Ultimate Kern County Real Property Tax Guide for 2024
Guide Overview
With the help of this recap, you’ll receive a practical understanding of real estate taxes in Kern County and what you should take into consideration when your property’s appraised value is set. If you are currently a resident, just considering taking up residence in Kern County, or planning on investing in its real estate, study how local property taxes function.
Average Property Tax Rate in Kern County
Kern County Property Taxes Range
Kern County Property Taxes Range
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You May Be Charged an Unfair Property Tax Amount
Perhaps you’re unfamiliar that a real estate tax levy sometimes is more than it should be because of an inaccurate appraisal. No mystery though when presumed alike properties in locales are appraised at the same fair market value based upon only a few — again presumed — comparable properties’ appraised values. Besides that, appraisers could make errors. With any possible incorrect assessment, it’s time to quickly collect the facts and consider filing a formal appeal.
If you’ve newly remortgaged, be alert for mistaken duplicate assessments. Inspect your property’s levy with vigilance. These tax assessments are available publicly to review on the Internet. Contrast your property’s estimated worth with similar real estate – particularly with just sold in your community. Analyze recent increases or declines in property market price trends.
Should you uncover what seems to be a too high tax assessment, you should act fast. If you are uncertain whether an appeal is a waste of time or not, allow pros to determine whether to protest. There are protest companies standing by to take on your challenge that just get paid on a percentage of any tax decreases. There’ll be more specifics later.
What Is a Tax Protest Procedure?
You can appeal the county’s appraisal of your real estate tax value if you think it is higher than it should be. Kern County is responsible for computing the tax value of your real estate, and that is where you will submit your appeal.
The papers you require and the process you’ll follow are available at the county tax office or on their website. Before you start, be sure you understand the rules for filling out the forms and arranging your protest. If you omit mandatory information or miss a submission time limit, your appeal might be kicked out or returned to you for completion.
The county will deliver you a notice of the tax assessment and the amount of time you have to file your protest. Be certain that you commence preparation of your submission right away so that you do not run out of time.
Request a duplicate of the assessment including data that was used for the county’s calculations. The report might decide whether or not you have a compelling argument. You’ll have a stronger chance of obtaining a reassessment of your real estate if mistakes were made in the report.
If you file a detailed presentation with corroborating evidence, the county may decide without making you go through an official protest. In any case, you need to be ready to present your case in person to the county’s review board. The board will exclusively be concerned with seeing verification that the valuation is wrong and nothing else. Saying that your taxes are excessive has no bearing on the tax assessment of your real estate.
If you are dissatisfied with the county’s conclusion, you may appeal to a state-level board or panel. If you have to go to court, it may make sense to get help from one of the best property tax attorneys in Kern County CA.
Any real property owner can protest a property tax valuation. However, the time it takes to go through an appeal may not be appropriate if the assessment increase does not raise your bill very much. Determine your real property tax payment, including any tax exemptions that pertain to your real estate. Typical property worth appreciation won’t raise your yearly bill enough to make a protest worthwhile.
How to Get Your Taxes Reduced for Free?
Sometimes experts processing these appeals ask for commission on a contingency basis. You’ll be charged a fee based upon any tax reduction. Without positive results, you pay nothing!
Encouraged to find ways to save in taxes, these tax advisory firms totally review your billing and are equipped for possible litigation. Companies are particularly assertive on exemption issues, which have shown to be confusing and at times result in legal involvement.
Concerning residential real estate, one of two methods is usually utilized when challenging your bill. Usually, when contesting taxes your re-assessment will be predicated on a “sales comparison” or an “unequal appraisal”. Both involving local real property, sales comparisons appraise market values applying recent sales data while unequal appraisals expose appraisal gaps between similar real property.
Local unaffiliated appraisal companies that specialize in complete evaluations frequently employ the sales comparison method. Typically it’s an onsite assessment of the client’s property. Conducted by State-licensed appraisers, such reviews are almost beyond dispute. Changes can only result from, yet again, a full re-evaluation. This approach gauges a subject property’s true market worth using current comparable sales figures from other similar real estate in the area.
Large companies in particular utilize an unequal appraisal method for tax savings even when estimated values aren’t as high as existing market values. A localized list of well-matched properties having nearly the same estimated market values is built. These candidates’ tax bills are then compared. Properties displaying a mismatch with tax assessed being 10 percent or more above the sampling’s median level will be pinpointed for more study. These firms typically invoice clients based on a percentage of any tax savings instead of fixed, out-of-pocket costs.
Find a company corresponding to your needs in this list featuring the best property tax protest companies in Kern County CA.
How Does Kern County Real Estate Tax Work?
California gives real estate taxation authority to thousands of locally-based public entities. Typically, the taxes are received under one assessment from the county. Then payments are allocated to these taxing authorities based on a predetermined plan. Along with collections, real estate taxation incorportes two more standard operations: creating real estate tax levies and conducting appraisals.
Counties and cities as well as thousands of special purpose districts possess taxing authority accorded by California law. They are legal governmental units run by officers either appointed or elected. They perform their duties in a distinct locale such as within city limits or special purpose units including recreation parks, water treatment facilities, and fire districts.
A city’s real estate tax rules should not violate California constitutional rules and regulations. Taxation of real property must: [1] be equal and uniform, [2] be based on current market worth, [3] have one estimated value, and [4] be considered taxable if it’s not specially exempted. Appropriate notice of any levy increase is another requisite.
Within those confines, the city sets tax rates. As will be covered further, appraising property, billing and collecting payments, conducting compliance measures, and resolving discord are all reserved for the county.
The present fair market value of real property found within your city is determined by Kern County appraisers. Once more, the state mandates rules regarding assessment practices. These rules are meant to promote evenness across the state. Here, conceivably mismatched evaluating methodologies and human error are often productive areas for appeals.
Commonly, one of three appraisal methods (with assorted variations) is used to evaluate real estate. The Sales Comparison approach entails contrasting current equivalent properties’ selling prices in the same neighborhood. The Income Approach considers how much lease cash flow potentially would be generated from income-producing real estate. A Cost Approach also is principally a commercial property worth estimation method which adds the land value to the expense of rebuilding the building.
An appraiser from the county’s office sets your real estate’s worth. This figure is multiplied by the effective tax levy i.e. the sum of all applicable governmental taxing-delegated units’ rates. They range from the county to city, school district, and various special purpose entities such as sewage treatment plants, water parks, and property maintenance facilities.
Who and How Determines Kern County Property Tax Rates?
State statutorial regulations require uniform real property market values be established by in-state counties. Any revenue impact of that evaluation cannot be a component in this procedure.
Under California taxation requirements, reassessments must be conducted on a regular basis. Usually new appraisals use an en masse technique applied to all similar property in the same neighborhood without separate property visits. Missing individual property tours, unique property characteristics, perhaps influencing property’s market value, are missed.
For properties previously listed, appraisers begin by bringing the tax rolls (real estate listings) up to date. This roll depicts by address all properties within a specific locale. Properties were categorized based upon various characteristics, like size, use, and construction type. The property’s location and how it was used were also factors employed to put together these sets and then give market values collectively to them all. Without a visit, the sole current, confirmed details appraisers have to work with for periodic reexaminations are present-day sales stats.
These general directives are made obligatory to ensure equitable property market worth assessments. While this en masse operation helps manage an otherwise overwhelming assignment, it also promises inexact appraisal results. Reasons for appeal live here!
The city and every other in-county public taxing unit can now compute needed tax rates because market value totals have been recorded. A composite rate will generate expected total tax receipts and also reflect your bill’s total. This is largely a budgetary function with district directors first estimating annual expenditures targets. Then they determine the tax rates required to cover those budgeted costs. In theory, tax receipts will be same as the total of all annual funding.
California has numerous local governments, including counties and special districts such as schools, hospitals, and water treatment districts. They all set their own tax rates based on fiscal needs. Under a combined tax bill, nearly all sub-county entities contract for the county to levy and gather the tax on their behalf.
Both regularly planned and impromptu public hearings usually play valuable part in this budgetary routine. County residents have the right under state law to request a public vote should proposed tax increases exceed set limits.
In imposing its tax rate, the city is mandated to respect the California Constitution. Actually rates can’t be raised unless your city provides notice of its plan to consider a hike. Then a formal meeting discussing any proposed tax hike must be held.
If Kern County property taxes have been too costly for your wallet and now you have delinquent property tax payments, consider taking a quick property tax loan from lenders in Kern County CA to save your property from a potential foreclosure.
What Are Kern County Real Estate Taxes Used For?
Property taxes are a crucial source of funds for your city and other local governmental units. Together with the county, they rely on real property tax receipts to support their operations.
These are some of the governmental services most local governments typically offer. Again, real estate taxes are the single largest way your city pays for them, including more than half of all public school funding. All other service categories, including safety, hospitals, recreation, buses/rail, and water/sanitation facilities, benefit from similar fiscal support.
Normally, local school districts are a significant drawdown on property tax funds. Also big-ticket items are local government worker salaries/benefits and public safety. Funding police and fire protection is another significant cost driver. Then you have highway construction and many other transportation demands. Water and sewage treatment facilities lead the way in sanitation problems, as well as hospitals in healthcare. Also there are leisure facilities, including parks, and swimming pools. No revelation that with all these duties, it’s a significant tax bill!
How Are Property Taxes Handled at Closing in Kern County?
Real estate taxes are typically prepaid for an entire year of possession. Then who pays property taxes at closing if it takes place mid-year? When buying a house, at closing, homeownership is transferred from sellers to purchasers. And so does the obligation for paying property levies. They refund the former owners at the point ownership is transferred.
Most often those prorated tax prepayments aren’t paid straight to sellers. Rather mortgage holders, settlement lawyers, or escrow companies will include the prorated tax with the rest of purchaser payment responsibilities on closing.