II: Exemptions and allowances

Articles in this section · 39

Article 1461

French General Tax CodeIn force

Updated 7 Nov 2023

Sont exonérés de la cotisation foncière des entreprises :

1° (Abrogated) ;

2° Les organismes d'habitations à loyer modéré mentionnés à l'article L. 411-2 of the French Construction and Housing Code, the sociétés anonymes de coordination entre les organismes d'habitations à loyer modéré mentioned in article L. 423-1-1 of the same code, as well as the companies or bodies referred to in articles 239 ter and 239 quater of this code provided that they are formed exclusively by the aforementioned bodies and if their activities are identical to those of their members ;

3° (Repealed);

4° Sociétés de bains-douches and sociétés de jardins ouvriers;

5° Allotment garden organisations as defined in l'article L. 561-2 of the French Rural and Maritime Fishing Code, where their activity, considered as a whole, is carried out in such conditions that it can be considered as disinterested;

6° The association mentioned in article L. 313-18 of the Code de la construction et de l'habitation and the companies mentioned in articles L. 313-19 and L. 313-20 of the same code in respect of activities falling within the operations listed in 14° of 1 of article 207;

7° Professional trade unions, whatever their legal form, and their unions for their activities relating to the study and defence of the rights and collective material or moral interests of their members or the persons they represent and provided that they operate in accordance with the provisions governing them;

8° Associations governed by the loi du 1er juillet 1901 relative au contrat d'association, constituées conformément à l'accord du 25 avril 1996 portant dispositions communes à l'AGIRC et à l'ARRCO, et les associations et groupements d'intérêt économique contrôlés par ces associations et counting parmi leurs membres soit au moins une fédération ou institution de retraite complémentaire régie par le titre II du livre IX du code de la sécurité sociale, or at least one association or economic interest grouping whose members include at least one such federation or institution, solely for their management and administration operations carried out on behalf of their members which are not within the scope of application of the business property tax pursuant to I of article 1447.

Mariela Petrova

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Common Questions

Working with a corporate lawyer in France — Q&A

Any time a strategic decision changes how the company is owned, governed or contractually bound — incorporation, fundraising, M&A, restructuring, shareholder agreements, or major commercial contracts. Earlier engagement always costs less than later remediation.

A notary (notaire) is a public officer who authenticates specific deeds (mainly real-estate transfers and certain family-law acts). A corporate lawyer (avocat) advises on strategy, negotiates and drafts company documents, and represents you in disputes. The two roles complement rather than overlap.

Yes — most of our clients are foreign suppliers, investors or holding entities. We bridge the gap between French law and your home jurisdiction's expectations and deliver everything bilingually.

The SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) is the default choice for most international structures: flexible governance, single shareholder allowed, no minimum capital, and works cleanly with foreign holding entities. We assess SARL, SA, SCI on the merits when the situation calls for it.

Yes — communications with a French avocat are protected by the secret professionnel (Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971). This protection is broader than the common-law attorney-client privilege and applies to written and oral exchanges.

We work on fixed fees for clearly scoped engagements (incorporation, contract drafting, audits) and on monthly retainers for ongoing advisory. Hourly billing is the exception, not the default. You always know the cost before work starts.

Typical timeline is 2–3 weeks from KYC kick-off to RCS registration, assuming standard documentation. Holding-company structures, foreign-shareholder identification or in-kind contributions can extend this — we flag the gating items at the first meeting.

Absolutely. We routinely coordinate with your in-house counsel, expert-comptable or notaire — pragmatic collaboration is the norm, not the exception. We send them everything they need to do their part without duplicating work.

Mariela Petrova

Mariela Petrova

Avocate au Barreau de Paris

Toque #C2396

15+ Years In Corporate Practice

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Communications protected by professional secrecy — secret professionnel de l'avocat, Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971.

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