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EXCLUSIONS AND EXEMPTIONS
BUILDERS’ EXCLUSION

Section 75.12 of the Revenue & Taxation Code

Completed new construction may be excluded from supplemental assessment under certain circumstances. The property must be intended for sale and the builder must file the necessary form with the Assessor’s Office prior to or within 30 days of the start of construction. If the exclusion is approved, an appraisal is not made until the next lien date or until the property is sold, leased or occupied by the builder. Effective January 1, 2006, forms are not required for recorded subdivisions of 5 or more parcels. For more information, or to obtain an application, please call the Assessor’s Office.

EXEMPTIONS

HOMEOWNERS: A property owner may claim a Homeowner’s Exemption in California on a residence that is both owned and occupied at 12:01 a.m. on January 1. Claims must be filed by February 15 following the change of ownership. Our office generally sends Homeowner claims with the Supplemental Assessment notification and asks that you return the claims within 30 days so that we can apply the reduction to the supplemental bill. If the prior owner claimed the Homeowner’s Exemption, claim forms are mailed in the beginning of January for filing by February 15. The exemption reduces your assessed value by $7,000 and reduces the tax bill by at least $70.

It is the homeowner’s responsibility to apply for the exemption. To receive the full exemption, you must file with the Assessor’s office between January 1 and February 15, or within 30 days of a Notice of Supplemental Assessment. (A late filing is accepted from February 16 to December 10 for 80 percent of the exemption.). Your exemption automatically continues each year as long as you continue to own and occupy the property as your primary residence. It is the homeowner’s responsibility to terminate the exemption when no longer eligible.

TOTALLY DISABLED VETERANS: If you are a veteran who is rated 100 percent disabled, blind, or a paraplegic due to a service-connected disability while in the armed forces (or if you are the unmarried widow of such a veteran), you may be eligible for an exemption of up to $150,000 off the assessed value of your owner occupied home. 

VETERANS: The filing period for Veteran’s Exemption is from January 1 through February 15, or within 30 days of a Notice of Supplemental Assessment for the full exemption. Late filing is from February 16 to December 1 for 80 percent of the exemption. Unlike the Homeowner’s exemption the Veteran’s exemption must be filed annually, and the Veteran’s assets cannot exceed $10,000.

NOTE: A property owner may NOT have both a Homeowner’s and a Veteran’s exemption on the same property. Applications and additional information may be obtained at the Assessor’s Office.