Delinquent Property Taxes
How do I get information on tax sales of property?
What will happen if I fail to pay my property taxes
on time?
What happens if I fail to pay my delinquent taxes?
What is the amount required to redeem tax-defaulted
property?
How do I obtain an estimate of the amount required
to redeem my property?
Can I redeem one delinquent year separately from
other years?
What happens if I cannot pay the full redemption
amount?
How do I open an installment plan of redemption?
When may I open an installment plan of redemption?
How often will I be required to make installment
payments?
Do my installment payments cover my current annual
taxes?
If my first installment payment plan defaults, may I
open a second payment plan?
How do I get information on
tax sales of property?
Sales of tax defaulted properties occur rarely in Santa Barbara
County, due primarily to the high value of property within the County,
and a diligent effort on the part of the Tax Collector's staff to
locate any and all responsible parties prior to auctioning property.
The best way to be informed of these tax sales is to monitor this website for news concerning future tax auctions.
The County of Santa Barbara does not sell Tax Lien Certificates.
There is currently no county within California that sells Tax
Lien Certificates. Some other states, such as Texas and Arizona,
may sell Tax Lien Certificates, but this is not yet a practice within
the state of California.
What will happen if I fail to
pay my property taxes on time?
If you do not pay the first installment of your annual tax bill
at the Treasurer-Tax Collector's Office by 5 p.m. on December 10,*
or payment is not postmarked by that date, that installment becomes
delinquent and a 10% delinquent penalty is affixed. If you fail
to pay the second installment at the Treasurer-Tax Collector's Office
by 5 p.m. on April 10,* or payment is not postmarked by that date,
it becomes delinquent and a 10% penalty on the unpaid tax as well
as a charge of $30.00 is added. If you fail to pay any supplemental
tax installment by the applicable delinquency date, the same penalties
and charges accrue as for delinquent annual taxes.
If there are ANY unpaid taxes as of 5 p.m. on June 30, the property
becomes tax defaulted.** Once the property has become tax defaulted,
a redemption fee of $25.00 and additional penalties begin
to accrue at the rate of 1 1/2% per month of the unpaid taxes. This
monthly penalty is affixed at 5 p.m. on the last day of each month
(or the following business day if the last day of the month falls
on a weekend or holiday).
*If either December 10 or April 10 falls on a weekend or holiday,
taxes are not delinquent until 5 P.M. the next business day.
**If June 30 falls on a weekend or holiday, taxes must be paid by
5 P.M. of the preceding business day or the property will be tax
defaulted.
What happens if I fail to pay
my delinquent taxes?
Your taxes can remain unpaid for a maximum of five years following
tax default, at which time your property becomes subject to the
Treasurer-Tax Collector's power of sale. This means that your property
will be sold at a public auction or that it may be acquired by a
public agency if you do not pay the taxes on the date before the
day on which the property is offered for sale or acquisition.
What is the amount required
to redeem tax-defaulted property?
The amount needed to redeem tax-defaulted property in full is the
sum of the following:
- The total amount of unpaid taxes for all delinquent years
- A 10% penalty on every unpaid installment
- A $30.00 charge for each second installment delinquency
- Monthly penalties of 1 1/2% of the unpaid tax (APR 18%)
- A redemption fee of $25.00
How do I obtain an estimate
of the amount required to redeem my property?
To obtain an estimate of the amount required to redeem your property,
you should contact the office of the Treasurer-Tax Collector. You
will need to provide the Assessor's Parcel Number or, the address
of the property or, Assessee name. Also, you must indicate the exact
date/month on which you will be making payment. This is necessary
in order to calculate correctly.
Can I redeem one delinquent
year separately from other years?
No. One year's delinquent taxes may not be redeemed separately
from other years' delinquent taxes. When the redemption amount is
calculated, the total taxes owed for all delinquent years are combined
together.
What happens if I cannot
pay the full redemption amount?
If you are unable to pay the full redemption amount, you may request
an installment plan of redemption. This plan allows you to make
payments on your delinquent taxes over a five-year period beginning
the date you open the installment account. There is a fee of $175.00 to begin an installment plan of redemption.
How do I open an installment
plan of redemption?
To open an installment plan you must:
- Make an initial payment of at least 20% of the redemption amount;
and
- Pay your current year's taxes.
- Pay a processing fee of $175.00
If you open an installment payment plan between July 1 and the following
April 10, then the current year's taxes and any supplemental taxes must
be paid annually by April 10. To open an installment plan between April 11 and June
30, the current year's taxes, plus any applicable penalties and charges,
must be paid in full at the beginning of the installment plan.. While an installment plan of redemption is in
good standing (all required payments are made), the property may not
become subject to the Treasurer-Tax Collector's power to sell.
When may I open an
installment payment plan?
You can open an installment payment plan after the date on which
the property has become tax defaulted (June 30) and within five
years of that date. After the five-year period you may not start
an installment payment plan as your property will be subject to the Treasurer-Tax
Collector's power of sale.
If you wish to open an installment payment plan or you need additional information
please contact the Treasurer-Tax Collector's Office.
How often will I be
required to make installment payments?
Under the installment payment plan you are required to make principal reductions
equal to or greater than 20% of the original redemption amount,
plus penalties, each year by April 10. Interest accrues at the rate
of 1 1/2% per month on the unpaid balance once the account has been
opened. If you fail to make any installment payment, or fail to pay
your current year's taxes or any supplemental taxes on or before
April 10 of each year, your installment payment plan will default. This means the
penalty will be recalculated as if no previous payments had been
made on an installment account.
You may, however, pay the total unpaid balance plus accrued penalties
at any time before the final payment is due.
Do my installment
payments cover my current annual taxes?
No. Your installment payments NEVER include your current year's
taxes which must be paid separately.
If my first installment
payment plan defaults, may I open a second installment payment plan?
If your first installment payment plan defaults either because of your failure to
make the 20% required principal reduction and interest between July 1 and April
10, or because you fail to pay your current year's taxes in full
by April 10, you may open another installment payment plan. The second installment payment plan, however,
may not be opened until July 1 of the following fiscal year. You
may never reopen an installment payment plan in the same calendar year
that the property becomes subject to the Treasurer-Tax Collector's
power of sale. A defaulted postponement plan may not be reinstated
in or after the 5th fiscal year.
Each time you open an installment payment plan, you have a maximum five years to pay the full
redemption amount. It is to your advantage, however, not to default
on an installment account since there are additional penalties and a new application fee is required.
When a second or subsequent installment payment plan is opened, the
redemption amount is computed as though no previous payments had
been made. As soon as the first payment on the second or subsequent
installment payment plan has been made you will be given credit for any previous
payments.
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