| Assessment Roll |
The official list of all assessable property in the County (The Tax Roll). |
| Base Year |
The base year value of property in California is 1975 or the year in which property has transferred or was newly constructed. The Assessor determines the full cash value of property on its base year date. This base year value will be factored by an inflationary factor not to exceed 2 percent each year until the property is transferred at which time a new base year is established. |
| Full Cash Value |
Full Cash Value or Fair Market Value means the amount of cash or its equivalent which property would bring if exposed for sale in the open market under conditions of which neither buyer nor seller take advantage of the other. |
| Improvements |
All buildings, structures, fixtures, pools, fences, etc., secured to the land, including taxable mobile homes and taxable trees and vines. |
| Lien Date |
The "moment" of valuation for all property. The assessed value of the property as of 12:01 a.m. on January 1 governs the tax status for the fiscal year beginning the following July 1. |
| Newly Constructed |
Means the construction of new buildings or the alteration of existing buildings, if the alteration converts the property to another use or extends the economic life of the improvement. |
| Personal Property |
All other property subject to the general property tax but not considered land or improvements such as boats, aircraft and business personal property. |
| Real Property |
Land and improvements attached to land. |
| Secured Property |
Property on which the property taxes are a lien against real estate. |
| Special Assessments |
Direct charges against property which are included in the total amount of your tax bill but which are not property taxes in the sense of being based on the Assessor's valuation. A sewer service charge is an example of this assessment. |
| Supplemental Assessment |
A supplement to the annual tax bill that corrects a property's valuation due to new construction or a change in ownership. This bill is prorated for just the portion of the tax year affected by the change in value. |
| Taxable Value |
The value upon which your taxes are calculated. This is normally the base year value of the property established in accordance with Proposition 13 plus the annual inflation factor, or current market value, whichever is lower. |
| Unsecured Property |
Property on which the property taxes are not a lien against real estate (office furniture, machinery, equipment, boats, airplanes, etc.) NOTE: Business inventory is now exempt from taxation. |
