Property tax in Ventura County, California
In Ventura County, the property tax bill comes from the Ventura County Treasurer-Tax Collector. The 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 Ventura County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Ventura County, California is $5,574 a year, which is about 0.68% of the county's median home value of $822,700. 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 Ventura County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Ventura County Treasurer-Tax Collector. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Ventura 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. Bills are usually mailed by October 15. Only full installments are accepted, not partial payments. Unlike many California counties, Ventura's appeal window closes September 15, not November 30. Owners 65 and older or on disability benefits may be exempt from the parcel taxes some school districts put on the bill (Las Virgenes Unified and Ventura Unified); you apply to the school district, not the county.
When are property taxes due in Ventura County?
For the 2026-27 bill, Ventura 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 set by the county. Taxes still unpaid after June 30 go into tax default, which adds penalties of 1.5% a month on the unpaid tax.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First installment | November 1, 2026 | The county lists November 1 as the due date (November 1, 2026 is a Sunday, so the Assessor's 2026 calendar shows Monday, November 2), 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 dated on or before that day; the county does not accept postage meter dates or pre-printed stamps from private vendors or self-service kiosks as postmarks. 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 the next business day, Monday, April 12, 2027. The same postmark rules apply. |
From Ventura 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 Ventura County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Ventura County's average effective rate of 0.68% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $5,594 / year
Property tax in Ventura County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $5,574 |
| Median home value | $822,700 |
| 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 Ventura County compare in California?
Among California's 58 counties, Ventura County has the 40th highest effective property-tax rate: 39 rank higher and 18 rank lower. That is on the lower side for California. Nationally, it ranks 1947th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every California county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Ventura County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Ventura County's 181,039 owner-occupied homes, 75.6% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 83.4% pay at least $2,000, and 5.2% pay under $800. Another 3.6% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 9,496 | 5.2% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 8,652 | 4.8% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 5,391 | 3% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 14,071 | 7.8% |
| $3,000 or more | 136,892 | 75.6% |
| No property tax paid | 6,537 | 3.6% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $6,174 and owners without one pay $4,040. 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 Ventura County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $5,574 is about 4.1% of the median income of Ventura County homeowner households, $134,786 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 64.6% of Ventura 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 Ventura County?
Yes. The median bill went from $4,271 in 2015-2019 to $5,574 in 2020-2024, a 30.5% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 39.8%, from $588,400 to $822,700. 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 Ventura County
Ventura County borders 3 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kern County, CA | 0.88% | $2,984 | $338,300 |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 0.68% | $5,675 | $834,200 |
| Ventura County, CA (this county) | 0.68% | $5,574 | $822,700 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 0.65% | $5,103 | $790,700 |
How is a home assessed in Ventura County?
California sets the assessment rules and Ventura County applies them. How California assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Ventura 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 Ventura County. California's exemptions and relief programs in full.
How to appeal your Ventura County property assessment
In Ventura County you appeal to the Ventura County Assessment Appeals Board (filed with the Clerk of the Assessment Appeals Board). The deadline: For the regular annual assessment, file between July 2 and September 15; if September 15 falls on a weekend, the deadline moves to 5 p.m. the following Monday. The 2026 window closed on Tuesday, September 15, 2026; the next runs from July 2 to Wednesday, September 15, 2027. A mailed application must be postmarked by the last day, and applications can also be filed online. An appeal of a supplemental or escape assessment is due within 60 days of the mailing date printed on the notice or its postmark, whichever is later, and a calamity reassessment within 6 months of the notice. The Assessor suggests discussing your value with its staff before you file. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against state law, because Ventura 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
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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 Ventura 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 Ventura County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Ventura 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.