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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia HB 4177 exempts qualifying seniors, disabled residents, and low-income widows from property tax increases
Last action · January 14, 2026: To House FinanceSponsor: Phil Mallow
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 4177 freezes property tax assessments for West Virginia residents who are 65 or older, permanently and totally disabled, or widowed with a gross income under $20,000. Under the measure, eligible homeowners maintain the assessed value and tax rate applicable to their property as of the date they attain eligible status.
Qualifying homeowners see their property tax assessments capped at the level established when they reach eligibility, protecting them from rising tax burdens due to increasing property values.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Seniors aged 65 and older
Homeowners aged 65 and older are exempt from increasing assessed value property taxes once they meet state residency requirements.
Permanently and totally disabled residents
Certified disabled homeowners are exempt from increasing assessed value property taxes.
Widowed residents earning under $20,000 per year
Widowed individuals meeting the income threshold are exempt from increasing assessed value property taxes.
Local government levying bodies
Local taxing authorities are subject to frozen property assessments and tax rates for qualifying resident properties.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who qualifies for the property tax increase exemption under HB 4177?
How does the property tax freeze work for eligible individuals?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- Jan 14, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Finance
- Jan 14, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Jan 14, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Finance
- Jan 14, 2026HouseIntroducedFiled for introduction
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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