Auditor • Controller • Treasurer • Tax Collector

This is a report focusing on property tax rates. The Assessor determines the net assessed value of each property in the County and delivers an assessment roll to the Auditor by July 1st of each year. The Auditor then calculates the property's tax liability by multiplying the appropriate ad valorem (based on value) property tax rate by the net assessed value. Since the passage of Proposition 13, individual local jurisdictions no longer establish their own ad valorem property tax rate. Instead, the State Constitution imposes a 1% general tax rate plus any voter-approved debt tax rates. voter-approved debts are commonly thought of as "school bonds"; however, not all voter-approved debt in San Luis Obispo County are for schools. Voter-approved debts are generally passed by a 2/3 vote of the registered voters within the local jurisdiction. Following the passage of Proposition 39 in November 2000, certain school voter-approved debt has been authorized by a 55% vote of the registered voters within the respective school's boundary.

City and district boundaries throughout the entire State are maintained by the State Board of Equalization via the Tax Rate Area (TRA) system. This includes districts whose boundaries cross county lines (inter-county districts). Every piece of property in the State is assigned to a TRA. A TRA identifies a specific geographic area comprising a unique combination of districts/cities for the current fiscal year (R&T §95 (g)). San Luis Obispo County has over 400 active TRAs. TRAs may be effective for certain tax years and not others. Each tax year is unique and individual.

Under Revenue and Taxation Code §93, a tax rate may be levied against the net assessed value of each parcel in the tax rate area to generate sufficient money to make annual payments for interest and principal on general obligation bonds or certain other indebtedness approved by the voters.  The total tax rate for any TRA  is a combination of the Proposition 13 basic 1% tax rate added to any other voter-approved bond tax rate affecting the parcels within that TRA.