San Rafael, CA – With a local emergency declaration in place because of recent storm damage, qualified property owners in Marin County might be entitled to property tax relief.
This scene in Sausalito was one of several storm-damaged sites across Marin during these February storms.The Marin County Board of Supervisors
ratified a state of emergency proclamation on February 19 in the wake of storms that began December 10.
According to California law and a Marin County ordinance, some property owners or persons responsible for property taxes may be entitled to relief if they are without fault and their loss equals or exceeds $10,000.
The Marin County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk staff says emergency relief may be available for taxable property including residences, commercial buildings, boats, aircraft, and business personal property locally assessed. However, the tax relief is not applicable to business inventory or personal items such as household goods and furnishings.
The types of disaster-related property tax relief may include:
- Reduction in assessment for percentage loss in value to qualifying properties due to damage or destruction to land, improvements and taxable personal property.
- Reduction in assessment for percentage loss in value as a result of restricted access caused by the misfortune or calamity.
- Transfer of base-year value to a comparable property.
- New construction of real property that is reconstructed in a timely manner after a disaster and that is substantially equivalent to the full value prior to the disaster may be excluded from reassessment.
In the past few weeks, Assessor’s staff has been proactive in reaching homeowners and residents affected by the Sausalito mudslide and informing them of the calamity tax relief process. A form is downloadable on the Assessor’s website. Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk Shelly Scott said owners and residents of 12 properties in the Sausalito area were sent calamity claim forms on February 20. Other properties around Marin have been impacted by slides as well.
Additional information regarding these provisions and application forms for disaster relief may be obtained by emailing or writing the Office of Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk, County of Marin, P.O. Box C, San Rafael, CA 94913 or by telephone at 415-473-7215 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.