Insights
Industries: Real Estate

If the North Bay fires affected your property, you may be eligible for a temporary reduction of your Proposition 13 base year value (the starting value used in assessing property tax) and deferral of the first installment of your 2017-2018 property tax bill.

Information from the Napa County Assessor’s office, including the Application for Reassessment of Damaged or Destroyed Property, can be found on their website. 

Once a completed application is received, the assessor will appraise the property and determine separately the full cash value of land, improvements and personal property immediately before and after the damage or destruction. If the decrease in value is $10,000 or more, the assessor will then determine the percentage reductions in value of land, improvements and personal property due to the damage or destruction and reduce the values appearing on the assessment roll accordingly. Property taxes will be prorated before and after the change in value, and any overpayment of tax will be refunded.

If and when the property is repaired or rebuilt, the County will reassess the property. It is important to note, you will not lose your original base year value. The final assessment will look at whether the property is restored or substantially improved, and will reinstate the base year value in both cases. If the property is more than restored, there will be additional assessments for upgrades.

We encourage you to submit the application as soon as you can if you live in Napa. To take advantage of the installment deferral, an application must be filed no later than December 10, 2017.

In Sonoma's County, submission is optional. Information obtained from other agencies will help the Sonoma County Assessor's office in automatically applying tax reductions without the need for taxpayers to file paperwork.

BPM is here to assist you.
If you have any questions or would like further assistance, please contact Jackie Matsumura, CPA, Real Estate Industry Group Leader, at [email protected] or (925) 296-1035.


Related Insights
Subscribe