(a) The taxpayer filing the claim for deferral must be 62 years of age or older.

(b) The taxpayer filing the claim, by himself or herself or together with his or her spouse, must own the fee simple estate or be purchasing the fee simple estate under a recorded instrument of sale.

(c) The property with respect to which the claim is filed must be the homestead of the taxpayer who files the claim for deferral, except for a taxpayer required to be absent from the homestead by reason of health.

(d) If the taxpayer is delinquent in payment of the special assessment for local improvement or any installments thereof, the homestead must not have yet been sold at foreclosure sale.

(e) The household income, as defined in ORS 311.666, of the taxpayer filing the claim must have been $32,000 or less for the calendar year immediately preceding the calendar year in which the claim for deferral of special assessment for local improvement installment amounts is filed.

(f) There must be no prohibition to the deferral of special assessments contained in any provision of federal law, rule or regulation applicable to a mortgage, trust deed, land sale contract or conditional sale contract for which the homestead is security.

(2) If a trustee of an inter vivos trust which was created by and is revocable by a taxpayer, who is both the trustor and beneficiary of the trust and who is otherwise qualified to obtain a deferral of special assessment for local improvement under ORS 311.702 to 311.735 owns the fee simple estate under a recorded instrument of sale, the trustee may act for the taxpayer in complying with the provisions of ORS 311.702 to 311.735.

(3) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a spouse of a taxpayer to file a claim jointly with the taxpayer even though the spouse may be eligible to claim the deferral jointly with the taxpayer.

(4) Nothing in this section shall be construed to disqualify a taxpayer otherwise qualifying for deferral if the spouse of the taxpayer is less than 62 years of age or if the spouse does not own, or is not purchasing under a recorded instrument of sale, a fee simple estate in the homestead.

(5) Subject to ORS 311.729, when a taxpayer exercises the election to claim the deferral under ORS 311.704, it shall have the effect of:

(a) Deferring payment of the amount of special assessment for local improvements deferred pursuant to the claim until the special assessment for local improvements become delinquent under ORS 311.718.

(b) Continuing the deferral of payment by the taxpayer of any special assessment for local improvements deferred under ORS 311.702 to 311.735 for previous years which have not become delinquent under ORS 311.718.

(6)(a) For each tax year beginning on or after July 1, 2002, the Department of Revenue shall recompute the maximum household income that may be incurred under an allowable claim for deferral under subsection (1)(e) of this section. The computation shall be as follows:

(A) Divide the average U.S. City Average Consumer Price Index for the first six months of the current calendar year by the average U.S. City Average Consumer Price Index for the first six months of 2001.

(B) Recompute the maximum household income by multiplying $32,000 by the appropriate indexing factor determined as provided in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph.

(b) As used in this section, "U.S. City Average Consumer Price Index" means the U.S. City Average Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (All Items) as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor.

(c) If any change in the maximum household income determined under paragraph (a) of this subsection is not a multiple of $500, the increase shall be rounded to the nearest multiple of $500. [1977 c.859 §3; 1983 c.550 §19; 1985 c.140 §4; 1985 c.167 §4; 1997 c.154 §13; 2001 c.753 §30; 2015 c.348 §13]