Homestead Act In Simple Terms In Cook
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Overview. President Abraham Lincoln made the Homestead Act a law by signing it on . This law gave 160 acres of land away to individuals who met certain requirements. In order to file a claim, an individual had to be at least 21 years of age or be the head of household.
The new law established a three-fold homestead acquisition process: file an application, improve the land, and file for deed of title. Any U.S. citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. Government could file an application and lay claim to 160 acres of surveyed Government land.
The Homeowner Exemption reduces the Equalized Assessed Value (EAV) of a property by $10,000.
To protect the value of your property up to one million dollars ($1,000,000) per residence, per family, you must file a document called a “Declaration of Homestead”. You can file this form at the Registry of Deeds in the county or district where your property is located, referencing the title/deed to the property.
Please note the EAV is the partial value of the property to which tax rates are applied. It is the figure on which the tax bill is calculated. Property tax savings for a Homeowner Exemption are calculated by multiplying the Homeowner Exemption amount of $10,000 by your local tax rate.
For most people, the main aspects of a homestead are owning their land and the buildings on it, and doing small-scale farming with the goal of being self-sufficient, or at least limiting their reliance on outside sources.
The Homeowner Exemption reduces the Equalized Assessed Value (EAV) of a property by $10,000.
The Homestead Act, enacted during the Civil War in 1862, provided that any adult citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. government could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land. Claimants were required to live on and “improve” their plot by cultivating the land.
