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Santa Clara County is considering charging homeowners for appealing their property tax assessments. Embarcadero Media file photo.<\/p>\nSanta Clara County is considering charging homeowners for appealing their property tax assessments. Embarcadero Media file photo.<\/p>\n
Santa Clara County homeowners have the power to challenge\u00a0how much they pay in property taxes every year. But it could start costing hundreds of dollars to appeal.<\/p>\n County leaders are considering charging single-family home and condo owners $290\u00a0to appeal the county assessor\u2019s determination of their property\u2019s value, which in turn\u00a0determines the taxes homeowners pay on their property<\/a>. The $290 fee will also apply to owners of townhomes and multifamily properties with four homes or fewer, as well as agricultural land and vacant land appeals.<\/p>\n County leaders are also proposing a nonrefundable $675 charge for appeals on commercial, industrial and multifamily apartment properties with more than four homes. They argue the appeals process is taking up time and resources that the county budget doesn\u2019t have as it absorbs\u00a0massive federal funding losses<\/a>. If approved, the new fees would bring in $3.4 million in revenue per year \u2014 largely covering the $3.5 million cost to run the assessment appeals program annually.<\/p>\n The recommendations moved forward Tuesday in a unanimous vote by the county Finance and Government Operations Committee. The proposal will go before the Board of Supervisors for final approval at a later date.<\/p>\n It\u2019s part of a broader county effort to rethink the fees officials charge for certain public services \u2014 and squeeze every dime the county can to grapple with its structural budget deficit.<\/p>\n \u201cIn response to unprecedented federal budget cuts, county administration is actively reviewing fee structures across programs to ensure effective cost recovery,\u201d County Executive James Williams told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cOur recent study confirmed that a reasonable, fair fee structure based on appeal type will make the program financially self-sufficient and significantly reduce reliance on the general fund, freeing up dollars for critical, at-risk services.\u201d<\/p>\n Acting Assessor Greg Monteverde \u2014 who is filling the role until\u00a0Assessor-elect Neysa Fligor<\/a>\u00a0is sworn into office Jan. 26 \u2014 said his office wasn\u2019t involved in this request. The county clerk handles assessment appeals.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Assessor\u2019s Office did not propose this fee, nor are any of the assessor\u2019s costs included in it,\u201d Monteverde told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n The county is looking at the fees to clamp down on another emerging problem.<\/p>\n Officials said the appeals process is being gamed and monetized by third parties who convince property owners it\u2019s cheaper to\u00a0file appeals on their behalf. County leaders said\u00a0these third parties generally collect a fee regardless of whether the savings result from a formal appeal or informal review and proactive reduction. These appeals have risen from 315 in 2019 to 2,623 in 2025, according to the county.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a mechanism that has been taken advantage of due to the fact that this county is one of the counties that does not have assessment appeals fees,\u201d Williams said at the meeting. \u201cThe huge volume increase creates on its own significant burden that impacts the system\u2019s collective ability to timely dispense with actual assessment appeals being brought forward by people acting on their own behalf or who have chosen to retain an agent with some actual conscious effort.\u201d<\/p>\n