(1) The unique nature of property used for the refining of petroleum requires the application of specialized appraisal techniques designed to satisfy the requirements of article XIII, section 1, and article XIII A, section 2, of the California Constitution. To this end, petroleum refineries and other real and personal property associated therewith shall be valued pursuant to the principles and procedures set forth in this section.

(2) Notwithstanding any other provision in this section, any appropriate valuation method described in section 3 of title 18 of this code may be applied in the event of a change in ownership in a petroleum refining property.

(1) “Petroleum refining property” means any industrial plant, including real property, personal property, and fixtures, used for the refining of petroleum, as identified in Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) System Codes 2911 and 2992, or North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Codes 32411 and 324191.

(2) “Appraisal unit” consists of the real and personal property that persons in the marketplace commonly buy and sell as a unit.

(1) Declines in value of petroleum refining properties will be determined by comparing the current lien date full value of the appraisal unit to the indexed base year full value of the same unit.

(2) The land, improvements, and fixtures and other machinery and equipment classified as improvements for a petroleum refining property are rebuttably presumed to constitute a single appraisal unit, except when measuring declines in value caused by disaster, in which case land shall constitute a separate unit.

(3) In rebutting this presumption, the assessor may consider evidence that: