Property tax in San Diego County, California
In San Diego County, the property tax bill comes from the San Diego 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 San Diego County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in San Diego County, California is $5,774 a year, which is about 0.68% of the county's median home value of $854,700. That effective rate is lower 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 San Diego County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk, Office of the 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. Annual bills are mailed in late September or early October. Paying online by eCheck is free; credit card payments carry a convenience fee of 2.19%, and debit cards are not accepted. Voter-approved bonds and assessments from cities, schools and special districts appear on the same county bill, not as a separate bill. For 2026-27 some bills carried erroneous City of San Diego trash fees; the city is correcting the affected parcels and corrected bills will be issued. Appeals can be filed online.
When are property taxes due in San Diego County?
For the 2026-2027 bill, San Diego 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. Taxes still unpaid after June 30 go into default, and defaulted taxes accrue interest of 1.5% a month (18% a year), with a $33 redemption fee added when they are paid off. An owner in default for less than five years can pay it off through a five-year payment plan, starting with at least 20% of the defaulted amount plus the current year's taxes and the plan fees.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First installment | November 1, 2026 | The county lists November 1 as the due date, but no penalty applies until after December 10, 2026 (a Thursday), the last day to pay without penalty. A mailed payment is on time if it carries a U.S. Postal Service postmark dated on or before that day. Metered mail and postage bought from a kiosk or a bulk mailer are not postmarked, and a payment without a postmark counts on the day it reaches the office; for FedEx, UPS and other private carriers the county uses the shipping date. State law sets these dates for every California county. |
| Second installment | February 1, 2027 | The county lists February 1, 2027 as the due date. The last day to pay without penalty is normally April 10, but April 10, 2027 is a Saturday, and state law and the county both move the deadline to the close of the next business day, Monday, April 12, 2027. The same postmark rules apply. |
From San Diego 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 San Diego County
Enter a home's market value to estimate its annual property tax using San Diego County's own assessment rules. This is an estimate; for the exact bill, use the county's official tools linked below.
Estimated property tax: $9,961 / year
| Assessed value | $854,700 |
|---|---|
| Less homestead exemption | -$7,000 |
| Taxable value | $847,700 |
| Tax rate applied | 1.18% |
For your exact bill, San Diego County publishes the authoritative tools: official tax estimator, or the Jordan Z. Marks, San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk (assessment & exemptions); Dan McAllister, San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector (billing & collection).
Assessment ratio, exemption, and rate from San Diego County's certified high-confidence sources, reviewed 2026-08-30. Millage varies by taxing district and exemptions vary by owner, so treat this as a close estimate, not the exact bill.
Property tax in San Diego County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $5,774 |
| Median home value | $854,700 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.68% |
| 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 San Diego County compare in California?
Among California's 58 counties, San Diego County has the 38th highest effective property-tax rate: 37 rank higher and 20 rank lower. That is on the lower side for California. Nationally, it ranks 1945th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every California county ranked.
How much do homeowners in San Diego County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across San Diego County's 639,138 owner-occupied homes, 74.5% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 83.7% pay at least $2,000, and 3.6% pay under $800. Another 4% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 22,945 | 3.6% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 32,458 | 5.1% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 23,355 | 3.7% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 58,689 | 9.2% |
| $3,000 or more | 476,213 | 74.5% |
| No property tax paid | 25,478 | 4% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $6,375 and owners without one pay $4,129. 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 San Diego County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $5,774 is about 4.2% of the median income of San Diego County homeowner households, $137,988 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 54.6% of San Diego 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 San Diego County?
Yes. The median bill went from $4,111 in 2015-2019 to $5,774 in 2020-2024, a 40.5% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 51.6%, from $563,700 to $854,700. 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 San Diego County
San Diego County borders 3 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside County, CA | 0.78% | $4,348 | $557,300 |
| Imperial County, CA | 0.77% | $2,394 | $309,600 |
| San Diego County, CA (this county) | 0.68% | $5,774 | $854,700 |
| Orange County, CA | 0.66% | $6,330 | $962,600 |
How is a home assessed in San Diego County?
California sets the assessment rules and San Diego County applies them. How California assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in San Diego 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 San Diego County. California's exemptions and relief programs in full.
San Diego County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the California ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your San Diego County property assessment
In San Diego County you appeal to the San Diego 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 on that notice, and a calamity reassessment within 180 days. A mailed application counts from its U.S. Postal Service postmark. The Assessor also offers a free informal review if you think your home's market value is below its assessed value. 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 San Diego 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 San Diego County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for San Diego 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.