San Rafael, CA - Marin County’s 2014-2015 property tax bills – 91,983 of them totaling $850,735,978 – will be mailed by the County Tax Collector’s Office on Sept. 30. The tax roll total is up 5 percent from $810,242,226 last year mostly because of property values rebounding in Marin.
Property tax bills are mailed annually in late September and are payable in two installments. The first is due November 1 and must be paid on or before December 10 to avoid penalty. The second must be paid by the following April 10. Both installments may be paid with the first installment.
Information about earthquake safety, property tax exemptions, County pension obligations and other topics of interest are also provided as an insert with the property tax billing each year.
The tax bills include pre-addressed envelopes to the Tax Collector’s Office to make the process easy for those writing and mailing checks. Tax payments may be made online at www.marincounty.org/taxbillonline or by phone at (800) 985-7277. Property owners are encouraged to pay early to avoid penalties. Those who do not receive a tax bill, especially those who have recently purchased real estate, should contact the Tax Collector’s Office at (415) 473-6133.
Marin voters decided in 2008 to consolidate the former county Auditor-Controller and Treasurer-Tax Collector offices into a single Department of Finance (DOF). That decision has increased collaboration between the freshly formed DOF Tax Division and the County Assessor by centralizing services and streamlining communication. "It's a one-stop shop" said Roy Given, Director of Finance.
Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk Rich Benson agreed and said the centralized tax services at the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael "have led to better customer service for taxpayers."
The Property Tax office is in Suite 202 of the Civic Center at 3501 Civic Center Drive. Regular office hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, but those hours will be extended on the due date, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014, to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Assessor's Office is right next door in Suite 208. Online visitors can learn more at www.marincounty.org/depts/ar.