The Tax Collector collects all property taxes pursuant to California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 2602. This represents approximately $5.5 billion for the County, Schools, Cities and Special Districts.
I am the new owner of the property, why does the tax bill have the previous owner’s name and when will I get a bill with my name?
By law, the tax bill is issued to the owner of the property as of lien date January 1st each year. If you purchased the property on or after January 1st, the prior owner's name and value will appear until the following year. You may receive a Supplemental tax bill with your name, reflecting the change in value if the purchase price is greater than the previously assessed value. Prior to the mailing of the supplemental tax bill, the Office of the Assessor will mail a supplemental notice indicating the value change from the previous owner's assessed value or the change in value from new construction. This can take up to a year from the purchase date.
I sold my property earlier this year but I received the property tax bill in my name. What do I need to do to update your records?
By law, the tax bill is issued to the owner of the property as of lien date January 1st each year. If you sold the property on or after January 1st, you may still receive the tax bill in your name. If you no longer own the property and the taxes were paid through escrow, then you can disregard the bill. If you know the new owner of the property you may forward the bill to them. The new owner should contact our office and request a duplicate bill or retrieve a copy of the bill from our website. The ownership information will be updated by the Assessor's office through their normal business updates.
I received the tax bill but it is not in my name and it reflects the previous owner’s value. Will I receive a new property tax bill with my name and the price I paid?
If you purchased the property after the January 1 lien date, your property tax bill may reflect the previous owner’s name and assessed property value. This is still a valid property tax bill for this year. Once the Assessor’s Office processes the Supplemental Tax Roll, the ownership and adjusted assessment value will be reflected. You will receive a supplemental tax bill (if your purchase price is higher than the assessed value on the bill) or a supplemental tax refund (if your purchase price is lower than the assessed value on the bill ). This process may take up to a year following your purchase. For further information regarding the supplemental valuations, please contact the Office of the Assessor at (714)834-2727.
What are the direct levies on my tax bill?
Direct levies are direct charges against property which are included in the total amount of your tax bill but which are not ad valorem taxes based on the Assessor's valuation. Direct levies are levied on the tax bill on behalf of the District and are not levied by the Assessor's or Tax Collector's Office. To dispute a special assessment levied against your property, you will need to contact the levying district directly. The contact names and telephone numbers of the Districts are listed on your secured property tax bill. You may have a Mello-Roos special tax, a 1915 Improvement Bond Act special assessment or a direct special assessment designated as "SPL ASMNT USER FEES" on your tax bill. If direct special assessments have been included on your tax bill, the name of the assessment and the dollar amount of the assessment will be shown on the face of your tax bill. Some special assessments are subject to the accelerated judicial foreclosure process.
What is judicial foreclosure?
Annual property tax bills and a minimal number of supplemental and addenda tax bills include special assessments that are bonded debt that subjects properties to accelerated judicial foreclosure by the district that placed the assessment on the tax bill. When a tax bill that includes a foreclosable assessment is unpaid on the last business day of June, the district that initiated the assessment may record a notice of intent to foreclose on the property.
What happens if I paid less than the assessed value on my property tax bill?
If you purchased the property after the January 1 lien date, your property tax bill may reflect the previous owner’s name and assessed property value. This is still a valid property tax bill for this year. Once the Assessor’s Office processes the Supplemental Tax Roll, the ownership and adjusted assessment value will be reflected. You will receive a supplemental tax refund if your purchase price is lower than the assessed value on the bill. This process may take up to a year following your purchase. For further information regarding the supplemental valuations, please contact the Office of the Assessor at (714)834-2727.
My property tax bill lists a name as the “Homeowner Claimant”. What does this mean?
The “homeowner claimant” listed on the property tax bill refers to the owner or co-owner on record or a purchaser named in a contract of sale whom originally filed the paperwork for the Homeowner’s Exemption on this property.
The ownership of the property has a “TR” after the name. What does this mean?
The “TR” indicates that the ownership is in the name of a trust. The TR stands for “Trustee”.
If I move out and rent my house to someone else, am I still eligible for a Homeowner’s Exemption?
No. If you do not own and occupy your home as your principal place of residence, you must cancel your Homeowners' Exemption. You can cancel the exemption by completing the bottom section of the property tax bill insert that came with your property tax bill or complete the fill-in form on the Assessor’s website by clicking here.
How do I change the mailing address on my property tax bill?
Property owners can update their mailing address by sending a completed Change of Address Form to the Office of the Assessor.
If you have any questions about your current mailing address, please call the appropriate number in the Assessor’s office listed below:
Real Estate:
(714) 834-2939
Mobile Homes (Manufactured Homes):
(714) 834-5926
Business Personal Property:
(714) 834-2930
Boats and Aircraft:
(714) 834-2772
I recently purchased a home in a new development in Orange County. I have not received a tax bill and cannot locate my parcel on your website. What should I do?
If you purchased a home in a new development and cannot locate your tax bill with the parcel number provided, it is possible that the process of segregating the larger development into individually owned parcels has not yet been completed by the Office of the Assessor. Once this process is completed, a property tax bill will be mailed to you and you will be provided with additional time to pay the bill. To verify whether this is the case with your parcel, please call the Assessor at (714) 834-2727.
How come I did not receive a property tax bill and cannot locate my bill when I enter my parcel number?
There are a couple of reasons this may occur. Our office does not mail property tax bills or collect taxes for amounts due that are less than $20. It is also possible that if you purchased a home in a new development and your new parcel number has not been created, then the process of segregating the development into individually owned parcels may not be completed yet. If you have further questions about this, please call our Taxpayer Services unit at (714) 834-3411.
My property tax bill has been revised and I am due a refund. When will I receive it?
The normal process is for refund checks to be mailed within 4-6 weeks of completion of a revised assessment. Refund checks are normally sent to the entity who paid the property taxes unless written authorization is provided to issue the refund to someone else. If you believe you are due a refund and have not received it within this time frame, contact our office at (714) 834-3411 or email us at ttcinfo@ttc.ocgov.com.
