How to Appeal Your Property Tax in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County homeowners have the right to appeal if their assessed value exceeds market value. The process has two tracks — a free informal review with no hearing, and a formal appeal if needed. Both are open through November 30.
Two ways to appeal your property tax
Los Angeles County offers two paths: a free informal review through the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor, or a formal appeal through the Assessment Appeals Board with a $46 filing fee. Both tracks share the same November 30 deadline, and the county recommends filing both simultaneously.
Track 1: Informal Review (RP-87)
Through the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor
The Decline-in-Value Review (Prop 8 / R&T Code §51) is a free process where you submit evidence directly to the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor. The Assessor reviews your evidence and either reduces your assessed value or confirms it — there is no hearing, and there is no risk of your value being increased at this stage.
- Free to file — no fee
- No hearing required — the Assessor reviews your evidence directly
- No risk of increase — the Assessor can only reduce or confirm your value
- Assessor targets a response by October 1 if filed promptly
File your RP-87 by November 30
The earlier you submit, the better your chances of receiving a determination before the formal appeal window closes. If you file your RP-87 early in the season, the Assessor may resolve your case without you ever needing to attend a hearing.
Track 2: Formal Appeal (AAB-100)
Through the Assessment Appeals Board
The formal appeal is an Application for Changed Assessment (AAB-100) filed with the Assessment Appeals Board. This results in a hearing before a Hearing Officer or the full Board, where you present your evidence and receive an independent determination. The filing fee is $46, non-refundable, per parcel. In rare cases, the Board can raise your assessed value.
- Filing window: July 2 – November 30 each year. If November 30 falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline extends to the next business day.
- $46 non-refundable filing fee per parcel. Fee waiver available for financial hardship.
- File online at https://lacaab.lacounty.gov or mail to 500 West Temple Street, Room B4, Los Angeles, CA 90012
- Decision window: Up to 2 years from filing date
LA County recommends filing both tracks simultaneously
Los Angeles County officially recommends filing your RP-87 informal review and your AAB-100 formal appeal on the same day — both use the same July 2 – November 30 window, and the informal review alone doesn't keep your case open past the deadline. The appeal has a $46 filing fee, and you can withdraw it if the Assessor resolves things informally.
Source: Assessment Appeals Board
Affected by the January 2025 wildfires?
If your property was damaged or destroyed in the January 2025 wildfires (Eaton, Palisades, or other Los Angeles County fires), you may qualify for a separate calamity reassessment — not a standard Prop 8 appeal. Contact the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor directly for guidance.
What is the RP-87 form, and how do I fill it out?
The RP-87 is the Los Angeles County Assessor's Decline-in-Value Review application — the one-page form that asks the Assessor to lower your assessed value to what your home was worth on January 1 under Proposition 8. It is free to file, there is no hearing, and the Assessor can only lower your value or leave it alone. It is the informal track described above; the formal appeal uses a different form (AAB-100) with a different office.
The county publishes it through its Decline-in-Value page, and a fillable copy is here: RP-87 (PDF). The form is revised each July; make sure the year printed next to “opinion of value as of January 1” matches the tax year you're contesting.
What the RP-87 asks for
- Your name, daytime phone, mailing address, and email
- The property address and the Assessor's Identification Number (AIN) from your tax bill
- Your opinion of the property's market value as of January 1
- A short description of your home: bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, units
- Two comparable sales — address or AIN, sale date, sale price, and how each compares to your home
- Your signature and the date (an agent section is only for a representative filing on your behalf)
Where to send it. Mail the completed form to the Assessor at 500 West Temple Street, Room 286, Los Angeles, CA 90012-2770 by November 30. The window opens July 2, and the Assessor typically responds in 30–90 days.
The hard part is the two comparable sales. The form gives you two rows, so they need to be the two strongest sales you can find: similar homes near yours that closed as close to January 1 as possible (no later than March 31), with the differences from your home spelled out in the description field. What evidence wins an appeal explains how to pick and adjust them. Our Filing Guide selects the comps and pre-fills the RP-87 with them, leaving only your contact details and signature for you to add by hand.
40 days left to file a formal appeal in Los Angeles County
Applications must be filed with the Assessment Appeals Board by November 30. The filing fee is $46. Miss it and the next opportunity is next year's filing window.
Not sure you have a case? Check your property free — about 60 seconds, and if you're not overassessed we'll tell you so.
Los Angeles County filing dates and cost, at a glance
Your 2026–27 property tax bill
Yes — you can still appeal the value on your 2026–27 bill.
Start with the free informal review: the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor takes requests until November 30. The formal appeal to the Assessment Appeals Board stays open until November 30 (a $46 filing fee). Bill due dates and what to check first.
- Informal review
- July 2 – November 30Free
- Formal appeal
- July 2 – November 30
- Formal filing fee
- $46 per parcel
Can't afford the fee? If the $46 fee would cause undue financial hardship, you can submit a fee-waiver request with your application instead of paying it.
Want every date for Los Angeles County in one place — bill due dates, supplemental assessment clocks, and what to do if you miss a window? See the Los Angeles County property tax deadlines page. New to the process? The statewide guide to appealing property taxes in California explains the two tracks before the county specifics.
How to file — step by step
Both tracks run concurrently through November 30, and filing both on the same day is the recommended approach in Los Angeles County.
Check if you qualify
Compare your enrolled assessed value to your home's estimated market value on January 1. If comparable homes are selling for less than your assessed value, you likely have a case. Look up your parcel at the Assessor's portal.
Overassessed does this for you — enter your address and we'll pull your assessment and run the comparison.
Gather comparable sales
Find 3–5 recent sales of similar homes near yours that closed no later than March 31 — within 90 days of the January 1 lien date. Free sales data is available through the Assessor's property portal.
The Overassessed Filing Guide includes selected comps with professional-grade adjustments, ready to submit.
File the informal review (RP-87)
Submit the RP-87 Decline-in-Value Review Application to the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor by mail. Filing is free and the deadline is November 30.
File the formal appeal simultaneously (AAB-100)
Submit the AAB-100 to the Assessment Appeals Board online at https://lacaab.lacounty.gov or by mail to 500 West Temple Street, Room B4, Los Angeles, CA 90012. The fee is $46, non-refundable. LA County officially recommends filing both on the same day to preserve your rights — you can withdraw the formal appeal later at no cost.
Attend your hearing (if not resolved informally)
Most residential homeowners will have their hearing conducted by a single Hearing Officer via Webex. Upload your evidence in advance at the AAB evidence portal. You can request the Assessor's evidence under R&T §1606 at least 30 days before the hearing.
Receive the decision
The Assessment Appeals Board can reduce, confirm, or raise your assessed value. The decision is delivered by mail. If successful, a refund of overpaid taxes is issued. The decision window is up to 2 years from filing date. You must continue paying taxes during the appeal to avoid penalties.
Our Filing Guide gives you copy-paste values for every field on the county form, plus a deadline tracker.
Check if you qualifyWhat evidence do I need?
Comparable sales are the primary evidence type for any property tax appeal. You need 3–5 recent sales of homes similar to yours that closed no later than March 31 — within 90 days of the January 1 lien date. This cutoff matters because the Assessor is valuing your property as of January 1, so the sales evidence must be anchored to that date.
Free comparable sales data is available through the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor property portal. For formal hearings, evidence must be uploaded in advance at the Assessment Appeals Board evidence portal.
“Similar” means comparable in:
- Square footage and lot size
- Bedrooms and bathrooms
- Condition and age
- Proximity to your home
Why adjustments matter
If a comp is smaller or has fewer bedrooms than your home, the assessor will adjust the sale price upward to account for the difference. You want comps that are genuinely comparable after adjustments — not just homes that sold for less.
This is what Overassessed does. We find comparable sales from county records, calculate professional-grade adjustments for differences in size, features, and condition, and package the evidence you need — ready to submit.
Your assessed value might be higher than market value for several reasons explained under Proposition 8 — including assessment creep, market corrections, and neighborhood changes.
The Overassessed Filing Guide includes comparable sales data, dollar adjustments, and a ready-to-submit value argument — everything listed above.
See what's includedKey things to know
File both tracks on the same day
Los Angeles County officially recommends filing your RP-87 informal review and your AAB-100 formal appeal together — both use the same July 2 – November 30 window, and the informal review alone doesn't keep your case open past the deadline. The appeal has a $46 filing fee, and you can withdraw it if the Assessor resolves things informally.
Source: Assessment Appeals Board
Formal appeal filing fee: $46
The AAB-100 formal appeal has a $46 non-refundable filing fee per parcel — the cost of securing your formal hearing rights. A fee waiver is available for financial hardship. Filing online incurs an additional third-party processing fee; filing by mail does not.
Source: Assessment Appeals Board
Wildfire-affected properties have a different remedy
If your property was damaged or destroyed in the January 2025 wildfires (Eaton, Palisades, or other Los Angeles County fires), you may qualify for a separate calamity reassessment — not a standard Prop 8 appeal. Contact the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor directly rather than filing a standard Prop 8 appeal.
Most residential hearings are virtual
Most Los Angeles County residential homeowners will have their hearing conducted by a single Assessment Hearing Officer via Webex — not a full three-member Board. This applies to single-family homes, condos, co-ops, 1–4 unit properties (any value), or properties with an assessed value of $5,000,000 or less. The Hearing Officer track is fully virtual and applies the same evidence standards as a full Board hearing.
Source: Assessment Appeals Board
How do I file with the Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board?
The Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board hears formal property tax appeals in Los Angeles County. Its application is the AAB-100, accepted July 2 – November 30, with a $46 filing fee. You can file it online or on paper. Unlike the Assessor's free informal review, the board's decision is binding: an independent board, not the Assessor, sets your value.
- Application
- AAB-100 · Download the form
- Filing window
- July 2 – November 30
- How to file
- Online through the board's filing portal (lacaab.lacounty.gov), or on paper by mail
- Mail to
- 500 West Temple Street, Room B4, Los Angeles, CA 90012
- Fee
- $46 per parcelCheck or money order; credit card online (third-party fee applies)
- Fee waiver
- If the $46 fee would cause undue financial hardship, you can submit a fee-waiver request with your application instead of paying it.
- Hearing
- Hearing Officer: Virtual (Webex). Full Board: Hybrid (virtual or in-person, Room B4).
- Decision
- Up to 2 years from filing date
- Clerk of the Board
- (213) 974-1471
The board decides on evidence, the same kind the informal review uses: sales of similar homes that closed near January 1. Los Angeles County recommends filing the formal appeal even while an informal review is pending, so a slow informal answer can't cost you the year. You can put the evidence together yourself; what evidence wins an appeal covers the rules.
Before you file, see whether your value is worth appealing. The check is free and takes about 60 seconds.
Check my propertyFrequently asked questions about property tax appeals
What is the deadline to appeal property taxes in Los Angeles County?
Both the informal review (RP-87) and the formal appeal (AAB-100) share the same deadline: November 30 each year. The formal filing window opens July 2. If November 30 falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline extends to the next business day. See the official filing details at the Assessment Appeals Board website.
How much does it cost to appeal my property tax in Los Angeles County?
The informal review (RP-87) is completely free. The formal appeal (AAB-100) has a $46 non-refundable filing fee per parcel. A fee waiver is available for financial hardship. Filing online incurs an additional third-party processing fee; filing by mail does not.
What forms do I need to appeal my property tax in Los Angeles County?
You need the RP-87 (Decline-in-Value Review Application) for the informal review, available at the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor website, and the AAB-100 (Application for Changed Assessment) for the formal appeal, available at the Assessment Appeals Board portal. Note that Los Angeles County uses its own county-specific forms — not the statewide BOE-305-AH.
Do I need a lawyer to appeal my property taxes in Los Angeles County?
No attorney is required for residential property tax appeals in California. Most Los Angeles County residential cases are heard by a single Assessment Hearing Officer in a less formal virtual setting, not a full three-member Board. Los Angeles County also offers a Public Education Program with resources for self-represented homeowners.
What evidence do I need for a property tax appeal in Los Angeles County?
Comparable sales are the primary evidence type — 3 to 5 recent sales of homes similar to yours that closed no later than March 31 (90 days after the January 1 lien date). Free comparable sales data is available through the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor portal. Evidence for formal hearings must be uploaded in advance at the Assessment Appeals Board evidence portal.
How long does a property tax appeal take in Los Angeles County?
The informal review can resolve things without a hearing — the Assessor targets a response by October 1 if your RP-87 is filed promptly. The formal appeal process can take longer: the Assessment Appeals Board has up to 2 years from filing date to hear and decide your case. The Hearing Officer track tends to be faster than the full Board. You must continue paying taxes during the appeal to avoid penalties.
How do I contact the Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board?
Call the Clerk of the Board at (213) 974-1471. Paper applications (AAB-100) go to 500 West Temple Street, Room B4, Los Angeles, CA 90012, during the July 2 – November 30 filing window. You can also file online at lacaab.lacounty.gov. The filing fee is $46.
Ready to see if you qualify?
Enter your address and we'll compare your assessed value to comparable sales. It takes about 60 seconds.
Overassessed provides estimates based on publicly available data and AI-generated analysis. This is not a formal appraisal, legal advice, or tax advice. Results are not guaranteed, and appeal outcomes depend on county review. Users file their own appeals. AI-generated estimates may differ from actual market values.