How Do I Find Out The Tax Rate / Do I Have To Pay Mello Roos Tax?

The general tax rate in the State of California is limited by Proposition 13 to 1% of the assessed value of the home. If you are purchasing a home, the Tax Assessor will generally use the purchase price as the assessed value to calculate your property tax. Your home may also be subject to additional property tax in the form of voter-approved indebtedness. This amount varies from year to year based on the amount of principal and interest that is owed. To figure out the property tax for a specific home, you can go to the Orange County Tax Assessor’s Office and enter the address or parcel number of the property in which you are interested.

Do you know if your home is subject to an additional property tax, known as Mello Roos tax?

Mello Roos is a special tax that is assessed against certain parcels of land to pay for community resources like schools, police stations, fire stations, ambulance services, recreational areas and programs, maintenance of public parks and open spaces, and flood protection. Mello Roos taxes are typically assessed against new developments that do not have established community services and resources.

Mello Roos tax rates vary between areas and usually amount to a few thousands dollars a year. To find out the Mello Roos tax rate for a particular address or parcel number, go to http://tax.ocgov.com/tcweb/search_page.asp.

Mello Roos is not optional. If you purchase a home that is subject to Mello Roos tax, the Mello Roos tax will be added to your general property tax bill.

The answer depends on whether you are talking about “market value” or “taxable value”.
“Market Value” is the amount the property would sell for if it were sold on the open market to an unrelated buyer. The Tax Assessor values a property each year based on its value as of January 1 that year.

“Taxable Value” is set by the Orange County Tax Assessor. Under Proposition 13, the Tax Assessor can increase the taxable value of a property by up to 2% per year.

According to the Orange County Tax Assessor, a temporary reduction in property taxes may be granted if the market value is less than the taxable value. This may be the case for some properties purchased in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

If you are a homeowner, you can find the taxable value of your home on the value notice sent by the Tax Assessor’s Office in July or on the property tax bill sent in September. If you do not have access to either of those documents, you can find the taxable value on the Orange County Tax Assessor’s website.

If you believe that your market value is less than your taxable value, and your property tax has not been reduced in your most recent property tax bill, you may want to contact the Orange County Tax Assessor’s Office at 714-834-2727.

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