ARTICLE 4. Property Escaping Assessment [531. - 538.]

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC 4.
in effect

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 531. Section 531.

If any property belonging on the local roll has escaped assessment, the assessor shall assess the property on discovery at its value on the lien date for the year for which it escaped assessment. It shall be subject to the tax rate in effect in the year of its escape except as provided in Section 2905 of this code. Property shall be deemed to have escaped assessment when its owner fails to file a property statement pursuant to the provisions of Section 441, to the extent that this failure results in no assessment or an assessment at a valuation lower than would have obtained had the property been properly reported. Escape assessments made as the result of an owner’s failure to file a property statement as herein provided shall be subject to the penalty and interest imposed by Sections 463 and 506, respectively. This paragraph shall not constitute a limitation on any other provision of this article.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 531.1. Section 531.1.

Upon the termination of an exemption pursuant to Section 271.5 or 276.3, upon receipt of a notice pursuant to Section 284, or upon indication from any audit or other source that an exemption has been incorrectly allowed, the assessor shall make a redetermination of eligibility for the exemption. If an exemption or any portion of an exemption has been terminated or has been incorrectly allowed, an escape assessment in the amount of the exemption, or that portion of the exemption that has been terminated or erroneously allowed, with interest as provided in Section 506, shall be made; except that where the exemption was terminated pursuant to Section 271.5 or 276.3 or where the exemption or a portion of the exemption was allowed as the result of an assessor’s error, the amount of interest shall be forgiven. If the exemption was incorrectly allowed because of erroneous or incorrect information submitted by the claimant with knowledge that the information was erroneous or incomplete, the penalty provided in Section 504 shall be added to the assessment.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 531.2. Section 531.2.

(a) When the property is real property which subsequent to July 1 of the year of escape for purposes of this article, or subsequent to July 1 of the year in which the property should have been lawfully assessed, for purposes of Article 3 (commencing with Section 501), but prior to the date of that assessment and the showing thereof on the secured roll, with the date of entry specified thereon, has (1) been transferred or conveyed to a bona fide purchaser for value, or (2) become subject to a lien of a bona fide encumbrance for value, the escape assessment pursuant to either of these articles shall not create or impose a lien or charge on that real property, but shall be entered on the unsecured roll in the name of the person who would have been the assessee in the year in which it escaped assessment and shall thereafter be treated and collected like other taxes on that roll. The tax rate applicable shall be the secured tax rate of the year in which the property escaped assessment. (b) If the real property escaped assessment as a result of an unrecorded change in ownership or change in control for which a change in ownership statement required by Section 480, 480.1, or 480.2, or a preliminary change in ownership report, pursuant to Section 480.3, is not filed, the assessor shall appraise the property as of the date of transfer and enroll the difference in taxable value for each of the subsequent years on the secured roll, with the date of entry specified thereon. However, if prior to the date of the assessment the property has (1) been transferred or conveyed to a bona fide purchaser for value, or (2) become subject to a lien of a bona fide encumbrance for value, the escape assessment pursuant to this paragraph shall not create or impose a lien or charge on that real property, but shall be entered on the unsecured roll in the name of the person who would have been the assessee in the year in which it escaped assessment and shall thereafter be treated and collected like other taxes on that roll. The tax rate applicable shall be the secured rate of the year in which the property escaped assessment. “Assessment year” means the period defined in Section 118. In the event of a failure to file a change in ownership statement required by Section 480, 480.1, or 480.2, or a preliminary change in ownership report, pursuant to Section 480.3, the interest provided in Section 506 may, by the order of the board of supervisors, be added. (c) (1) Taxes resulting from escape assessments shall be prorated pursuant to paragraphs (2) to (5), inclusive, only if the board of supervisors of a county has adopted a resolution specifying that taxes shall be prorated pursuant to this subdivision. (2) When real property has been transferred or conveyed to a bona fide purchaser for value subsequent to July 1 of the year of escape for purposes of this article, or subsequent to July 1 of the year in which the property should have been lawfully assessed, for purposes of Article 3 (commencing with Section 501), taxes resulting from escape assessments pursuant to this section shall be prorated between the following: (A) The person who would have been the assessee if the change in ownership had not occurred. (B) The person who purchased the property. (3) If the real property has been transferred or conveyed to a bona fide purchaser for value more than once during the year of escape or assessment, each owner of record during that period shall be liable for a pro rata share of taxes based on the length of time during that period each bona fide purchaser was the record owner of that real property. (4) When the assessor has identified the fact and amount of the escape assessment, the assessor shall identify the owners of record during the year of escape or assessment and the dates of ownership for each owner. (5) The auditor shall compute the respective prorated shares of taxes for each owner of record. The share of taxes of the current owner of the real property shall be placed on the secured roll as a lien on the parcel for which the escaped assessment was discovered. The share of taxes of any previous owner during the year of escape or assessment shall be entered on the unsecured roll.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 531.3. Section 531.3.

If the assessor requires an assessee to describe personal property in such detail as shows the cost thereof but the assessee omits to report the cost of the property accurately, notwithstanding that this information is available to the assessee, to the extent that this omission on the part of the assessee causes the assessor not to assess the property or to assess it at a lower valuation than he would enter upon the roll were the cost reported to him accurately, that portion of the property as to which the cost is unreported, in whole or in part, shall be assessed as required by law. If the omission is willful or fraudulent, the penalty and interest provided in Sections 504 and 506 shall be added to the additional assessment; otherwise only the interest provided in Section 506 shall be so added.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 531.4. Section 531.4.

When an assessee files with the assessor a property statement or report on a form prescribed by the board with respect to property held or used in a profession, trade or business and the statement fails to report any taxable tangible property accurately, regardless of whether this information is available to the assessee, to the extent that this failure causes the assessor not to assess the property or to assess it at a lower valuation than he would enter on the roll if the property had been reported to him accurately, that portion of the property which is not reported accurately, in whole or in part, shall be assessed as required by law. If the failure to report the property accurately is willful or fraudulent, the penalty and interest provided in Sections 504 and 506 shall be added to the additional assessment; otherwise only the interest provided in Section 506 shall be added.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 531.5. Section 531.5.

If a business inventories exemption has been incorrectly allowed because of erroneous or incorrect information submitted by the taxpayer or his agent misclassifying as business inventories property not includible in “business inventories,” as that term is defined in Section 129, an escape assessment in the amount of the exemption shall be made on discovery of the error. Interest shall be added to the assessment in the amount and manner provided by Section 506. If the exemption was incorrectly allowed because of erroneous or incorrect information submitted by the taxpayer or his agent with knowledge that such information was erroneous or incorrect, the penalty provided in Section 504 shall be added to the assessment.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 531.6. Section 531.6.

The taxpayer who has filed a claim for the homeowners’ exemption which has not been denied by the assessor is responsible for notifying the assessor when the property is no longer eligible for the exemption. Upon any indication that a homeowners’ exemption has been incorrectly allowed, the assessor shall make a redetermination of eligibility for the homeowners’ exemption. If the assessor determines that the property is no longer eligible for the exemption, he shall immediately cancel the exemption on the property. If a homeowners’ exemption has been incorrectly allowed, an escape assessment as allowed by Section 531.1 in the amount of the exemption with interest as provided in Section 506 shall be made, except that where the exemption was allowed as the result of an assessor’s error, the amount of interest shall be forgiven. If the exemption was incorrectly allowed because of erroneous or incorrect information submitted by the claimant with knowledge that such information was erroneous or incomplete or because the claimant failed to notify the assessor in a timely manner that the property was no longer eligible for the exemption, the penalty provided in Section 504 shall be added to the assessment. If the property subject to this paragraph has been transferred or conveyed to a bona fide purchaser for value during the period commencing with the lien date and ending July 1 of the fiscal year for which such exemption was incorrectly allowed, and the claimant is not the purchaser, any amount of penalty provided by Section 504 or any amount of interest provided by Section 506 imposed pursuant to the escape assessment due to such incorrect homeowners’ exemption shall be forgiven.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 531.7. Section 531.7.

If property has not been legally assessable on the local secured roll for any year because the property has been tax deeded to a taxing agency other than the state, the property shall be deemed to have escaped assessment for that year and shall be subject to this article if any of the following circumstances apply: (a) The property has not been declared tax defaulted for delinquent taxes. (b) The property has been redeemed from the tax sale and deeded to the taxing agency. (c) The tax deed to the taxing agency has been held to be invalid and has been canceled; provided, however, that the statute of limitations provided for in Section 532 shall not apply.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 531.8. Section 531.8.

No escape assessment shall be enrolled under this article before 10 days after the assessor has mailed or otherwise delivered to the affected taxpayer a “Notice of Proposed Escape Assessment” with respect to one or more specified tax years. The notice shall prominently display on its face the following heading: “NOTICE OF PROPOSED ESCAPE ASSESSMENT” The notice shall contain all of the following: (a) The amount of the proposed escape assessments for each tax year at issue. (b) The telephone number of the assessor’s office to allow a taxpayer to contact that office with respect to the proposed escape assessment or assessments.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 531.9. Section 531.9.

A county board of supervisors may, by ordinance, prohibit an assessor from making an escape assessment of an appraisal unit where that assessment would result in an amount of taxes due which is less than the cost of assessing and collecting them. In no event may the ordinance apply to any escape assessment of an appraisal unit if the amount of taxes resulting from the escape assessment would exceed fifty dollars ($50).

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 532. Section 532.

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), any assessment made pursuant to either Article 3 (commencing with Section 501) or this article shall be made within four years after July 1 of the assessment year in which the property escaped taxation or was underassessed. (b) (1) Any assessment to which the penalty provided for in Section 504 must be added shall be made within eight years after July 1 of the assessment year in which the property escaped taxation or was underassessed. (2) Any assessment resulting from an unrecorded change in ownership for which either a change in ownership statement, as required by Section 480 or a preliminary change in ownership report, as required by Section 480.3, is not timely filed with respect to the event giving rise to the escape assessment or underassessment shall be made within eight years after July 1 of the assessment year in which the property escaped taxation or was underassessed. For purposes of this paragraph, an “unrecorded change in ownership” means a deed or other document evidencing a change in ownership that was not filed with the county recorder’s office at the time the event took place. (3) Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) and (2), in the case where property has escaped taxation, in whole or in part, or has been underassessed, following a change in ownership or change in control and either the penalty provided for in Section 503 must be added or a change in ownership statement, as required by Section 480.1 or 480.2 was not filed with respect to the event giving rise to the escape assessment or underassessment, an escape assessment shall be made for each year in which the property escaped taxation or was underassessed. (4) Notwithstanding any other law, in the case where property that is owned by a community land trust and was previously exempt pursuant to Section 214.18 becomes subject to taxation pursuant to subdivision (d) of that section, any assessment made in the amount of an exemption, or that portion of the exemption, previously allowed pursuant to Section 214.18 shall be made within five years of the lien date following the date on which the property becomes subject to taxation. (c) For purposes of this section, “assessment year” means the period defined in Section 118.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 532.1. Section 532.1.

(a) If, before the expiration of the period specified in Section 532 for making an escape assessment, the taxpayer and the assessor have agreed in writing to extend the time for making an assessment, correction, or claim for refund, the assessment may be made at any time prior to the expiration of the period agreed upon. The period may be extended by subsequent agreements in writing made before the expiration of the period previously agreed upon. (b) If the assessor mails or otherwise delivers a “Notice of Proposed Escape Assessment” under Section 531.8 as to any assessment year for which the period for making an escape assessment, including any extension pursuant to subdivision (a), will expire in less than 90 days after the date of mailing or delivery of that notice, then that period, and any limitations period on the filing of a refund claim with respect to the same assessment year, shall be extended to the 90th day after the date of mailing or delivery. Subsequent mailings or deliveries of a “Notice of Proposed Escape Assessment” for the same assessment year shall not establish any further extension.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 532.2. Section 532.2.

Notwithstanding Section 532, the assessor shall assess as escaped property any property for which a welfare exemption was granted while that property was “in the course of construction,” as defined in Section 214.2, if either of the following occurs: (a) Construction is abandoned. (b) Upon completion of the construction, the property is used other than exclusively for religious, hospital, or charitable purposes. If, upon completion of construction, a portion of the property is used other than exclusively for religious, hospital, or charitable purposes, the assessor shall assess as escaped property only that portion of the property so used.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 533. Section 533.

(a) If an escape assessment is made as a result of an audit that discloses that property assessed to the party audited has been incorrectly assessed either for a past tax year for which taxes have been paid and a claim for refund is not barred by Section 5097 or for any tax year for which the taxes are unpaid, the tax refunds resulting from the incorrect assessments shall be an offset against proposed tax liabilities, including accumulated penalties and interest, resulting from escaped assessments for any tax year covered by the audit. (b) If a tax refund, authorized under this section exceeds any proposed tax liabilities, including accumulated penalties and interest, the party audited shall be notified by the tax collector of the amount of the excess and of the fact that a claim for cancellation or refund may be filed with the county as provided by Section 5096 or 5096.7.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 534. Section 534.

(a) Assessments made pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 501) or this article shall be treated like, and taxed at the same rate applicable to, property regularly assessed on the roll on which it is entered, unless the assessment relates to a prior year and then the tax rate of the prior year shall be applied, except that the tax rate for years prior to the 1981-82 fiscal year shall be divided by four. (b) No assessment described in subdivision (a) shall be effective for any purpose, including its review, equalization and adjustment by the Board of Equalization, until the assessee has been notified thereof personally or by United States mail at his or her address as contained in the official records of the county assessor. For purposes of Section 532, the assessment shall be deemed made on the date on which it is entered on the roll pursuant to Section 533, if the assessee is notified of the assessment within 60 days after the statute of limitations or the placing of the escape assessment on the assessment roll. Otherwise the assessment shall be deemed made only on the date the assessee is so notified. (c) The notice given by the assessor pursuant to this section shall include all of the following: (1) The date the notice was mailed. (2) Information regarding the assessee’s right to an informal review and the right to appeal the assessment, and except in a case in which paragraph (3) applies, that the appeal shall be filed within 60 days of the date of mailing printed on the notice or the postmarked date therefor, whichever is later. For the purposes of equalization proceedings, the assessment shall be considered an assessment made outside of the regular assessment period as provided in Section 1605. (3) For counties in which the board of supervisors has adopted a resolution in accordance with subdivision (c) of Section 1605, and the County of Los Angeles, receipt by the assessee of a tax bill based on that assessment shall suffice as notice under this section if the tax bill advises the assessee of the right to appeal the assessment, and that the appeal shall be filed within 60 days of the date of mailing printed on the tax bill or the postmark therefor, whichever is later. For the purposes of equalization proceedings, the assessment shall be considered an assessment made outside of the regular assessment period as provided in Section 1605. (4) A description of the requirements, procedures, and deadlines with respect to an application for the reduction of an assessment pursuant to Section 1605. (d) (1) The notice given by the assessor under this section shall be on a form approved by the board. (2) Giving of the notice required by Section 531.8 shall not satisfy the requirements of this section.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 536. Section 536.

Any amount paid by the state to reimburse local taxing agencies for loss of revenue resulting from incorrectly allowed exemptions, if not repaid to the state, shall be deducted under Section 12419.5 of the Government Code from the next reimbursement to such agencies. The county auditor shall notify the State Controller of all incorrectly allowed exemptions for which local taxing agencies have been reimbursed by the state for loss of revenue, and all escape assessments made because thereof.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 538. Section 538.

(a) If the assessor believes that a specific provision of the Constitution of the State of California, of this division, or of a rule or regulation of the board is unconstitutional or invalid, and as a result thereof concludes that property should be assessed in a manner contrary to such provision, or the assessor proposes to adopt general interpretation of a specific provision of the Constitution of the State of California, or this division, or of a rule or regulation of the board, that would result in a denial to five or more assessees in that county of an exemption, in whole or in part, of their property from property taxation, the assessor shall, in lieu of making such an assessment, bring an action for declaratory relief against the board under Section 1060 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The court shall allow intervention in such action by potential assessees and other assessors under Section 387 of the Code of Civil Procedure to the greatest extent practicable. (b) If the assessor obtains judgment in such action upholding the validity of such assessment, the assessor shall correct the roll in accordance with Section 4831 consistent with such judgment within 60 days of the date upon which the judgment becomes final, regardless of the time limit otherwise provided in Section 4831. The assessor shall not levy an assessment based upon the subject matter of the action under any other section of this division. (c) Within 60 days of notice of such assessment, a person assessed under subdivision (b) may file a claim for refund relating to the assessment of any of the person’s property for the fiscal year to which the assessment under subdivision (b) relates regardless of the time limit otherwise provided in Section 5097.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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