Community Preservation Act (CPA) Surcharge

The Community Preservation Act (CPA) was adopted by Arlington voters on November 4, 2014 with the Act to begin funding in FY 2016. The Town of Arlington began collecting surcharge revenue on the August 3, 2015 tax bills and will continue collection on a quarterly basis. The Act establishes a dedicated funding source to enable the Town to:

              •Acquire or preserve open space
              •Rehabilitate or create local parks, playgrounds & athletic fields
              •Preserve or restore historic resources & artifacts
              •Help meet local families’ housing needs

A Community Preservation Act Committee composed of local citizens, will make recommendations on the use of the funds. Please contact the Community Preservation Act Committee for more details. 

In addition to the local funds raised by the surcharge, the State provides matching funds for eligible projects.

The vote approved a 1.5% surcharge on the net property taxes. The following will be exempt from the surcharge:

- $100,000 of the value of each taxable parcel of residential real property
- Property owned and occupied as a domicile by any person who qualifies for the low income CPA exemption*
- Property owned and occupied as a domicile by any senior (60+) who qualifies for the low or moderate income CPA exemption
- $100,000 of the value of each taxable parcel of class three, commercial property and class four, industrial property as defined in section 2A of said Chapter 59.

Formula for calculating CPA surcharge

((FY Assessed Value - $100,000) x (FY Tax Rate/1000) x 1.5%)

Example using FY 2016 Median Single Family Value & Tax Rate

(($585,361-$100,000) x ($12.80/1,000) x 1.5%) = $93.19 1

                                                  1. This is the total amount for the Fiscal Year to be divided quarterly          * An application must be completed and filed annually with the Assessors’ Office. Applications available here.  Income limits will be revised each year based on the Area-Wide Median Income determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This Chart shows the figures for FY 2023 Annual Income Limits.