Sacramento Property Tax Guide for Homeowners and Sellers

Last updated November 13, 2026. Reviewed by the Cash Home Buyers CA team. Figures come from the Sacramento County Tax Collector, Assessor and Clerk-Recorder and the City of Sacramento; sources are listed at the end.

Sacramento property tax is 1 percent of your home’s assessed value, plus voter-approved bond rates and any direct levies for your parcel. Sacramento County sends one bill a year. The first installment is late after December 10 and the second after April 10, and a late installment costs a 10 percent penalty. If you sell, unpaid taxes are paid out of your proceeds at closing.

Sacramento property tax at a glance

Base rate	1% of assessed value, plus voter-approved debt for your tax rate area, plus direct levies
Bills mailed	Once a year, by November 1
First installment	Due November 1, late after 5 p.m. on December 10
Second installment	Due February 1, late after 5 p.m. on April 10
Late penalty	10% of the unpaid installment, plus a cost charge (the county’s secured tax page lists $15.00)
After June 30	Unpaid taxes are “defaulted”: a $15 redemption fee, then 1.5% per month
Tax sale	Possible after five or more years of default
Pay online	eproptax.saccounty.gov, by e-check or credit card
Tax Collector	700 H Street, Room 1710, Sacramento, CA 95814. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (916) 874-6622
Transfer tax when you sell	County: $0.55 per $500. City of Sacramento: an additional $2.75 per $1,000

How much is property tax in Sacramento?

You pay 1 percent of your assessed value, plus the voter-approved bond rate for your tax rate area, plus fixed charges called direct levies. The total differs from one parcel to the next, so two similar houses a few blocks apart can get different bills.

Under Proposition 13, your assessed value starts at the price you paid and can rise by no more than 2 percent a year until the home changes hands or you build on it. That is why a long-time owner often pays far less than a neighbor who bought recently.

Direct levies are the part many owners overlook. The Sacramento County Assessor describes them as special assessments, special taxes, delinquent county utility bills, weed and hazard abatement charges and Mello-Roos bonds. They are not based on your home’s value, and questions about them go to the district that charges them, not to the Assessor.

If you live in the home, the Homeowners’ Exemption takes $7,000 off your assessed value, which the Assessor says saves about $70 a year. You apply once through the Assessor’s office at (916) 875-0710.

When are Sacramento property taxes due?

The first installment is due November 1 and is late after 5 p.m. on December 10. The second is due February 1 and is late after 5 p.m. on April 10. When a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, it moves to the next business day.

For the 2026-27 bill, that means Thursday, December 10, 2026, and Monday, April 12, 2027, because April 10 falls on a Saturday.

• The county mails the bill once, by November 1. It does not send a reminder for the second installment.
• You can pay both installments together by December 10.
• Mailed payments count by postmark date.
• Partial payments are not accepted.
• Not receiving a bill does not cancel the penalty. If yours has not arrived by mid-October, get a copy online or call the Tax Collector.

Sacramento property tax calculators

Use these to estimate your annual bill, the cost of paying late, and the transfer tax on a sale. Enter the figures from your own tax bill for the closest result.

How do I look up or pay my Sacramento property tax bill?

Use the county’s online system, e-PropTax, at eproptax.saccounty.gov. Search by parcel number or street address to see the current bill, direct levies, prior-year amounts and payment stubs.

• Online: e-check or credit card. The county’s 2025 notice put the card convenience fee at 2.29 percent, charged by the payment processor.
• By mail: a check with the payment stub, or with the parcel number written on it.
• In person: Tax Collector’s Office, 700 H Street, Room 1710, Sacramento.
• By phone: (916) 874-6622 gives balances and due dates around the clock, and a tax specialist answers from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.

If a lender pays your taxes from an impound account, you still receive an owner’s copy of the bill. Check that the lender’s payment posted.

What happens if I don’t pay property taxes in Sacramento?

A late installment gets a 10 percent penalty right away. Anything still unpaid after June 30 becomes “defaulted,” which adds a $15 redemption fee and 1.5 percent a month. After five or more years in default, the Tax Collector can sell the property at a tax sale.

The monthly charge is what makes default expensive: 1.5 percent a month is 18 percent a year on the defaulted amount. A $2,500 installment that goes late costs $250 in penalty on day one.

You have options before a sale. Most prior-year delinquent taxes qualify for the county’s five-year payment plan, which is paid in five or fewer installments while you keep current-year bills paid on time.

You can also redeem the property by paying everything owed, and that right lasts until shortly before a scheduled auction. Sacramento County does not sell tax lien certificates, so nobody can buy your tax debt and take the house that way.

For questions about defaulted property, the Tax-Defaulted Land Unit is at (916) 874-6621. Our guide to the Sacramento County tax-defaulted auction covers the five-year clock and excess proceeds in detail.

If you are behind on taxes and on the mortgage, see how we help owners sell a house in foreclosure in Sacramento.

What is a supplemental tax bill in Sacramento County?

A supplemental bill is an extra, one-time bill issued when a property is reassessed after a change in ownership or new construction. It covers the difference between the old and new assessed value for the rest of the fiscal year, and it is owed in addition to the regular annual bill.

Buyers and heirs are the ones surprised by it. A purchase after January 1 does not change the bill mailed that October, so the increase arrives separately. Depending on the date, the county issues one or two supplemental bills.

The Assessor notes that these bills are not normally paid through a lender’s impound account, so the owner has to pay them directly. See Sacramento County’s supplemental tax bill explained for how the amount is worked out.

If you inherited the home, a reassessment may follow the transfer. Our page on how to sell an inherited house in Sacramento covers the choices heirs have.

How to sell a house in Sacramento when you owe property taxes

You can sell a house in Sacramento with unpaid property taxes. Property taxes are a lien on the home, so the escrow company pays what is owed out of your sale proceeds at closing, and the buyer receives the property with the taxes current.

1. Get your payoff figure. Look up the parcel on e-PropTax or call (916) 874-6622. Defaulted amounts grow every month, so ask for the amount due in the month you expect to close.
2. Expect proration. The current year’s tax is split between you and the buyer by the closing date.
3. Budget for transfer tax. Sacramento County charges $0.55 per $500 of the sale price. Inside the City of Sacramento, the city adds $2.75 per $1,000. On a $500,000 sale within city limits, that is $550 to the county and $1,375 to the city, $1,925 in total. Both are collected when the deed is recorded, and the purchase contract sets who pays. More in our guide to Sacramento’s city transfer tax.
4. Watch the calendar. Closing before December 10 or April 10 avoids the 10 percent penalty on that installment. If a tax sale date has been set, the sale has to close before your right to redeem ends.

A cash sale helps when time is the problem. There is no loan approval to wait for, so closing can be scheduled ahead of a tax deadline, and the taxes are cleared from the proceeds. See how we buy houses in Sacramento, or read how our Sacramento cash-offer process works.

Behind on Sacramento property taxes and thinking about selling? Call (424) 435-2326 or request a cash offer. There is no cost and no obligation.

Sacramento property tax FAQ

Is the City of Sacramento property tax different from Sacramento County’s?

No. There is one bill, issued and collected by Sacramento County. What changes with your location is the tax rate area, which sets the bond rates and direct levies added to the 1 percent base.

Can I pay Sacramento property taxes in monthly payments?

Not for the current year. The annual bill is paid in two installments, and partial payments are not accepted. Monthly-style relief exists only for prior-year defaulted taxes, through the five-year payment plan.

How long can property taxes go unpaid in Sacramento before the county sells the home?

Five or more years of default in most cases. The county’s notices describe a three-year schedule in limited situations, such as nonresidential commercial property or a recorded nuisance abatement lien.

Who pays property tax in the year a Sacramento house is sold?

Both sides, each for their share of the year. Escrow prorates the bill to the closing date, and the buyer later receives a supplemental bill for any increase in assessed value.

How do I sell a house in Sacramento with delinquent property taxes?

Get the payoff amount from the Tax Collector, give it to escrow, and the delinquent taxes are paid from your proceeds at closing. If the amount owed is close to what the home will sell for, call us before listing so the numbers are clear first.

Sources

• Sacramento County Tax Collector: Secured Taxes
• Sacramento County Tax Collector: Prior Year Property Taxes
• Sacramento County Tax Collector: Payment Plans
• Sacramento County Tax Collector: Tax Sale
• Sacramento County Assessor: Proposition 13 and Real Property Assessments
• Sacramento County Assessor: Guide to the Supplemental Assessment Process
• Sacramento County Clerk-Recorder: Documentary Transfer Tax
• City of Sacramento: Real Property Transfer Tax

This guide is general information, not tax or legal advice. Rates, fees and dates can change; confirm the amount on your own bill with the Sacramento County Tax Collector.