Assessors in four more counties have submitted their 2021 assessment rolls, and all reported year-to-year growth in the value of taxable property in their areas.
Assessment roll value grew 4.19 percent in Fresno County, 3.35 percent in Napa County, 5.58 percent in Riverside County, and 6.5 percent in San Bernardino County.
As of July 29, assessors in 18 of the state’s 58 counties had made their 2021 assessment rolls publicly accessible, and all noted increases from last year. The increases will translate to more property tax revenue for schools and local government.
Riverside County’s roll is now valued at $338.2 billion. This year marked the ninth consecutive year of growth.
San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-Clerk Bob Dutton reported that this year marks the first time that the county has surpassed a quarter of a trillion dollars in assessed value. The county’s roll contains 888,830 parcels valued at more than $264 billion.
“For over a decade now, San Bernardino County has maintained a steady increase in property valuations reflecting increased sale transactions, new construction projects, and continued market-value increases in residential and various commercial markets,” Dutton said.
Napa County’s roll, which has increased every year since 1978, reached an all-time high of $45.56 billion. Assessor John Tuteur said the 3.35 percent growth “was a healthy increase given the impact of the pandemic, the $200 million reduction to the roll from the 2020 Glass and LNU fires and a Proposition 13 inflationary adjustment of less than 2 percent.”
When Tuteur presented the assessment roll to the county Board of Supervisors this month, Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza noted that property tax is one of the most stable revenue sources for the county. “As assessment values go up, it means more revenue potentially for the county of Napa, which means we get to invest in our community,” Pedroza added.
Fresno County Assessor Paul Dictos reported that the roll for locally assessment property reached $90.2 billion.
Based on publicly available data, here is the assessment roll growth in each county that has reported its numbers:
- Contra Costa, 3.44 percent.
- Fresno, 4.19 percent.
- Kern, 0.87 percent.
- Los Angeles, 3.7 percent.
- Marin, 3.95 percent.
- Napa, 3.35 percent.
- Orange, 3.47 percent.
- Placer, 5.88 percent.
- Riverside, 5.58 percent.
- Sacramento, 5.19 percent.
- San Bernardino, 6.5 percent.
- San Diego, 3.72 percent.
- San Mateo, 4.16 percent.
- Santa Clara, 4.6 percent.
- Sonoma, 3 percent.
- Stanislaus, 4.8 percent.
- Ventura, 3.6 percent.
- Yolo, 4.45 percent.
Growth is lower than in some previous years, primarily because the inflation factor – the maximum increase in value for a property that has not changed owners or undergone new construction – is 1.036 percent for 2021. In most years, the inflation factor has been 2 percent, the maximum allowed under the state constitution.
Although July 1 marked the official deadline for assessors to complete their rolls, the State Board of Equalization has granted time extensions to many counties – a routine part of the process – and there typically is a delay in the public release of the information in many counties.