Property tax in Tuolumne County, California
In Tuolumne County, the property tax bill comes from the Tuolumne 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 Tuolumne County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Tuolumne County, California is $2,864 a year, which is about 0.66% of the county's median home value of $433,200. 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 Tuolumne County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Tuolumne County Treasurer-Tax Collector. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Tuolumne 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. Annual bills are mailed in early October, and a bill not received by November 10 can be requested from the Tax Collector's Office. Taxes can be paid online, by phone at (866) 513-9216, or in person at the Tax Collector's Office, 2 South Green Street, Sonora, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; questions go to (209) 533-5544.
When are property taxes due in Tuolumne County?
For the 2026-2027 bill, Tuolumne 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 delinquent records. Taxes still unpaid after June 30 become tax-defaulted, and a penalty of 1.5% a month then accrues until paid. An owner can start a payment plan with a deposit of 20% of all back taxes, plus any current or supplemental taxes due.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First installment | November 1, 2026 | The first installment is 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. A mailed payment must be postmarked by midnight on that day. State law sets these dates for every California county. |
| 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 second installment cannot be paid before the first. |
From Tuolumne County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. The county had not posted a calendar labeled for this cycle when we checked, so these dates come from state law and the county's standing schedule; the date on your bill is the one that binds you.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Tuolumne County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Tuolumne County's average effective rate of 0.66% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,859 / year
Property tax in Tuolumne County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,864 |
| Median home value | $433,200 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.66% |
| 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 Tuolumne County compare in California?
Among California's 58 counties, Tuolumne County has the 45th highest effective property-tax rate: 44 rank higher and 13 rank lower. That is on the lower side for California. Nationally, it ranks 2023rd of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every California county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Tuolumne County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Tuolumne County's 16,771 owner-occupied homes, 45.5% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 66.2% pay at least $2,000, and 7.9% pay under $800. Another 3.3% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 1,333 | 7.9% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 1,638 | 9.8% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 2,147 | 12.8% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 3,464 | 20.7% |
| $3,000 or more | 7,637 | 45.5% |
| No property tax paid | 552 | 3.3% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $3,071 and owners without one pay $2,567. 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 Tuolumne County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,864 is about 3.2% of the median income of Tuolumne County homeowner households, $89,363 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 73.9% of Tuolumne 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 Tuolumne County?
Yes. The median bill went from $2,157 in 2015-2019 to $2,864 in 2020-2024, a 32.8% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 49.8%, from $289,200 to $433,200. 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 Tuolumne County
Tuolumne County borders 6 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine County, CA | 0.77% | $4,530 | $590,200 |
| Calaveras County, CA | 0.73% | $3,319 | $457,200 |
| Stanislaus County, CA | 0.71% | $3,216 | $450,100 |
| Madera County, CA | 0.7% | $2,756 | $393,200 |
| Tuolumne County, CA (this county) | 0.66% | $2,864 | $433,200 |
| Mono County, CA | 0.65% | $4,177 | $639,400 |
| Mariposa County, CA | 0.61% | $2,377 | $387,900 |
How is a home assessed in Tuolumne County?
California sets the assessment rules and Tuolumne County applies them. How California assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Tuolumne 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 Tuolumne County. California's exemptions and relief programs in full.
How to appeal your Tuolumne County property assessment
In Tuolumne County you appeal to the Tuolumne County Board of Equalization (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 assessment is due within 60 days of the mailing of the supplemental tax bill. Each parcel needs its own Application for Changed Assessment. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against state law, because Tuolumne County does not restate them on its own pages.
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
-
How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Tuolumne County's tax rate to hand.
-
Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
-
California income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what California actually taxes.
-
Sales tax in Tuolumne County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Tuolumne 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.