Property tax by ZIP code in California
Enter a California ZIP and see the median property tax paid, median home value, and effective tax rate from the 2020–2024 American Community Survey — plus how it compares to the California state median.
Look up a California ZIP code
Enter a 5-digit California ZIP code above to see its property tax data.
ZIP doesn't have ACS data — typically because it's a PO-box-only ZIP, a single-business ZIP, or an area where the Census suppresses small-sample estimates. Try a nearby ZIP.
ZIP isn't a California ZIP code. This page covers CA only. Other states are launching state by state — check back, or use our state-by-state median page in the meantime.
California runs property tax through 58 county assessors under the regime Proposition 13 (1978) established: the rate is capped at 1% of full cash value (plus voter-approved bonds and indebtedness), and annual assessed-value growth is limited to 2% or CPI until a sale or major construction resets the basis. Proposition 19 (2020) tightened parent-child transfer exclusions and gave homeowners 55+ (or severely disabled) the ability to carry their factored base year value to a replacement primary residence anywhere in California, up to three times. The standard homeowners' exemption is just $7,000 off full value — small compared to other states because the structural protection is the assessed-value cap, not a flat dollar amount.
Enter a 5-digit California ZIP to see its median property tax, median home value, and effective rate from the US Census American Community Survey 2020–2024 vintage, plus how the ZIP compares to the California state and US national medians. The explainer below covers why Prop 13's purchase-year anchoring creates dramatic within-neighborhood spreads, the role of Mello-Roos and parcel taxes that often push effective rates above 1%, and the Census topcoding that affects high-value Bay Area and Westside L.A. ZIPs.
How California property tax works
California runs property tax through 58 county assessors. Every parcel carries a "factored base year value" — the assessed value reset whenever the property changes hands or is newly constructed. Proposition 13 (1978) caps the rate at 1% of full cash value (plus voter-approved bonds and indebtedness) and limits annual assessed-value growth to 2% or CPI (whichever is lower).
This produces enormous within-neighborhood variation: a homeowner who bought in 1985 may pay a fraction of what their neighbor pays after a 2024 sale. Proposition 19 (2020) tightened parent-child transfer exclusions and gave homeowners 55+ (or severely disabled) the ability to carry their factored base year value to a replacement primary residence anywhere in California, up to three times.
The standard homeowners' exemption is just $7,000 off full value — small compared to other states because the structural protection is the 2% assessed-value cap, not a flat dollar amount. Disabled veterans get a separate, much larger exemption, indexed annually for inflation — see the BOE Disabled Veterans' Exemption page for the current basic and low-income amounts.
Lien date is January 1; appeals are due 60 days from notice mailing or during the regular equalization period (Sep 15–Nov 30, varies by county). Bills come in two installments, due November 1 and February 1.
California's median effective rate is 0.70% — below the 0.94% national median, but the median masks dramatic intra-neighborhood spreads driven by Prop 13.
Why your actual bill differs
The numbers above describe a typical homeowner in this ZIP code — not your specific bill. Three things move bills away from the median:
- Prop 13 locks in the year you bought. A 1985 purchase, a 2005 purchase, and a 2024 purchase in the same neighborhood can carry factored base year values that differ by 5× or more. Your bill is anchored to your purchase year, not the current market value.
- Mello-Roos and special assessments stack. Many newer master-planned subdivisions (newer Bay Area exurbs, San Diego, Inland Empire growth corridors) carry Community Facilities District levies of $2,000–$8,000+/year on top of the 1% rate, for 25–40 years until the district's bonds are retired.
- Parcel taxes and voter-approved bonds vary by district. The effective rate often runs 1.05%–1.30% in practice rather than the flat 1% Prop 13 cap, because school bonds, water bonds, and parcel taxes get layered on top.
For your current-year bill, look up your property through your county assessor. The CA Board of Equalization directory links to all 58.
Methodology
Data on this page comes from the US Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 vintage (released January 29, 2026), at the ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) level. After filtering ZCTAs the Census suppresses for privacy or small-sample reasons, this page covers 1,575 California ZIPs.
California topcoding. The Census caps three values for privacy: property tax at $10,000, median home value at $2,000,000, and median household income at $250,000. About 10% of CA ZIPs hit one of these ceilings — concentrated in San Francisco, Marin, Atherton / Palo Alto / Menlo Park, Beverly Hills / Bel Air, Santa Monica, the Manhattan Beach corridor, and La Jolla. For those ZIPs the displayed effective rate is a floor or ceiling, not a point estimate; tax-and-value topcoded ZIPs are marked indeterminate.
Prop 13 caveat. The ACS median tax reflects bills generated under Prop 13's factored base year value system, so the median is a particularly weak description of any individual bill — purchase-year anchoring creates dramatic spreads within the same ZIP.
See the full methodology page for source details (Census table IDs, the population-weighted comparison-median rule, calculator formulas), how we handle topcoding across every state, and the refresh cadence.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the median tax in my ZIP different from what I pay?
Median is the middle of the distribution, not your specific bill. Prop 13's purchase-year anchoring means long-term homeowners pay dramatically less than recent buyers in the same neighborhood. Your bill is anchored to your factored base year value, not market value — and Mello-Roos / parcel taxes / school bonds in your district may add several percentage points on top of the 1% rate.
Why does my ZIP show $10,001 or $2,000,001 as the median?
Those are the Census topcodes. To protect respondent privacy, ACS reports property tax responses above $10,000 as $10,001 and median home values above $2,000,000 as $2,000,001. About 10% of California ZIPs hit one of these ceilings, concentrated in San Francisco, the Peninsula (Atherton, Palo Alto, Menlo Park), Marin, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, the Manhattan Beach corridor, and La Jolla. For these ZIPs your effective rate display is a floor or ceiling, not a point estimate.
How does Prop 19's 55+ transfer work?
Homeowners age 55 or older (or severely disabled) can transfer their factored base year value to a replacement primary residence anywhere in California, up to three times. The replacement must be purchased within two years of the original sale. File the transfer claim with the new home's county assessor; the BOE Pub 801 fact sheet has the full rules.
Where do I find my actual California property tax bill?
Through your county assessor (for assessed value and exemptions) and county tax collector (for the actual bill). The CA Board of Equalization directory links to all 58 county assessor sites.
When does CA data update on this page?
Annually, when the Census Bureau releases the new ACS 5-year vintage — historically in late January (the 2020–2024 vintage released January 29, 2026). The next release (2021–2025) is expected in January 2027.