What's in Your San Diego County Property Tax?
Your San Diego County property tax isn't one number — it's the 1% Proposition 13 base plus voter-approved bond debt that depends on your Tax Rate Area. Pick your city below to browse its Tax Rate Areas and see the total rate for each, then open one to estimate the tax on any assessed value.
San Diego County's Tax Rate Areas at a glance (2025/2026)
The 2025/2026 rate book lists 5,165 Tax Rate Areas in San Diego County. The Assessor's roll maps 1,033,100 parcels to 38 cities and communities (the table below); the 2,736 Tax Rate Areas listed under those communities hold 1,021,854 of them (the rest sit in Tax Rate Areas too small to list under a community). Their rates run from 1.019% to 1.2866% of assessed value, with a parcel-weighted median of 1.1643%. Beyond the 1% Proposition 13 base, San Diego County's rate book gives a single combined voter-approved-debt figure per Tax Rate Area rather than itemizing each bond, so the add-on shown for each community below is that combined figure, not one bond.
Two different averages: the 1.1643% above is the parcel-weighted median of the county's own 2025/2026 rate book; the 1.171% on the San Diego County guide is the Board of Equalization's county-average rate (2024-25), a different method and year. Both are ad-valorem only.
| City / community | Parcels | TRAs | Most common TRA | Rate there | Largest add-on in that TRA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego | 366,865 | 178 | 008001 (41% of its listed parcels) | 1.2511% | VOTER-APPROVED DEBT (TRA list residual) (0.2511%; combined voter-approved debt for this area (the book does not name each bond)) |
| Carlsbad | 81,708 | 75 | 009034 (18% of its listed parcels) | 1.0783% | VOTER-APPROVED DEBT (TRA list residual) (0.0783%) |
| Escondido | 78,431 | 296 | 094105 (35% of its listed parcels) | 1.057% | VOTER-APPROVED DEBT (TRA list residual) (0.057%) |
| Chula Vista | 67,612 | 145 | 001265 (17% of its listed parcels) | 1.1711% | VOTER-APPROVED DEBT (TRA list residual) (0.1711%) |
| Oceanside | 61,583 | 59 | 007000 (15% of its listed parcels) | 1.1174% | VOTER-APPROVED DEBT (TRA list residual) (0.1174%) |
| El Cajon | 45,360 | 279 | 003001 (9% of its listed parcels) | 1.1711% | VOTER-APPROVED DEBT (TRA list residual) (0.1711%) |
| Vista | 31,285 | 159 | 012236 (20% of its listed parcels) | 1.1295% | VOTER-APPROVED DEBT (TRA list residual) (0.1295%) |
| San Marcos | 30,052 | 145 | 013066 (12% of its listed parcels) | 1.1115% | VOTER-APPROVED DEBT (TRA list residual) (0.1115%) |
| La Mesa | 22,175 | 91 | 005003 (55% of its listed parcels) | 1.196% | VOTER-APPROVED DEBT (TRA list residual) (0.196%) |
| Ramona | 20,920 | 66 | 065088 (27% of its listed parcels) | 1.057% | VOTER-APPROVED DEBT (TRA list residual) (0.057%) |
| Fallbrook | 20,030 | 162 | 075002 (14% of its listed parcels) | 1.0732% | VOTER-APPROVED DEBT (TRA list residual) (0.0732%) |
| Spring Valley | 19,618 | 114 | 083171 (13% of its listed parcels) | 1.181% | VOTER-APPROVED DEBT (TRA list residual) (0.181%) |
| Santee | 19,489 | 48 | 016015 (22% of its listed parcels) | 1.1713% | VOTER-APPROVED DEBT (TRA list residual) (0.1713%) |
| Encinitas | 18,120 | 164 | 019079 (12% of its listed parcels) | 1.0753% | VOTER-APPROVED DEBT (TRA list residual) (0.0753%) |
| Poway | 16,422 | 115 | 017030 (14% of its listed parcels) | 1.1281% | VOTER-APPROVED DEBT (TRA list residual) (0.1281%) |
Plus 23 smaller communities — all of them are in the city list below.
Look up or pay your San Diego County bill: www.sdttc.com ↗ (the county's own portal; search by parcel number or address) · no bill yet? 1-877-829-4732 · fees and all counties
Source: San Diego County Auditor & Controller Tax Rate Area list (total rate per TRA), 2025-2026; San Diego County Assessor / SanGIS parcel data 2025 (city -> TRA aggregation only). Parcel counts are roll parcels aggregated by city and Tax Rate Area — no parcel or owner identities. Rates are ad-valorem only; Mello-Roos and fixed direct assessments are billed separately. Open a city below for every Tax Rate Area and its itemized levies.
Primary sources: San Diego County Auditor & Controller Tax Rate Area list (total rate per TRA), 2025-2026 · San Diego County Assessor / SanGIS parcel data 2025 (assessed values + NUCLEUS use code; aggregates only) (ArcGIS service) · California State Board of Equalization property tax data portal. Check a figure against the document before relying on it.
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Mello-Roos or a “Direct Assessment” line on your bill? Learn how Mello-Roos special taxes work → — these flat charges are separate from the ad-valorem rates above.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes up my San Diego County property tax rate?
Every parcel pays the 1% Proposition 13 base levy. On top of that, your Tax Rate Area adds voter-approved bond debt for the agencies that serve it — school and community-college districts, cities, and special districts. San Diego County publishes this added debt as a single combined rate per Tax Rate Area, so the total is the 1% base plus that voter-approved-debt rate.
What is a Tax Rate Area (TRA)?
A Tax Rate Area is a geographic zone with a unique combination of overlapping taxing agencies. San Diego County has thousands of them. Your TRA number is printed on your county tax bill, and it determines how much voter-approved bond debt is added to the 1% base.
Why isn't each bond listed separately?
San Diego County's published Tax Rate Area list gives the total rate per TRA (the 1% base plus a combined voter-approved-debt figure), not a line for each individual school or district bond. We show that official total and its two components. For the itemized list of bonds behind the combined figure, use the County Auditor & Controller's Tax Rate Area search or your own tax bill.
Does this include Mello-Roos or direct assessments?
No. The rates here are ad-valorem only (a percentage of assessed value). Mello-Roos / Community Facilities District special taxes and other fixed direct assessments are billed separately as flat charges on your San Diego County bill.
Learn More
Source: San Diego County Auditor & Controller Tax Rate Area list (2025-2026) for the total rate per TRA (the 1% Proposition 13 base plus a combined voter-approved-debt rate); San Diego County Assessor / SanGIS parcel data for the city-to-TRA aggregation. Ad-valorem rates exclude Mello-Roos and fixed direct assessments. A city's “most common” TRA is a convenience — your parcel's TRA (on your bill) is authoritative. Educational information, not an official bill.