San Diego Cty Property Tax, Mello Roos,Sales Tax     

SAN DIEGO COUNTY PROPERTY TAXES

a) The total land and improvements assessed value less homeowner exemption of $7,000 and/or other exemptions equals Net Taxable Value; 

b) Computation of the Tax Rate of 1% of assessed net value plus any assessments such as voter approved bonds and fixed charges.

Mello Roos, if any, are shown as "CFD" if applicable. See section below explaining Mello Roos. NOT all neighborhoods in San Diego county have Mello Roos. If there are Mello Roos, they should be on a MLS listing with the amount payable and frequency of payments under the MLS listing Mello Roos section, however, sometimes they may not since they are included in the property taxes. If you submit an offer on a property, there is a disclosure from the Seller which should be given to the Buyer during the "contingency", "due diligence", period of normally 17 days from acceptance of the offer. 

c) Click the link below for a PDF of a sample "San Diego County Property Tax Bill Guide" for fiscal year 2009-2010 showing:

 imagepro1.com/11966/propertytaxbill.pdf

 

PROPERTY TAX COLLECTOR 
DAN McALLISTER
County Treasurer-Tax Collector
San Diego County Administration Center
1600 Pacific Hwy, Room 162
San Diego, CA 92101-2474
PHONE NUMBER: 1-877-TAX-4-SDC (1-877-829-4732)                                                                               http://www.sdtreastax.com/pt_general.html EMAIL ADDRESS: taxman@sdcounty.ca.gov
MAIN OFFICE - COUNTY ADMINISTRATION CENTER
1600 Pacific Highway - Room 162
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone Number: 1-877-TAX-4-SDC (1-877-829-4732)
Fax: (619) 531-6056
Driving Directions: MapQuest
Payment dropbox available at location
Regular Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
SAN MARCOS BRANCH OFFICE
141 East Carmel Street
San Marcos, CA 92078
Phone Number: (760) 940-2904
Driving Directions: MapQuest
Payment dropbox available at location
Regular Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
 
 
FAQ on Property Taxes in San Diego County
 
Property Tax / Assessed Value: Property tax is a combination of: (Assessed value) x (tax rates that are applied to your bill) + (special assessments). If you think there's an error in the valuation of your property, call (619) 236-3771 and ask for an Assessor's review of the evaluation of your property or fill out an Assessment Appeal Form.Tax rates are determined annually according to Proposition 13. Special assessments are also added.

What are special assessments? Various governmental agencies provide services to the property and are shown on your tax bill like: Water,  Sewer, Garbage, etc

Why are my taxes so much higher than my neighbor's? "Taxes are based on the market value of your house when you bought it.  If your neighbor bought his/her house before you, chances are your value will be higher!
What do I owe and when is it due? Current secured tax bill: 1st installment is due 11/1 and is delinquent after 12/10;  2nd installment payable by 2/1 and delinquent after 4/10;Pay both installments by 12/10;  Paying on time will avoid penalties! Also allows deduction of entire tax from Federal Taxes if you itemize. Delinquent taxes: Penalties increase monthly! Call the Treasurer-Tax Collector's Department (toll free) at (877) 829-4732 to get the current amount due.
Is my lender paying this bill? Do you have an impound account? If you have an impound account, you should receive a tax bill with the word "COPY" superimposed across the front of the tax bill. If not:  Call your lender to find out!
What is a supplemental bill? Reflecting the difference between the purchase price and the prior value; Reflecting an increase in value due to new construction.

What does "tax-defaulted" mean? It means you have unpaid prior year taxes!
Call us at ( 619 ) 531-5844
How can I lower my taxes? Be sure your bill includes any exemptions to which you may be entitled: Homeowner's exemption for owner-occupied residence; Disabled Veteran's exemption ;  You may benefit by a review of your property valuation. Please contact the Assessor-Recorder at ( 619 ) 236-3771.

If you are a senior citizen, you may be eligible for these other programs: State of California Property Tax Program: Contact the State at 1-800-952-5661 or State of California Property Tax Assistance: Contact the State at 1-800-852-5711
 
Property Tax Postponement Program
On February 20, 2009, the Governor signed Chapter 4, Statutes of 2009, which immediately suspends the Senior Citizens' Property Tax Deferral Program. This legislation prohibits the filing of claims for property tax postponement and prohibits the State Controller from accepting claims filed after February 20, 2009. As a result of the program suspension, the State Controller will no longer accept claims for property tax postponement pending modification or repeal of this new law. However, the State Controller's Office will continue processing claims postmarked prior to February 20, 2009. For the most current information on the PTP program please contact the State Controller's Office 800.952.5661.
 
Property Tax Assistance Program: The California state budget approved for the 2008/2009 fiscal year deleted funding for the Homeowner Property Tax Assistance Program. Since there is no funding in the state budget for this program, 2008 claims cannot be paid or processed. For the most current information on this program, please contact the California Franchise Tax Board at  800.868.4171.
 
Supplemental Tax Bills: State law requires the immediate reassessment of property (for tax purposes) whenever a change of ownership or completion of construction occurs. If applicable, you will receive a supplemental tax bill reflecting the change in value for the balance of the tax year. Due dates for a supplemental tax bill depends on when the bill is mailed. A decrease in value will result in a negative supplemental tax bill being issued. These negative bills or refunds do not cause a change to your current annual tax bill which must be paid timely to avoid penalty.  Supplemental tax bills are separate from and in addition to your regular annual bill that is mailed each year in September. Supplemental tax bills are not mailed to your mortgage company. Supplemental tax bills are not paid by funds in your impound account. If you receive a supplemental tax bill and have any questions about payment responsibility, contact your mortgage company.
 
IMPORTANT  PROPERTY TAX  DATES TO REMEMBER: July 1 - Beginning of fiscal year; September - Treasurer-Tax Collector mails out original secured property tax bills; November 1 - First installment is due (Secured Property Tax) and delinquent Unsecured accounts are changed additional penalties of 1½% until paid. December 10 - First installment payment deadline. A 10% penalty is added after 5:00 p.m. *February 1 - Second installment due (Secured Property Tax); April 10 - Second installment payment deadline. A 10% penalty plus $10.00 cost is added after 5:00 p.m. * June 30 - End of fiscal year; July 1 - Delinquent Secured accounts are transferred to delinquent tax roll and additional penalties added at 1- ½% per month on any unpaid tax amounts, plus $15.00 redemption fee

IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO NEW HOME BUYERS: You can possibly save costly penalties if, prior to the purchase of property and close of escrow, you make sure there are no prior delinquent taxes owing, and pre-arrange who pays the current installment due and owing. If property is purchased in November, determine who is to pay the first installment due on or before December 10 for the period of July 1 through December 30.
 
MELLO ROOS Property Tax Information for San Diego County
Any county, city, special district, school district or joint powers of authority can establish a “Community Facilities District”, CFD, which allows for the financing of public services and facilities such as streets, police protection, fire protection, ambulatory, elementary schools, parks, libraries, museums and cultural facilities. The 1982 act authorized local governments and developers to create CFD’s for the purpose of selling tax exempt bonds to fund public improvements.  Property owners that participate in a CFD pay a special tax to repay the bonds.
The special tax is typically included in the annual property tax bill; however it can also be paid off on a monthly basis. The length of the bond can vary, but typically 30 to 40 years.
The CFD has rights to foreclose if the special tax is delinquent after 150-180 days in arrears.
Disclosures by Sellers should be provided to Buyers “Notice of Special Tax”
 
 
SAN DIEGO COUNTY  SALES TAX RATE
The sales tax rate was increased 4/01/2009 in San Diego County to 8.75%.
However, these cities in San Diego county increased their rates higher:
El Cajon: 9.75%; La Mesa: 9.5%; National City: 9.75% & Vista: 9.25%.
All of the other cities in San Diego County are 8.75%.
For a PDF of the sales tax rates as of 4/01/2009 in all the California counties, click the link: www.boe.ca.gov/news/pdf/l212b.pdf
 

JoAnn Jordan, Realtor