Property tax in Santa Cruz County, California
In Santa Cruz County, the property tax bill comes from the Santa Cruz County Treasurer-Tax Collector, Tax Collection Division. 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 Santa Cruz County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Santa Cruz County, California is $6,538 a year, which is about 0.64% of the county's median home value of $1,027,500. 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 Santa Cruz County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Santa Cruz County Treasurer-Tax Collector, Tax Collection Division. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Santa Cruz 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. Secured bills are mailed by November 1; if yours has not arrived by November 10, call the Tax Collector at (831) 454-2510. Paying online by eCheck is free; the county's online payment site charges 2.29% for credit cards and $3.50 for debit cards. Mailed payments go to Santa Cruz County Tax Collector, P.O. Box 5639, Santa Cruz, CA 95063. Some school district parcel taxes on the bill offer exemptions for owners 65 and older; you apply to the school district, not the county. Keep paying your taxes on time while an appeal is pending.
When are property taxes due in Santa Cruz County?
For the 2026-2027 bill, Santa Cruz 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 cost for preparing the delinquency records, which state law caps at $55. Taxes still unpaid after June 30 put the property into tax default; state law then adds penalties of 1.5% a month from July 1 plus a redemption fee, the owner can start a five-year installment plan, and property left in default for five years can be sold at the county's annual tax auction.
| 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), the last day to pay without penalty. A mailed payment must be received or carry a U.S. Postal Service postmark by that day; metered mail, pre-canceled stamps, postal kiosk stamps and bill pay services are often not postmarked. Both installments may be paid together by this deadline. 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 moves the deadline to 5 p.m. on the next business day, Monday, April 12, 2027. The same postmark rule applies. |
From Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Santa Cruz County's average effective rate of 0.64% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $6,576 / year
Property tax in Santa Cruz County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $6,538 |
| Median home value | $1,027,500 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.64% |
| 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 Santa Cruz County compare in California?
Among California's 58 counties, Santa Cruz County has the 50th highest effective property-tax rate: 49 rank higher and 8 rank lower. That places it among the least taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 2099th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every California county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Santa Cruz County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Santa Cruz County's 58,079 owner-occupied homes, 75.6% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 83.9% pay at least $2,000, and 3.6% pay under $800. Another 4.1% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 2,096 | 3.6% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 2,765 | 4.8% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 2,107 | 3.6% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 4,824 | 8.3% |
| $3,000 or more | 43,893 | 75.6% |
| No property tax paid | 2,394 | 4.1% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $7,434 and owners without one pay $4,595. 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 Santa Cruz County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $6,538 is about 4.7% of the median income of Santa Cruz County homeowner households, $139,862 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 59.9% of Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County?
Yes. The median bill went from $4,944 in 2015-2019 to $6,538 in 2020-2024, a 32.2% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 35.8%, from $756,600 to $1,027,500.
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 Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County borders 4 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Benito County, CA | 0.81% | $6,441 | $793,400 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | at least 0.67% | $10,000+ | $1,490,600 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA (this county) | 0.64% | $6,538 | $1,027,500 |
| Monterey County, CA | 0.63% | $4,910 | $781,000 |
| San Mateo County, CA | 0.61% | $9,519 | $1,559,600 |
How is a home assessed in Santa Cruz County?
California sets the assessment rules and Santa Cruz County applies them. How California assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County. California's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Santa Cruz County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the California ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Santa Cruz County property assessment
In Santa Cruz County you appeal to the Santa Cruz 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, 2026 (a Monday). The county's appeals page also says an application postmarked, or delivered to the Clerk of the Board by 5 p.m., on December 1, 2026 will be accepted, but state law sets November 30, so filing by then is the safe course. An appeal of a supplemental, escape or roll change assessment is due within 60 days of the date printed on that notice, and a calamity assessment within 6 months. Each application covers one parcel and carries a $50 nonrefundable processing fee. Before appealing, you can ask the Assessor for a free informal review, and a decline-in-value review form can be filed with the Assessor from July 2 to December 31. 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Santa Cruz 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.