Property tax in Imperial County, California
In Imperial County, the property tax bill comes from the Imperial County Treasurer-Tax Collector. The FY 2026-27 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 Imperial County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Imperial County, California is $2,394 a year, which is about 0.77% of the county's median home value of $309,600. 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 Imperial County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Imperial County Treasurer-Tax Collector. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Imperial County Assessor's Office, 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. For the 2025-26 tax year the county mailed secured bills on September 2, 2025, well before the November 1 legal deadline, so a bill can arrive earlier than in other counties. Online payments carry a processor fee: $1.49 for an eCheck and 2.39% for a debit or credit card. Mailed payments go to Imperial County Treasurer-Tax Collector, 940 W. Main Street, Room 106, El Centro, CA 92243-2864, and there are payment drop boxes at the same building.
When are property taxes due in Imperial County?
For the FY 2026-27 bill, Imperial County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due November 1, 2026 and the last February 1, 2027. A first installment not paid by December 10, 2026 gets a 10% penalty. A second installment not paid by April 12, 2027 gets a 10% penalty plus a $10 cost. Any taxes still unpaid at 5 p.m. on June 30 put the property into tax default, which adds a $15 redemption fee and penalties of 1.5% a month on the unpaid tax; an owner can then open a five-year installment plan by paying at least 20% of the amount owed (with a $20 fee) and keeping current taxes paid.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First installment | November 1, 2026 | The county lists November 1 as the due date, but no penalty applies until after 5 p.m. on December 10, 2026 (a Thursday), which is the last day to pay without penalty. Mailed payments need a U.S. Postal Service postmark on or before that date; postage meter dates and several kinds of printed postage are not postmarked and do not count. Both installments may be paid together by the first deadline. State law sets these dates for every California county. |
| Second installment | February 1, 2027 | The county lists February 1 as the due date. The last day to pay without penalty is normally April 10, but April 10, 2027 is a Saturday, and both state law and the county move the deadline to 5 p.m. on the next business day, Monday, April 12, 2027. |
From Imperial 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 Imperial County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Imperial County's average effective rate of 0.77% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,384 / year
Property tax in Imperial County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,394 |
| Median home value | $309,600 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.77% |
| 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 Imperial County compare in California?
Among California's 58 counties, Imperial County has the 8th highest effective property-tax rate: 7 rank higher and 50 rank lower. That places it among the most heavily taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 1661st of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every California county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Imperial County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Imperial County's 28,210 owner-occupied homes, 35.7% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 53.9% pay at least $2,000, and 13% pay under $800. Another 6.7% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 3,664 | 13% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 3,825 | 13.6% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 3,657 | 13% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 5,125 | 18.2% |
| $3,000 or more | 10,057 | 35.7% |
| No property tax paid | 1,882 | 6.7% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,848 and owners without one pay $1,647. 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 Imperial County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,394 is about 3% of the median income of Imperial County homeowner households, $80,037 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 56.8% of Imperial 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 Imperial County?
Yes. The median bill went from $1,749 in 2015-2019 to $2,394 in 2020-2024, a 36.9% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 58.1%, from $195,800 to $309,600. 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 Imperial County
Imperial County borders 4 counties, 2 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside County, CA | 0.78% | $4,348 | $557,300 |
| Imperial County, CA (this county) | 0.77% | $2,394 | $309,600 |
| San Diego County, CA | 0.68% | $5,774 | $854,700 |
| La Paz County, AZ | 0.64% | $873 | $135,800 |
| Yuma County, AZ | 0.61% | $1,333 | $217,800 |
How is a home assessed in Imperial County?
California sets the assessment rules and Imperial County applies them. How California assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Imperial 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 Imperial County. California's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Imperial County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the California ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Imperial County property assessment
In Imperial County you appeal to the Imperial 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 is Thursday, July 2, 2026 to Monday, November 30, 2026, and an application postmarked by November 30 counts as on time. An appeal of a supplemental or escape assessment is due within 60 days of the date on the assessment notice. Each application carries a $35 nonrefundable filing fee, and faxed applications are not accepted. Questions about your value go to the Assessor's Office. 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 Imperial 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 Imperial County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Imperial 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.