ARTICLE 1. Generally [982. - 998.]

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC 1.

in effect

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 982. Section 982.

The undistributed or unpartitioned property of deceased persons may be assessed to the heirs, guardians, conservators, executors, or administrators. A payment of taxes by any one of them binds each of the other parties in interest for his proportionate share.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 982.1. Section 982.1.

If real property of a deceased person is distributed to the State because there are no known heirs or because the estate or any portion thereof is to be distributed to heirs, devisees, or legatees whose whereabouts are unknown, such real property shall be assessed to the estate of the decedent and to the State of California. Such assessment shall involve no liability on the part of the State to pay taxes except as provided by Sections 4986.5 and 4986.6.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 983. Section 983.

Property in litigation in possession of a county treasurer, court, county clerk, or receiver shall be assessed to the officer in possession, and the taxes shall be paid under the direction of the court.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 984. Section 984.

Water ditches constructed for mining, manufacturing, or irrigation purposes and toll roads shall be assessed like real estate, at a rate per mile for that portion of the property lying within the county.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 985. Section 985.

Every toll bridge connecting two or more counties shall be assessed in equal proportions in the counties it connects.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 986. Section 986.

The full value of a work of art, still owned by the artist who created it and which has never been sold nor exhibited for profit, is the full value of the materials which constitute the work of art.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 987. Section 987.

The assessment of lands owned by a local government that are located outside its boundaries shall be as specified in Section ll of Article XIII of the Constitution. The State Board of Equalization shall compute for each assessment year, on or before the lien date of that assessment year, the ratio to be applied to land assessed as of the 1966 lien date and the ratio to be applied to land assessed as of the 1967 lien date in the manner specified in subdivision (b) of Section 11 of Article XIII of the Constitution.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 988. Section 988.

(a) The full value of motion pictures, including the negatives and prints thereof, is the full value of only the tangible materials upon which such motion pictures are recorded. Such full value does not include the value of, or any value based upon, any intangible rights, such as the copyright or the right to reproduce, copy, exhibit or otherwise exploit motion pictures or the negatives or prints thereof. (b) As used in this section, “motion pictures” includes those intended for transmission, exhibition, or exploitation, by any means or method and whether or not production thereof has been completed. (c) As used in this section, “negatives and prints” includes any film or other tangible property, and reproductions thereof, upon which is recorded by any means or method the sound or action of motion pictures, in positive, negative, or any other form.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 989. Section 989.

Unredeemed pledged goods in the possession of a pawnbroker, but not owned by him to hold and dispose of as his property, shall not be assessed to him.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 990. Section 990.

Where migratory livestock are ranged in two or more counties during the year, the assessors of the counties interested may meet and prorate the number of stock to be assessed in each county, taking into consideration the time such stock ranged in each county.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 994. Section 994.

The following vehicles and equipment, with the exception of implements of husbandry which are subject to the provisions of Sections 410 to 414, inclusive, shall be subject to the provisions of this section, notwithstanding the provisions of Section 10758: (a) Steel-wheeled and track-laying equipment shall not be subject to the license fees imposed pursuant to Part 5 (commencing with Section 10701) of Division 2 of this code, but shall be assessed in the county where it has situs on the lien date. (b) Rubber-tired equipment, except commercial vehicles and cranes registered under the Vehicle Code and which are licensed under Part 5 (commencing with Section 10701) of Division 2 of this code, which must be moved or operated under permit issued pursuant to Section 35780 of the Vehicle Code, shall be assessed in the county where it has situs on the lien date, but the assessee of such property shall be allowed to deduct from the amount of property tax the amount of any fee paid on such vehicle under Part 5 (commencing with Section 10701) of Division 2 of this code, if such fee is paid prior to the lien date for the calendar year in which the lien date occurs. (c) Rubber-tired cranes and commercial vehicles which must be moved or operated under permit issued pursuant to Section 35780 of the Vehicle Code, and rubber-tired equipment that does not require a permit, which cranes, vehicles, and equipment are registered under the Vehicle Code and licensed under Part 5 (commencing with Section 10701) of Division 2 of this code, shall not be otherwise assessed for purposes of property taxation.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 995. Section 995.

Storage media for computer programs shall be valued on the 1972 lien date and thereafter as if there were no computer program on such media except basic operational programs. Otherwise, computer programs shall not be valued for purpose of property taxation. As used in this section, storage media for computer programs may take the form of, but are not limited to, punched cards, tapes, discs or drums on which computer programs may be embodied or stored. As used in this section, a computer program may be, but is not limited to a set of written instructions, magnetic imprints, required documentation or other process designed to enable the user to communicate with or operate a computer or other machinery.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 995.2. Section 995.2.

The term “basic operational program,” as used in Section 995, means a computer program that is fundamental and necessary to the functioning of a computer. A basic operational program is that part of an operating system including supervisors, monitors, executives, and control or master programs that consist of the control program elements of that system. For purposes of this section, the terms “control program” and “basic operational program” are interchangeable. A control program, as opposed to a processing program, controls the operation of a computer by managing the allocation of all system resources, including the central processing unit, main storage, input/output devices and processing programs. A processing program is used to develop and implement the specific applications that the computer is to perform. Its operation is possible only through the facilities provided by the control program. It is not in itself fundamental and necessary to the functioning of a computer. Excluded from the term “basic operational program” are processing programs, which consist of language translators, including, but not limited to, assemblers and compilers; service programs, including, but not limited to, data set utilities, sort/merge utilities, and emulators; data management systems, also known as generalized file-processing software; and application programs, including, but not limited to, payroll, inventory control, and production control. Also excluded from the term “basic operational program” are programs or parts of programs developed for or by a user if they were developed solely for the solution of an individual operational problem of the user. A control program, as used in this section, includes the following functions: selection, assignment, and control of input and output devices; loading of programs, including selection of programs from a system resident library; handling the steps necessary to accomplish job-to-job transition; controlling the allocation of memory; controlling concurrent operation of multiple programs or computers; and protecting data from being inadvertently destroyed as a result of operator program error.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 996. Section 996.

(a) Returnable containers shall be assessed only to the person in possession thereof on the lien date, provided such person is not under a legally enforceable duty to return the containers for reuse. For the purpose of this section, a person is not under a legally enforceable duty to return returnable containers for reuse merely because such person has the right to return such containers at his election for a sum of money equal to the deposit or similar charge paid by him upon his acquisition of the containers. (b) If a deposit or similar charge is paid by the buyer of the contents with respect to returnable containers assessable in the manner provided by this section, the cash value of such returnable containers after initial use shall be the cost of such containers, less depreciation, but shall not be less than the deposit or similar charge. (c) As used in this section the term “returnable containers” means containers used to package soft drink beverages and of a kind customarily returned by the buyer of the contents for reuse.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 997. Section 997.

(a) The cash value of records of persons engaged in a business or profession for purposes of this division is the cash value only of the tangible material upon which, or in which, such records are recorded, maintained or stored. Such cash value shall be determined without inclusion of or consideration of the intangible value of the information or data so recorded, maintained or stored, nor the intangible right to utilize such information or data. (b) As used in this section “records” includes all written documents and photographic reproductions thereof, recorded data, research notes, calculations, and indices maintained or utilized by persons engaged in a business or profession. (c) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a determination of full cash value for (1) books, (2) old newspapers on microfilm, (3) computer programs and storage media for such programs taxable pursuant to Section 995, (4) records which are held for sale in the ordinary course of business, or (5) records which are purchased from a person who held such records in an inventory of goods for sale in the ordinary course of business. Records sold only when a business is sold shall not be considered as “held for sale in the ordinary course of business.” (d) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the consideration of research and development, engineering or similar costs in the valuation of tangible property, other than records.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 998. Section 998.

(a) The full value of a time-share estate or a time-share use subject to tax under this division shall be determined by finding the real property value of the interest involved and shall not include the value of any nonreal property items, including, but not limited to, vacation exchange rights, vacation conveniences and services, and club memberships. Accordingly, the full value of a time-share estate or time-share use may be determined by reference to resort properties, condominiums, cooperatives, or other properties which are similar in size, type, and location to the property subject to time-share ownership and are not owned on a time-share basis. The aggregate assessed value of all the time-share estates or uses relating to a single lot, parcel, unit, or other segment of real property shall be determined by adding (1) the fair market value of the similar lot, parcel, unit, or other segment not owned on a time-share basis, and (2) an amount necessary to reflect any increase or decrease to the market value attributable to the fact that the property is marketed in increments of time, or by any alternate method which will determine the real property value without regard to any nonreal property items which may be included. (b) Nothing in this section shall authorize a reassessment of real property as a result of the creation or transfer of a time-share interest in the property unless the creation or transfer of the time-share interest constitutes a change in ownership under Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 60) of Part 2 and Section 2 of Article XIII A of the California Constitution. (c) For purposes of this section, “time-share estate” and “time-share use” shall have the meanings set forth in paragraph (x) of Section 11212 of the Business and Professions Code, and “time-share interest” shall refer to both time-share estates and time-share uses. (d) Nothing in this section may be construed as requiring the assessment of any property at less than fair market value as required by Section 401.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026