CHAPTER 2. Administrative Provisions [155. - 169.]

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC 2.
in effect

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 155. Section 155.

The time fixed in this division for the performance of any act by the assessor or county board may be extended by the board or its executive director for not more than 30 days, or, in case of public calamity, 40 days. If an extension of time is granted, the executive director of the board shall give written notice thereof to the county auditor, county tax collector, and the officer or county board to whom the extension is granted. The executive director shall inform the board at its next regular meeting of any action with respect to extensions taken by him or her. There shall be the same extension of time for any act of the board dependent on the act for which time was extended.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 155.3. Section 155.3.

The time fixed for the performance of any act by the auditor or tax collector may be extended by the Controller for not more than 30 days, or, in the case of public calamity, 40 days. If an extension of time is granted, the Controller shall give written notice thereof to the county auditor, tax collector, assessor, and board of supervisors. There shall be the same extension of time for any act of the Controller dependent on the act for which time was extended.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 155.20. Section 155.20.

(a) Subject to the limitations listed in subdivisions (b), (c), (d), and (e), a county board of supervisors may exempt from property tax all real property with a base year value (as determined pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 50) of Part 0.5) as adjusted by an annual inflation factor pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 110.1, and personal property with a full value so low that, if not exempt, the total taxes, special assessments, and applicable subventions on the property would amount to less than the cost of assessing and collecting them. (b) (1) (A) The board of supervisors shall have no authority to exempt property with a total base year value, as adjusted by an annual inflation factor pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 110.1, or full value of more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (B). (B) The limitation specified in subparagraph (A) on the amount of the exemption authorized by this section shall be increased as follows: (i) For lien dates occurring on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2030, the limitation is increased to fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) in the case of a possessory interest. (ii) For lien dates occurring on or after January 1, 2030, the limitation is increased to fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) in the case of a possessory interest, for a temporary and transitory use, in a publicly owned fairground, fairground facility, convention facility, or cultural facility. For purposes of this paragraph, “publicly owned convention or cultural facility” means a publicly owned convention center, civic auditorium, theater, assembly hall, museum, or other civic building that is used primarily for staging any of the following: (I) Conventions, trade and consumer shows, or civic and community events. (II) Live theater, dance, or musical productions. (III) Artistic, historic, technological, or educational exhibits. (2) In determining the level of the exemption, the board of supervisors shall determine at what level of exemption the costs of assessing the property and collecting taxes, assessments, and subventions on the property exceeds the proceeds to be collected. The board of supervisors shall establish the exemption level uniformly for different classes of property. In making this determination, the board of supervisors may consider the total taxes, special assessments, and applicable subventions for the year of assessment only or for the year of assessment and succeeding years where cumulative revenues will not exceed the cost of assessments and collections. (3) In administering the exemption authorized by this section, the assessor may opt either to not enroll the property on the assessment roll or to enroll the property and apply the exemption. (c) This section does not apply to those real or personal properties enumerated in Section 52. (d) The exemption authorized by this section shall be adopted by the board of supervisors on or before the lien date for the fiscal year to which the exemption is to apply and may, at the option of the board of supervisors, continue in effect for succeeding fiscal years. Any revision or rescission of the exemption shall be adopted by the board of supervisors on or before the lien date for the fiscal year to which that revision or rescission is to apply. (e) Nothing in this section shall authorize a county board of supervisors to exempt new construction, unless the new total base year value, as adjusted by an annual inflation factor pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 110.1, of the property, including this new construction, is ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or less.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 156. Section 156.

In the assessment, advertisement, and sale of real property for taxes, initial letters, abbreviations, and figures may be used to designate the township, range, section, or part of a section. Any other abbreviations approved by the board may be used if an explanation of them appears on each page of the roll or a reference appears on each page to a list of abbreviations within each volume of the roll, or if the procedure in Section 109.6 is adopted the list of abbreviations used shall be available to the public in the office of the tax collector. Such list of abbreviations shall be furnished to the tax collector by the assessor.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 158. Section 158.

The Controller has general supervision over the general procedure for tax sales, tax deeds, and redemptions and, to this end, may make any rules and regulations he deems advisable. All county officials are bound by these rules and regulations of the Controller.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 160. Section 160.

In any action against the county to quiet title allowed under this division, service of process shall be made on the tax collector of the county where the real property is situated.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 162. Section 162.

The assessor, tax collector, and auditor shall, except where specifically prohibited by law, charge and collect a fee of one dollar ($1) for preparing each of the following documents: (a) A certified copy of a redemption certificate. (b) A certified copy of an installment redemption receipt. (c) A certified copy of an assessment as entered on the assessment roll. The fee for providing a copy of a record or document by photographic process shall be the actual cost thereof plus the sum of one dollar ($1). The fee shall be placed in the county general fund.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 162.1. Section 162.1.

(a) The assessor, tax collector, or auditor shall charge and collect a fee to cover the actual and reasonable costs incurred by the assessor, tax collector, or auditor to prepare a certificate of payment showing taxes paid. (b) The amount of the fee shall be established by the board of supervisors of the county and shall be subject to the requirements of Chapter 12.5 (commencing with Section 54985) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 162.5. Section 162.5.

Any taxing agency, including a taxing agency having its own system for the levying and collection of taxes or assessments, but excluding a county, may by ordinance or resolution of its governing body provide that the county recorder shall file, record, index, and make notations upon, written instruments pertaining to the assessment, sale, and deeding (whether to such agency or a purchaser therefrom) of property taxed or assessed by such agency in the same manner and with the same effect as provided in this division with respect to comparable instruments pertaining to property subject to county taxes, and the county recorder shall comply with such ordinance or resolution upon payment of the same fees as if the taxing agency were the county. The recorded duplicate of any deed to a taxing agency other than the State or county shall be forwarded by the county recorder to the officer designated in the ordinance or resolution.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 163. Section 163.

Any entity that receives revenue that is derived from payments with respect to an assessment lien created pursuant to the Improvement Bond Act of 1911 (Division 7 (commencing with Section 5000) of the Streets and Highways Code), the Municipal Improvement Act of 1913 (Division 12 (commencing with Section 10000) of the Streets and Highways Code), or the Improvement Bond Act of 1915 (Division 10 (commencing with Section 8500) of the Streets and Highways Code) shall annually notify the assessor of all of the following: (a) The lien amount on each subject parcel at the time the lien was created. (b) In the case in which a lien has been completely satisfied, the date and amount of the payment in satisfaction of the lien, and the identity of the party that made that payment. (c) The amount of the principal balance of the lien on each subject parcel.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 163.5. Section 163.5.

The provisions of this division relating to actions and proceedings for quieting title to property, and holding any tax deed to be void, shall apply to property assessed, sold, or deeded for the taxes or assessments of any taxing agency, including a taxing agency having its own system for the levying and collection of taxes or assessments, but excluding a county, the same, or as nearly the same as possible, as such provisions apply to property assessed, sold, or deeded for county taxes. For this purpose when used in such provisions: (a) “State” or “county” means the taxing agency. (b) “Controller” means the governing body of the taxing agency. (c) “District attorney” means the attorney or legal counsel of the taxing agency. Any reference in such provisions to all or any portion of this division shall be deemed for the purposes of this section to refer to comparable provisions of the law, charter, or ordinance pursuant to which the taxing agency involved levies and collects taxes or assessments on property.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 164. Section 164.

The chief accounting officer of each taxing agency other than the State, may examine and audit the accounts of any other taxing agency, other than the State, charged under any provision of this code with the apportionment of the proceeds of collections made on behalf of both agencies. In the event more than one taxing agency has an interest in such collections the governing bodies of the interested taxing agencies may enter into an agreement to accept the report on the audit of the chief accounting officer of one of such interested taxing agencies. As used in this section, “chief accounting officer” means as to a county the auditor thereof, as to a city the auditor thereof, as to an irrigation district the secretary of the board of directors thereof, and as to any other taxing agency the officer designated as its chief accounting officer by the governing body thereof.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 166. Section 166.

(a) Whenever a taxpayer is required to file any statement, affidavit, application, or any other paper or document with a taxing agency by a specified time on a specified date, such filing shall be deemed to be within the specified period if it is sent by United States mail, properly addressed with postage prepaid, and bears a post office cancellation mark of the specified date, or earlier within the specified period, stamped on the envelope, or on itself, or if proof satisfactory to the agency establishes that the mailing occurred on the specified date, or earlier within the specified period. (b) The provisions of this section shall supersede any contrary special provision of this division unless such special provision specifically provides that this section shall not be applicable. (c) The provisions of this section are applicable to any filing required to be made by ordinance, rule, or regulation of a taxing agency. (d) Any statement or affidavit made by a taxpayer asserting such a timely filing must be made within one year of the deadline applicable to the original filing; provided, however, that this subsection shall not apply to any statement or affidavit asserting the timely filing of a property statement or to any statement made by the taxpayer in connection with an escape assessment imposed pursuant to Section 531. (e) It is the intent of the Legislature that this section be liberally construed in favor of the taxpayer and be applicable to all filings relating to property taxation which are required to be made by a taxpayer by a specified time on a specified date.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 167. Section 167.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, and except as provided in subdivision (b), there shall be a rebuttable presumption affecting the burden of proof in favor of the taxpayer or assessee who has supplied all information as required by law to the assessor in any administrative hearing involving the imposition of a tax on an owner-occupied single-family dwelling, the assessment of an owner-occupied single-family dwelling pursuant to this division, or the appeal of an escape assessment. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the rebuttable presumption described in that subdivision shall not apply in the case of an administrative hearing with respect to the appeal of an escape assessment resulting from a taxpayer’s failure either to file with the assessor a change in ownership statement or a business property statement, or to obtain a permit for new construction. (c) For the purposes of this section, an owner-occupied single-family dwelling means a single-family dwelling that satisfies both of the following: (1) The dwelling is the owner’s principal place of residence. (2) The dwelling qualifies for a homeowners’ property tax exemption.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 168. Section 168.

Any document required in this division to be executed by the tax collector may be executed with a facsimile signature in lieu of a manual signature if the manual signature is filed with the Secretary of State and is certified under oath by the tax collector. Upon compliance with this section, the facsimile signature shall have the same legal effect as the manual signature of the tax collector.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 168.1. Section 168.1.

(a) Notwithstanding subdivision (b) of Section 16.5 of the Government Code, if a county assessor authorizes the submission of a State Board of Equalization form by the use of electronic media pursuant to subdivision (k) of Section 441, a taxpayer may execute that form by electronic signature in lieu of a manual, facsimile, or other signature if both of the following requirements are met: (1) The electronic signature is accompanied by a form in the signature block that states that the taxpayer certifies or declares under penalty of perjury that all the information, including accompanying statements or materials, in the document is true, correct, and complete to the best of the taxpayer’s knowledge. (2) The electronic signature is authenticated in a manner that is approved by the State Board of Equalization. (b) If a county assessor authorizes the submission of a State Board of Equalization form by the use of electronic media and a taxpayer chooses to execute that form by the use of electronic signature pursuant to subdivision (a), a county assessor shall accept the electronic signature pursuant to this section. The county assessor may require payment of a fee in an amount equal to the reasonable costs associated with accepting an electronic signature. (c) Every county shall adopt any necessary ordinances, resolutions, or other procedures to give effect to this section. (d) Upon compliance with this section, the electronic signature shall have the same legal effect as the manual, facsimile, or other signature of the taxpayer. (e) For purposes of this section, “electronic signature” has the same meaning as that term is defined in subdivision (h) of Section 1633.2 of the Civil Code.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 168.5. Section 168.5.

Any document required in this division to be acknowledged by the county clerk at no charge may be acknowledged by a notary public or other county official pursuant to Section 1181 of the Civil Code, at no charge.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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