Frequently Asked Questions

 

Location and Office Hours

· Click here for our Location, Phone and Office Hours

What are the duties of the Assessor’s staff?

· Discover, inventory and value all real and personal property in the county

· Create and maintain assessment maps for all real property in the county

· Track and update property ownership for all property in the county

What information is available to the general public from the Assessor’s Office?

· Assessor’s Parcel Numbers

· Name and mailing address of assessee of record (person or entity responsible for payment of taxes)

· Ownership history

· Copies of Assessment Maps and viewing of aerial photos of the county

· Current and historical assessed values

. Fee Schedule

Does the Assessor’s Office have copies of building permits and floor plans?

Permits and plans are officially the responsibility of the local planning agency. However, sometimes our files do contain copies of plans and permits. Only the property owner has access to his/her file, and only to the parts that pertain to his/her period of ownership, including building record information.

May I find out the sales price of a property?

The Assessor’s Office does not provide the sales price of property.* We do have a listing of transfers that provides the “indicated consideration” paid for a property based on the Documentary Transfer Tax. In general, this figure can be used to calculate the sales price.

*A real estate agent may be able to help you find this information.

Why does my name not show on correspondence I receive from the Assessor’s Office?

We are limited in the amount of space available for the mailing address, and frequently all the owners’ names don’t fit.Therefore, the name listed first on the last recorded document will be the name showing on correspondence.

What do “etal”, “etux”, “etcon”, and “tre” mean?

“Etal”, “etux” and “etcon” are abbreviations for Latin terms.

· Etal = and others

· Etux = and wife

· Etcon = and husband

“Tre” is an abbreviation that indicates that the assessee named is trustee of a trust that holds title.

I bought my property this year. Why are my Notification of Amount of Assessment and the Property Tax Bill in the previous owner’s name?

The Assessor’s Office is required by law to assess the property to the owner as of 12:01 a.m. on January 1 (lien date) of each year. If you were not the owner of the real property as of lien date, the notification and tax bills will be in the previous owner’s name. However, they do apply to and are often secured by your property, and the annual tax bill is yours to pay.

Does the Assessor’s Office need to be notified when a property owner dies?

Yes. An owner’s death always creates an ownership change, and the Assessor’s Office must be notified as soon as possible. The surviving owners may be entitled to certain exclusions or exemptions. Please call our office for more information.

How do I change my name on the Assessor’s records?

The name showing on our records is based on a recorded document. If you have changed your name, or your name is spelled incorrectly on the document, you will need to record a new document in the San Luis Obispo County Recorders’ Office.

How do I change my mailing address with the Assessor’s Office?

Requests to change your mailing address must be in writing, and we need an owner’s signature. You can either send us a letter requesting the change, or call our office and we will mail you an address change form. Be sure to include the Assessor’s Parcel Numbers of all affected properties, and to sign the request. If you do not know your Assessor’s Parcel Numbers, please call our office for assistance.

This information is a synopsis of property tax rules and services offered by the Assessor’s Office. You may call the Assessor’s Office for more specific information. The information on these pages reflects California Assessment/taxation laws in effect January 1, 2004.

Additional information on these and related questions may be available from the Tax Collector’s Office, the County Clerk/Recorder’s Office, County and local planning and building agencies, and the State Board of Equalization.