Under California Constitution Article XIII A (Proposition 13) real property is reappraised only when a change in ownership occurs, or when new construction takes place.
Under certain circumstances described below, California law allows taxpayers the ability to permanently or temporarily reduce their assessed value, and/or transfer their protected Proposition 13 assessed value. Below is information about the major programs.
| Decline in Value (Temporary relief when the market declines below assessed value) | Prop 8 | |
| Disaster/Calamity Relief (Property damaged by misfortune or calamity) | Section 170 |
| Homeowner exemption If you own and occupy your home as your principal place of residence, you may be eligible for an exemption of up to $7,000 off of the assessed value. This exemption will reduce your annual property tax bill by about $70. |
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| Veterans Exemption The veterans' exemption may be applied to real or personal property located in the county, and exempts up to $4,000 off of the assessed value of the property. |
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| Disabled Veterans Exemption If you are a veteran who is rated by the Veterans Administration as 100% service-connected disabled, (or if you are the surviving spouse of such a veteran), you may be eligible for an exemption of up to $150,000 off of the assessed value of your home. |
The following propositions were adopted by California voters to allow property owners to transfer Prop. 13 factored base year values or to exclude certain events from reassessment. If you qualify, you must submit a completed claim form to receive these tax-savings benefits. Please be advised that on November 3, 2020 voters approved Proposition 19 (Home Protection for Seniors, Severely Disabled, Families and Victims of Wildfire or Natural Disasters Act), which makes sweeping changes to a property owner’s ability to transfer their Proposition 13 Assessed Value. It also may change the process for claiming exclusions. Parts of the new law become effective on February 16, 2021 and parts are effective on April 1, 2021.
| Transfer of assessment to a replacement property, anywhere in California, by a property owner at least 55 years old. Effective April 1, 2021. | Prop 19 | More |
| Parent to/from Child Transfer. Effective February 15, 2021. | Prop 19 | More |
| Disaster/Calamity Relief (Governor declared disaster). | Prop. 50(Section 69) | More |
| Contaminated Property | Prop. 1 | |
| Eminent Domain (Property taken by government action) | Prop. 3 | |
| Severely and Permanently Disabled Owners | Prop 110 | |
| Transfer of assessment to a replacement property by severely and permanently disabled owner. THIS LAW IS MODIFIED BY PROPOSITION 19. | Prop 110 | |
| Transfer of assessment to a replacement property by a property owner at least 55 years old (within county) PROPOSITION 60/90 ARE SUPERSEDED BY PROPOSITION 19 ON April 1, 2021. | Prop 60 | More |
| Transfer of assessment to a replacement property by a property owner at least 55 years old (between counties) PROPOSITION 60/90 ARE SUPERSEDED BY PROPOSITION 19 ON April 1, 2021. | Prop 90 | |
| Parent-Child Transfer THIS LAW EXPIRES ON FEBRUARY 15, 2021AND IS REPLACED WITH PROPOSITION 19 | Prop 58 | |
| Grandparent-Grandchild Transfer THIS LAW EXPIRES ON FEBRUARY 15, 2021AND IS REPLACED WITH PROPOSITION 19 | Prop 193 |
