Property tax in Calaveras County, California
In Calaveras County, the property tax bill comes from the Calaveras County Treasurer-Tax Collector. The 2026-2027 bill is paid in 2 installments, and the next one is due November 1, 2026. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Calaveras County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Calaveras County, California is $3,319 a year, which is about 0.73% of the county's median home value of $457,200. That effective rate is higher than the typical California county (0.7%) and lower than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Who sends the property tax bill in Calaveras County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Calaveras County Treasurer-Tax Collector. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Calaveras County Assessor, which is who to ask if the value looks wrong. For how to look up and pay the bill, go to the county's own payment information.
The Assessor sets the value and the Treasurer-Tax Collector sends the bill and takes the payment; they are separate offices. The office at 891 Mountain Ranch Road, San Andreas is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., earlier than the 5 p.m. deadline in state law, so pay in person before 4 p.m. Online card payments carry a service fee charged by the payment vendor, not the county. The county offers an optional monthly payment plan through an outside vendor. Supplemental bills after a sale or new construction come separately, have their own due dates, and are not sent to mortgage lenders.
When are property taxes due in Calaveras County?
For the 2026-2027 bill, Calaveras County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due November 1, 2026 and the last February 1, 2027. Under state law, an installment paid after its deadline gets a 10% penalty, and a late second installment also carries a cost for the delinquency notice; the county's pages do not print that cost, which state law caps at $55. Taxes still unpaid after June 30 go into default and add a penalty of 1.5% a month until paid.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First installment | November 1, 2026 | Bills are due November 1, but no penalty applies until after 5 p.m. on December 10, 2026 (a Thursday), the last day to pay without penalty. State law sets these dates for every California county, and the county lists December 10 as the last day to pay the first installment. |
| Second installment | February 1, 2027 | The second installment is due February 1. The last day to pay without penalty is normally April 10, but April 10, 2027 is a Saturday, and state law moves the deadline to 5 p.m. on the next business day, Monday, April 12, 2027. The county's own pages list April 10 and do not mention the weekend rule. |
From Calaveras County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. If a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the county's own rules on the next business day apply.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Calaveras County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Calaveras County's average effective rate of 0.73% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $3,338 / year
Property tax in Calaveras County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $3,319 |
| Median home value | $457,200 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.73% |
| Typical California county rate | 0.7% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Calaveras County compare in California?
Among California's 58 counties, Calaveras County has the 18th highest effective property-tax rate: 17 rank higher and 40 rank lower. That is on the higher side for California. Nationally, it ranks 1772nd of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every California county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Calaveras County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Calaveras County's 15,480 owner-occupied homes, 55.3% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 74.6% pay at least $2,000, and 4.5% pay under $800. Another 3% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 704 | 4.5% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 1,528 | 9.9% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 1,234 | 8% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 2,991 | 19.3% |
| $3,000 or more | 8,556 | 55.3% |
| No property tax paid | 467 | 3% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $3,569 and owners without one pay $2,890. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.
How does the Calaveras County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $3,319 is about 3.9% of the median income of Calaveras County homeowner households, $85,874 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 84% of Calaveras County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Calaveras County?
Yes. The median bill went from $2,528 in 2015-2019 to $3,319 in 2020-2024, a 31.3% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 43.1%, from $319,500 to $457,200. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.
Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.
Property tax in counties next to Calaveras County
Calaveras County borders 5 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine County, CA | 0.77% | $4,530 | $590,200 |
| San Joaquin County, CA | 0.75% | $3,960 | $530,700 |
| Calaveras County, CA (this county) | 0.73% | $3,319 | $457,200 |
| Amador County, CA | 0.71% | $3,172 | $449,800 |
| Stanislaus County, CA | 0.71% | $3,216 | $450,100 |
| Tuolumne County, CA | 0.66% | $2,864 | $433,200 |
How is a home assessed in Calaveras County?
California sets the assessment rules and Calaveras County applies them. How California assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Calaveras County?
Yes. California's Homeowners' Exemption takes $7,000 off the assessed value of an owner-occupied home. File form BOE-266 with the county assessor by February 15 for the full exemption. That is the California rule, and it applies in Calaveras County. California's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Calaveras County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the California ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Calaveras County property assessment
In Calaveras County you appeal to the Calaveras County Assessment Appeals Board (filed with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors). The deadline: For the regular annual assessment, file between July 2 and November 30; for 2026 the window runs to Monday, November 30, 2026. An appeal of a supplemental or escape assessment is due within 60 days of the date printed on the notice or its postmark, whichever is later. Each parcel needs its own application. The county urges owners to discuss the value with the Assessor's staff before filing, and you must attend the hearing or the appeal may be denied. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How California's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
California rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the California page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Calaveras County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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California income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what California actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Calaveras County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Calaveras County, California: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.