The Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office is revolutionizing the way it does business with the launching of its first-in-the-state interactive, on-line services tool. Our office will be the first county assessor’s office in the state to launch an e-mail opt-in service to allow taxpayers to receive their assessment notices by electronic mail in lieu of by regular mail. Modeled after the private sector and on-line banking, the Assessor’s Office has created a tool that will enable taxpayers to securely opt-in to interact with the Assessor’s Office electronically, replacing the need to mail and interact with cumbersome and manually intensive paper documents.
This on-line service provides a great savings and improved efficiencies to the Assessor’s Office and Taxpayers, is better for the environment by reducing the number of car trips and paper usage, and is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and is not limited to the Office’s customer service hours.
Taxpayers who opt-in will be able to download electronic copies of the assessment notice cards and comparables of their property. Taxpayers who opt-in will also receive assessment information and other timely notices electronically. In the future, additional services will be provided to taxpayers who opt-in through this tool that would otherwise require an ink signature or a visit to the Assessor’s Office. In addition, we anticipate making property characteristics available to a property owner, eliminating the need to call or visit the office to receive this information.
Revenue & Taxation Code Section 619(d) allows a county assessor to provide notices by electronic mail in lieu of by regular United States mail if the taxpayer opts to receive their assessment information electronically.
