Santa Ana, Calif. – Orange County Treasurer Shari Freidenrich is informing taxpayers that property owners impacted by the recent southern California fires may have certain property tax relief options available to them. If a property has been damaged/destroyed due to a disaster/calamity by $10,000 or more, taxpayers should file the Application for Reassessment of Property Damaged by Misfortune or Calamity with their County Assessor and at the same time, apply to the County Assessor to defer payment for the second installment of property taxes.
If the County Assessor approves the Application for Reassessment and the property owner also has applied for the deferral of taxes, the property owner will have their 2024-25 secured property tax second installment payment deferred without penalty or interest until the County Assessor has reassessed the property, and the Treasurer-Tax Collector has sent a corrected bill to the property owner. Property taxes will be due 30 days after the reissued property tax bill is mailed and the bill will be searchable online by address and APN.
Key Property Tax Relief Payment Options Available:
- Apply to the County Assessor for Payment Deferral When you Complete the Application for Reassessment: Deferral of the second installment of property tax payments provides immediate financial relief during this challenging time, allowing property owners to manage their finances during this disaster without the burden of also having to pay their property tax payment by April 10, 2025. If 2nd installment taxes are already paid, a refund can be processed.
- Cancellation of Late Penalties: For approved applicants, the issued property tax bill will be cancelled, including all penalties. A new property tax bill will be mailed once the property has been reassessed. This measure ensures that affected property owners are not penalized while they work to recover from the impacts of the wildfires. Depending on the approval timing, the online property tax site may continue to show the taxes due and penalties applied to the amount showing as delinquent. The new property tax bill and due dates will be available online as soon as the bill is issued.
- Reassessment Opportunities: In addition to the relief options on property tax payments, approved applicants will have their property reassessed by the County Assessor, lowering the amount of the property tax that will be on the new property tax bill.
- Mailing Address Update: Update your mailing address to get the new property tax bill by going to octreasurer.gov (Orange County residents) and locate the link to the form found under the “How Do I” tab.
- Personal Property (business assessments/boats/aircraft): Tax reduction is available for damaged property of $10,000+. Complete the personal property line on the Application for Reassessment.
- Other Tax Planning options: Check with your Assessor on the ability to maintain current tax amounts on Replacement Primary Residence base year transfers in CA and rebuilding homes/improvement in a similar manner.
- We encourage all impacted taxpayers to take advantage of these property tax relief measures as they work toward recovery. For further details, please visit our website at octreasurer.com/faq/property-tax-disaster-relief.
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