Tax credits available for personal storm shelters

WINSTON COUNTY    -  A partnership between the Alabama Emergency Management Agency and the state department of revenue is providing a major financial incentive for residents to prepare for severe weather.
 The Alabama Storm Shelter Tax Credit Act will provide a tax credit of up to $3,000 or 50 percent of the total cost of acquisition, construction and/or installation of a storm shelter or safe room at a person’s primary residence, according to information from the state EMA shared by Winston County EMA Director A.J. Brown.  Total costs for qualifications of the tax credit will not include any costs, reimbursed or expected to be reimbursed, by any other grants or other funding sources, the state EMA strictly said.
Shelters eligible for the tax breaks must meet guidelines, according to FEMA P-320 as of March 2021 or FEMA P-361 guidelines as of April 2021.   These are guidelines for the construction and operation of residential safe rooms, Brown noted.
The specifics of the technical aspects of these guidelines can be found online, or a resident is encouraged to ask their contractor, Brown explained.
“The simplest way to find out is simply ask the manufacturer or the contractor that is going to be doing the work for you,” Brown stated.
Residents qualify for the incentive if they are state taxpayers who incur costs for construction, acquisition or installation of a qualified storm shelter at their primary residence, Brown noted.  Residents will need their shelter/safe room’s specification sheet with an engineer seal dated 2021 or later, proof of primary residence (county property tax record) and proof of acquisition/installation costs (an invoice with a zero balance) to qualify.
“Once you get this information, you go to the state EMA’s website  and submit the documentation to state EMA,” Brown instructed.
The state EMA has a limit of $2 million a year for the next three years they can give out on tax breaks to residents meeting the above requirements, Brown explained.
“More or less, it’s going to be first come, first served,” Brown stated.
Residents can also register their shelter with Winston County EMA by going to www.winstonalema.org, click on “shelters”, complete the registration form then submit.
“To get the tax credit, it has to be built, installed and paid for and completed between Jan. 1, 2022,  to Dec, 31, 2022 for this tax year,” Brown emphasized.
Once documents have been verified, the state EMA will issue the qualifying resident a tax credit certificate. The resident can use this certificate the following year when filing taxes, Brown explained.
“The state has seen the need for more storm shelters.  It is an incentive to get people to try to purchase and get one installed at their residence  for the safety of the overall state and community,” Brown pointed out.