Santa Cruz County property tax appeals

California works differently from most states. Under Proposition 13, your home is assessed at its base year value, essentially what you paid for it when you bought it or last built on it, and that value can rise by at most 2 percent a year (or the change in the California Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower). The tax rate is about 1 percent of the assessed value plus local voter-approved amounts. So in a normal year your assessment cannot jump to current market value, and there is often nothing to appeal. That is the system working as intended, not a mistake.

Two situations do open a real appeal. First, a decline in value (Proposition 8): if your property's market value on January 1 has fallen below its factored base year value, you can ask for a temporary reduction to the lower figure. Second, a base year dispute, most common for a recent buyer or new construction, where the assessor set your starting value higher than the property was worth. Recent buyers and owners in a falling market are the ones most likely to have a case.

Appeals are filed with your county's assessment appeals board on form BOE-305-AH, submitted to the clerk of the board. The regular window runs July 2 to September 15, extended to November 30 in counties where the assessor does not mail an annual value notice to every owner (the State Board of Equalization certifies which counties each year). Many assessors also offer an informal decline in value review before a formal appeal, and filing fees vary by county. This is information to help you decide, not tax advice.