Santa Clara County Property Tax
Property tax in Santa Clara County is about 1.193% of assessed value — the 1% Proposition 13 base levy plus each area's voter-approved debt. Rates are close to the California norm; what makes Silicon Valley bills large is home values, not the rate. The average single-family home or condo is assessed near $1,011,283 for existing owners. The figures below come from the Santa Clara County Assessor's 2025-26 annual report.
Ad-valorem only (excludes Mello-Roos and fixed direct assessments). “Average assessed value” is the mean net secured value of single-family homes and condos — an existing-owner Proposition 13 basis, not a median and not a sale price.
Property tax by city in Santa Clara County
Average figures for existing owners, by city. “Average home value” is the mean assessed value of single-family homes and condos (a Proposition 13 base-year value, not a buyer's price); the bill applies the typical ad-valorem rate. Seven of these cities have their own page with a calculator.
| City | Avg home value | Typical rate | Avg annual tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose | $776,738 | 1.23% | $9,554 |
| Sunnyvale | $1,027,282 | 1.17% | $12,019 |
| Santa Clara | $852,505 | 1.18% | $10,060 |
| Milpitas | $776,378 | 1.14% | $8,851 |
| Palo Alto | $1,927,542 | 1.20% | $23,131 |
| Mountain View | $1,159,955 | 1.16% | $13,455 |
| Cupertino | $1,322,190 | 1.16% | $15,337 |
| Gilroy | $692,856 | 1.21% | $8,384 |
| Morgan Hill | $888,335 | 1.13% | $10,038 |
| Saratoga | $2,023,131 | 1.14% | $23,064 |
| Campbell | $932,046 | 1.21% | $11,278 |
| Los Altos | $2,143,744 | 1.15% | $24,653 |
| Los Gatos | $1,597,558 | 1.14% | $18,212 |
| Los Altos Hills | $3,800,667 | 1.15% | $43,708 |
| Monte Sereno | $2,681,139 | 1.14% | $30,565 |
Source: Santa Clara County Assessor annual report 2025-26 (average net secured value and parcel counts for single-family homes and condos, by city). Typical rate is the parcel-weighted Tax-Rate-Area median for each city, from the county Auditor-Controller 2025-26 tax rate book joined to the parcel roll. It is an all-parcel median, but it closely tracks the single-family rate because 85%–97% of parcels in each city are residential. Ad-valorem only; your parcel's exact rate depends on its Tax Rate Area, and Mello-Roos or fixed charges are extra.
How Proposition 13 shapes Santa Clara County bills
Under Proposition 13 your assessed value is largely set the year you buy, then rises no more than 2% a year. So two identical homes can have very different tax bills depending on when each owner bought. Across the county's single-family homes and condos, here is the share of parcels — and of assessed value — by Proposition 13 base year (lien date January 1, 2025):
| Base year (when bought/built) | Share of homes | Share of assessed value |
|---|---|---|
| Before 1979 | 8% | 1% |
| 1979–1988 | 8% | 3% |
| 1989–1998 | 13% | 7% |
| 1999–2008 | 20% | 19% |
| 2009–2018 | 27% | 30% |
| 2019–present | 24% | 40% |
About 51% of homes were last assessed in 2009 or later, so a large share of owners pay on relatively recent values — while long-time owners from before the 1990s often pay far less on the identical house next door. That tenure gap, not the rate, is why Santa Clara County bills vary so widely.
Source: Santa Clara County Assessor annual report 2025-26, secured roll by base year and property type (single-family and condominium).
How Santa Clara County property tax is calculated
California taxes property under Proposition 13: your assessed value is generally set when you buy, then rises no more than 2% a year until the property changes hands or is newly built. The annual bill is that assessed value times the ad-valorem rate — the 1% base plus voter-approved bonds — and then any parcel-specific charges are added.
What's on a Santa Clara County tax bill
Ad-valorem tax (1% base + voter-approved debt) · Mello-Roos special taxes, where the parcel is in a Community Facilities District · fixed direct assessments (lighting, landscaping, school parcel taxes, etc.). Only the first is value-based; the rate figures here cover that part.
Want to see the actual line items for your area? Look up what's in your Santa Clara property tax → — every ad-valorem levy by agency and Tax Rate Area.
The county figure is an average; the actual ad-valorem rate differs by Tax Rate Area. See the Santa Clara County property tax rate by ZIP code → for the typical rate, home value, and bill in each ZIP.
Learn the rules behind the rate in our statewide guides: Proposition 13, Mello-Roos, and what triggers a reassessment.
Due dates & where to pay
Santa Clara County property taxes are paid in two installments: first due November 1 (delinquent after December 10) and second due February 1 (delinquent after April 10). A 10% penalty applies after each delinquency date. Pay or look up a parcel through the Santa Clara County Department of Tax and Collections by parcel number (APN). See the full California due-date schedule for penalties and related deadlines.
These deadlines are set by California state law (Revenue & Taxation Code §§ 2605, 2606, 2617 and 2701) and are the same in every county — this is general education, not a county-by-county check. If a delinquency date falls on a weekend or legal holiday, it moves to the next business day. Always confirm the exact dates and amounts on your own tax bill and your county tax collector's website. See the full California property tax due-date calendar for the dated 2026–27 schedule, penalties, and when bills are mailed.
Selling in Santa Clara County: the transfer tax
A sale also pays a one-time documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 (net of any loan the buyer takes over) of the price to the county (Revenue and Taxation Code §11911), $1,100 on a $1,000,000 sale. In Santa Clara County, Mountain View, Palo Alto and San Jose add their own city transfer taxes on top (San Jose's Measure E applies only above $2,000,000). Estimate it for any sale with the California transfer tax calculator; the documentary transfer tax guide covers who pays and the exemptions.
Home insurance in Santa Clara County
Property tax is not the only cost that follows the property. Three public figures for Santa Clara County, each a county aggregate from the FAIR Plan, the Department of Insurance (CDI) or the Office of the State Fire Marshal:
- 6,200 FAIR Plan policies in force on Sept 30, 2025 (+405% since 2021); 0.4% of insured homes were on the FAIR Plan in 2022 (CDI). FAIR Plan by county and ZIP →
- 2.9% of 688,080 homes (2020) are in a High or Very High fire hazard zone: 0.8% under the state map in force since 2024, 2.1% under the 2025 local recommendations. Zones by county, city and ZIP →
- 7.7% of voluntary-market policies that came up for renewal in 2023 were non-renewed, counting both the insurer's and the policyholder's non-renewals (CDI puts 75–80% of non-renewals on the policyholder). Non-renewal rates by county and ZIP →
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is property tax in Santa Clara County?
The ad-valorem property tax is about 1.193% of assessed value — the 1% Proposition 13 base plus voter-approved debt. The average single-family home or condo countywide is assessed near $1,011,283 for existing owners (a Proposition 13 value, not a sale price), so a typical existing-owner bill is roughly $12,065 a year before any special taxes. In San Jose the average is lower, near $776,738.
What is the property tax rate in Santa Clara County?
The rate is the constitutional 1% base plus each area's voter-approved debt (school, city and special-district bonds), which varies by Tax Rate Area. The county-average effective ad-valorem rate is about 1.193% (State Board of Equalization). San Jose runs a bit higher (~1.23%) and Milpitas a bit lower (~1.14%); your parcel's exact rate depends on its Tax Rate Area.
Why is Santa Clara County property tax so high in dollars?
Not because the rate is unusual — at about 1.193% it is close to the California norm. Bills are large because Silicon Valley home values are high, and under Proposition 13 recent buyers are assessed near their purchase price. About 51% of single-family homes and condos in the county have a Prop 13 base year of 2009 or later, so a large share of owners are assessed at recent, high values.
When are Santa Clara County property taxes due?
The first installment is due November 1 and delinquent after December 10; the second is due February 1 and delinquent after April 10. A 10% penalty applies after each delinquency date. The Santa Clara County Department of Tax and Collections bills and collects. These deadlines are set by California state law and are the same statewide; if a date falls on a weekend or holiday it moves to the next business day.
Does Santa Clara County have Mello-Roos?
Less than the newer master-planned parts of Southern California, but some newer developments and school facilities districts do carry Mello-Roos special taxes, billed on top of the 1% base rate and not based on your home's value. The state's debt commission (CDIAC) lists 5 Community Facilities Districts in the county for 2024-25, among them Sunnyvale CFD No 1, Gilroy CFD No 2000-1, Saratoga CFD No 2016-1 — see the Santa Clara Mello-Roos district list for each one's levy and debt. Check the parcel's tax bill for the line item; older, established neighborhoods are less likely to have it.
How do I look up or pay my Santa Clara County property tax?
Pay online or look up a parcel through the Santa Clara County Department of Tax and Collections by parcel number (APN). The County Assessor (sccassessor.org) handles assessed values and exemptions such as the homeowners' exemption. Per-parcel assessed values are not published free; the figures here are county Assessor aggregates.
Learn More
Educational estimates only, not an official bill. Rates are ad-valorem only (excluding Mello-Roos and fixed direct assessments) and the county-average is from the State Board of Equalization. Assessed values are the county Assessor's existing-owner averages (mean net secured value of single-family homes and condos, a Proposition 13 basis), not a buyer's price and not a median. Confirm current figures with the Santa Clara County Assessor and the Department of Tax and Collections.