Placer County property taxes: how your bill is worked out, when it is due and how to estimate it
Placer County property taxes on a home are 1 percent of its net assessed value, plus a rate for voter-approved debt in its area, plus flat direct charges such as Mello-Roos (Placer County tax rates FAQ, read October 2026). The two installments are due November 1 and February 1 and are late after 5 p.m. on December 10 and April 10 respectively, according to Placer County's Treasurer-Tax Collector (read October 2026). A purchase can also bring a separate supplemental bill, or a refund. This is not tax or legal advice, and it reflects the rules as of October 12, 2026; check any parcel with the county offices linked below or a tax professional.
How Placer County property taxes are worked out
The county Auditor-Controller's formula (supplemental taxes FAQ) is: "Secured Taxes = (Net Assessed Value times Tax Rate) plus Direct Charges."
- Assessed value. Under Proposition 13, a home is valued when it changes ownership or is newly built, and its assessed value can then rise by no more than 2 percent a year (California Constitution, Article XIII A, read October 2026). An arm's-length price is presumed to be the new value, so the seller's bill can understate yours.
- Tax rate. The general levy is 1 percent, plus rates for voter-approved debt that are computed yearly (Placer County tax rates FAQ, read October 2026) and can vary from area to area (State Board of Equalization, Publication 29).
- Direct charges. Flat amounts per parcel, not based on value. A Mello-Roos charge has a tax code description ending in "MR" (Mello-Roos FAQ); see our Mello-Roos guide.
If you own the home and it is your principal residence on January 1, the homeowners' exemption takes up to $7,000 off the assessed value, saving about $70 a year in tax; file by February 15 for the full exemption (Placer County Assessor, read October 2026).
Due dates and penalties
- First installment: due November 1; a 10 percent penalty after 5 p.m. on December 10 (Placer County Treasurer-Tax Collector, read October 2026).
- Second installment: due February 1; a 10 percent penalty and a $35 cost after 5 p.m. on April 10 (Placer County Treasurer-Tax Collector, read October 2026).
A weekend or holiday deadline moves to the next business day (section 2619), so check each year's dates on the Treasurer-Tax Collector's site. Not receiving a bill does not excuse a penalty.
The supplemental bill after you buy
According to the Placer County Assessor, a change in ownership triggers a reappraisal, and the difference from the old roll value is taxed from the first of the next month. A change of ownership between June 1 and December 31 brings one supplemental assessment, running to the following June 30; a change between January 1 and May 31 brings two, the second covering the next full fiscal year (Placer County Assessor, read October 2026). The supplemental bill is in addition to the annual bill; the county's supplemental tax page (read October 2026) says to expect the notice six to twelve months after the transfer. It is mailed directly to you and in general is not paid from an impound account, so ask your lender who is to pay it (Treasurer-Tax Collector FAQ).
How to look up a parcel
The Treasurer-Tax Collector's online tax search finds bills by street address, fee parcel number or assessment number, with roll years back to 2019 (read October 2026). The county's payment page, where you can also pay online, says searching by fee parcel number shows all tax bills on the parcel, including supplemental bills.
Estimating the tax on a home you are buying
Take the price, subtract the $7,000 homeowners' exemption (Placer County Assessor, read October 2026) if it will be your principal residence, multiply by the 1 percent general levy (Placer County tax rates FAQ, read October 2026) plus the voter-approved debt rate for the home's tax rate area (from the county's published tax rate schedules), and add the direct charges on the seller's bill. The exemption applies only if you own and live in the home on January 1, and a purchase can also bring a supplemental bill.
Placer County vs Sacramento County property tax
Under the same state rules, Sacramento County's Auditor-Controller also says "Taxes consist of a 1% general levy plus voter approved debt plus any applicable special assessments," and its Tax Collector uses the same December 10 and April 10 deadlines (both pages read October 2026).
Common questions
What is the property tax rate in Placer County?
Placer County's tax rates FAQ (read October 2026) gives the rate as 1 percent plus rates for local voter-approved bonds, and the State Board of Equalization notes such rates can vary from area to area; and the Property Tax Division publishes the tax rate schedules.
How do I look up property taxes for a Placer County address?
Use the Treasurer-Tax Collector's online tax search, which finds bills by street address, fee parcel number or assessment number.
Next steps
For the rest of the buying process, see our first-time buyer guide for Placer County, buyer resources and seller resources.