, applicable dates for reporting, and the penalty incurred if reporting requirements are not met. If the contract is not executed before the building is placed in service, the SHPO shall recapture any tax credits reserved in accordance with rule 223-48.12 (303,404A).

Iowa Admin. Code r. 223-48.6

ARC 7943B, IAB 7/15/09, effective 6/16/09; ARC 9608B, IAB 7/13/11, effective 6/22/11; ARC 0896C, IAB 8/7/2013, effective 7/9/2013

Amended by IAB April 15, 2015/Volume XXXVII, Number 21, effective 5/20/2015