If you own real estate in Orange County be prepared to receive a notice soon stating how much property tax you can expect to pay next December and April.  Notices could start appearing as soon as this week and every homeowner in Orange County should receive their notice by next Friday. If you haven’t received your notice by the end of this week, contact the Assessor’s Office at 714-834-2727. The statements could alert some owners that they need to appeal assessments to lower their taxes. 

This is called the “property value notice” and will contain a value assessment of your property and serves as the basis for determining each parcels tax.  You’re entitled to a tax cut if the assessment exceeds how much your property would have sold for between Oct. 1 and March 31.

If your property’s “market” value is higher than the assessment, your taxes will go up 2%. Three-fourths of all homeowners will pay more taxes next year.

The notices are color coded for your convinence; you will get a beige notice if your taxes are going up. A blue notice indicates the property’s taxes will stay the same or go down this year.

If you disagree with your property’s assessment, you have until Sept. 15 to appeal.  Appeals must be submitted to the county Clerk of the Board, which will schedule a hearing before an appeals board or a hearing officer.

Filing an appeal is free. Details on the tax appeals process can be found at www.ocgov.com/cob.