Simple English definitions for legal terms
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The foot-frontage rule is a way to calculate property taxes for things like sidewalks and sewers. It only looks at how much of the property touches the improvement, and doesn't consider how deep the property is or what other buildings are on it.
Definition: The foot-frontage rule is a method of assessing property taxes that is commonly used to pay for improvements such as sidewalks and sewers. This rule only considers the actual frontage of a lot on the line of improvement and ignores the depth of the lot, the number and character of other improvements, or their value.
Example: Let's say that a city wants to install a new sidewalk on a street. To pay for this improvement, the city decides to use the foot-frontage rule to assess property taxes. If a property has a frontage of 50 feet on the street where the sidewalk will be installed, the property owner will be taxed based on that 50-foot frontage, regardless of the size of the lot or the value of any other improvements on the property.
Another example could be a city that wants to install a new sewer system. The city could use the foot-frontage rule to assess property taxes for this improvement. If a property has a frontage of 100 feet on the street where the sewer system will be installed, the property owner will be taxed based on that 100-foot frontage, regardless of the size of the lot or the value of any other improvements on the property.
These examples illustrate how the foot-frontage rule is used to assess property taxes based solely on the frontage of a property on a particular line of improvement. This method is often used to ensure that property owners who benefit from a particular improvement, such as a new sidewalk or sewer system, pay their fair share of the cost.