Palo Alto, California Property Taxes
Real Estate Values and Property Tax Valuation in Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto has 18,287 properties with a cumulative value of $26.2B, making up 8.09% of all real estate value in Santa Clara County. Property taxes in Palo Alto totaled $344.6M, with an average homeowner paying $18,878 in taxes compared to the county average of $10,386. The average property tax rate in Palo Alto is 1.32%, lower than the county average of 1.42%. Properties are valued for tax purposes based on their market value.
The property tax timeline in California begins on January 1st, when the property valuation date is set. Property value notices are then issued between June and August. Property tax appeals must be submitted by September 15th or November 30th, depending on the county. Finally, property tax bills are issued on October 1st.
Updated August 22, 2023
| Important Links | |
|---|---|
| Santa Clara Assessor | (408) 299-5500 |
| Santa Clara Clerk/Recorder | (408) 299-5688 |
| Important Dates | |
|---|---|
| Property Valuation Date: | January 1st |
| Property Value Notices Issued: | June - August |
| Property Tax Appeal Deadline: | September 15 or November 30 (varies by county) |
| Property Tax Bills Issued: | October 1st |
| Real Property Tax Bill Due (1st of #): | December 10th, 1st half installment |
| Real Property Tax Bill Due (2nd of #): | April 10th, 2nd half |
| Available Exemptions | |
|---|---|
| Senior | Not Available |
| Disabled | Available |
| Homestead | Available |
| Veteran | Not Available |
| Solar/Wind | Available |
| Charitable | Available |
Reduce your property tax bill with Ownwell
Real Estate Statistics in Palo Alto, California
Residential Property Tax by ZIP code in Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto property taxes are relatively low compared to the rest of Santa Clara County. The average property tax rate in Palo Alto is 1.32%, while the average rate in Santa Clara County is 1.42%. This difference is due to the fact that Palo Alto has some of the highest home values in the county.
Property tax rates in Palo Alto vary across ZIP codes. The ZIP code with the highest effective property tax rate is 94303, with a rate of 1.33%, while the ZIP code with the lowest effective property tax rate is 94304, with a rate of 1.28%. This variation is due to the fact that home values vary across ZIP codes, and property taxes are based on the value of the home. In 2023, the total property taxes collected in Palo Alto were estimated to be $18,878.
Tax Assessment Value
The following table shows the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile of property assessment value in each ZIP code in Palo Alto, California. The tax assessment value may differ from the potential sale value, and is used to calculate the property tax for each piece of real estate.
| ZIP Code | 10th Percentile | 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94301 | $113,619 | $455,422 | $1,265,894 | $2,802,117 | $4,665,857 |
| 94303 | $98,964 | $297,564 | $920,339 | $1,754,994 | $2,787,724 |
| 94304 | $403,600 | $1,027,259 | $1,623,142 | $3,149,802 | $3,829,269 |
| 94306 | $98,763 | $292,112 | $865,836 | $1,707,831 | $2,730,589 |
Property Tax Bill
This table shows the percentiles of actual property tax paid on residential properties for each ZIP code in Palo Alto, California.
| ZIP Code | 10th Percentile | 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94301 | $3,092 | $8,016 | $17,781 | $35,836 | $57,550 |
| 94303 | $2,207 | $5,400 | $12,467 | $22,543 | $34,747 |
| 94304 | $9,282 | $17,701 | $20,748 | $38,444 | $46,459 |
| 94306 | $2,197 | $4,956 | $12,067 | $22,100 | $34,213 |
Effective Property Tax Rate
The effective property tax rate is calculated by dividing the property tax bill by the assessed value. For the percentiles below, the calculation is performed using the percentiles for property tax bill and assessed value above. Therefore, each consecutive percentile doesn't necessarily show a larger value.
| ZIP Code | 10th Percentile | 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94301 | 2.72% | 1.76% | 1.40% | 1.28% | 1.23% |
| 94303 | 2.23% | 1.81% | 1.35% | 1.28% | 1.25% |
| 94304 | 2.30% | 1.72% | 1.28% | 1.22% | 1.21% |
| 94306 | 2.22% | 1.70% | 1.39% | 1.29% | 1.25% |
Reduce your property tax bill with Ownwell
Real Estate Values in Palo Alto, California
Average Home Value in Palo Alto, California
Last updated: August 2023
Reduce your property taxes every year with Ownwell!
Housing Expenses in Palo Alto, California
Housing expenses are a major part of the average household budget in the state. In fact, housing expenses account for nearly one-third of total expenses for the average household. As inflation continues, housing expenses continue to rise, eating up an ever-increasing portion of the household budget. Property taxes are the second largest component of housing expenses for the average property owner in the state, making up a significant portion of the total housing expenses. As housing expenses continue to rise, it is important for households to budget carefully and plan for the future to ensure they can afford their housing expenses.
Monthly Consumer Expenses for West region
Reduce your property tax bill with Ownwell
With Ownwell's property tax monitoring service ensures you'll never overpay on property taxes again.
How Ownwell works?
- Enter your property address and get an instant estimate of your potential tax savings based on local market data and our historical tax savings in your area.
- Sign up online and authorize Ownwell to fight your tax bill in less than 5 minutes.
- Sit back and let us get to work. Ownwell handles everything start to finish with no up-front costs. It’s all backed by our industry-leading Savings-or-Free Guarantee.
- When we save you money our fee is just 25% of your savings. If you don't save, you don't pay. We will continue to monitor your property taxes every year to ensure that you never overpay or have to worry about your property taxes again.