How to Appeal Your Property Tax in Sacramento County
If your Sacramento County home is assessed for more than it's worth, you have two ways to fix it: a free informal review with the Sacramento County Office of the Assessor — filed online in minutes — and a formal appeal to the county's Assessment Appeals Board, due November 30. Most homeowners can handle both without a lawyer.
What are the two ways to appeal my property tax?
Sacramento County offers two paths: a free informal review through the Sacramento County Office of the Assessor, or a formal appeal through the Sacramento County Assessment Appeals Board. They run on different calendars and different rails — the informal review is filed online (July 1 – December 31), while the formal appeal is paper-only and due November 30.
What is an informal review?
Through the Sacramento County Office of the Assessor
The informal review (the county calls it a “Prop 8” decline-in-value review) is a free request to the Assessor — no hearing, no fee, no lawyer. You submit the county's own online form with your opinion of your home's January 1 market value and your comparable sales, or print the PDF version and mail it in. An appraiser reviews your evidence and either lowers your assessed value or confirms it. Your value cannot go up as a result of this request.
- Free to file — no fee
- Filed online through the county's own request form — or print the PDF and mail it
- No hearing required — an appraiser reviews your evidence and the county responds by mail
- The form holds two comparable sales — and invites you to attach anything extra that supports your opinion of value
The review window runs July 1 – December 31 — but reviews take months
The Assessor says informal reviews can take a few months, and the December 31 close is after the November 30 formal appeal deadline. File early, and don't rely on this review alone (see below).
What is a formal property tax appeal?
Through the Sacramento County Assessment Appeals Board
The formal appeal is filed with the Sacramento County Assessment Appeals Board using form BOE-305-AH, with a $30 nonrefundable fee. Sacramento accepts only paper applications — no online or fax filing — so you print the form, sign the original in blue ink, and mail or hand-deliver it. It leads to a scheduled hearing where the three-member Board weighs your evidence against the Assessor's and can lower, confirm, or in rare cases raise the value.
- Filing window: July 2 – November 30 each year
- $30 nonrefundable filing fee (Check, money order, or cash payable to 'County of Sacramento')
- In-person before the three-member Assessment Appeals Board (700 H Street, Sacramento)
- Paper filing only — one signed original, no online or fax submission
No online filing — paper only
Sacramento County accepts only paper applications for formal appeals. Print the BOE-305-AH, sign it in blue ink, include the $30 fee, and mail or hand-deliver it to: Assessment Appeals Board, 700 H Street, Suite 2450, Sacramento, CA 95814
Pro tip — the county says so itself: if your informal review hasn't come back by mid-November, file the BOE-305-AH by November 30 as a backstop. If the Assessor finishes your review after November 30 and you disagree with the outcome, you have no further recourse for the year unless the formal appeal is already on file. You can withdraw it if the review succeeds.
Sacramento County filing dates and cost, at a glance
- Informal review
- July 1 – December 31Free
- Formal appeal
- July 2 – November 30
- Formal filing fee
- $30 per parcel
Want every date for Sacramento County in one place — bill due dates, supplemental assessment clocks, and what to do if you miss a window? See the Sacramento County property tax deadlines page.
What evidence do I need for a property tax appeal?
Comparable sales are the heart of a Sacramento appeal: recent sales of similar homes near yours that show the market was below your assessed value on January 1. The Assessor uses open-market sales close to January 1 and no later than March 31 — a roughly 90-day window past the lien date. The informal form holds two comps and explicitly invites attachments: an appraisal, escrow statement, sales contract, or relevant marketing history all count.
“Similar” means comparable in:
- Square footage and lot size
- Bedrooms and bathrooms
- Condition and age
- Proximity to your home
A neighbor's assessment isn't evidence — a neighbor's sale is
The Board can't reduce your value just because a neighbor pays less tax. But if that neighbor's home sold recently within the comp window, the sale price is exactly the evidence that works. And don't attach hearing evidence to the formal application — the BOE-305-AH says so itself; you present it at the hearing.
Free data sources: The county's Assessed Value Look-up shows your current assessment (and whether you're already in decline status — if its two columns differ, you are), and the Assessor's Parcel Viewer includes a free recent-sales layer covering the last two years.
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.
The Overassessed Filing Guide includes comparable sales data, dollar adjustments, and a ready-to-submit value argument — everything listed above.
See what's includedHow do I file a property tax appeal step by step?
The process runs on one calendar: comps by March 31, values online July 1, formal filing by November 30. Here's the whole thing, start to finish.
Check your assessed value
Sacramento County doesn't mail value notices — look up your assessment on the county's Assessed Value Look-up starting July 1 and compare it to what your home was actually worth on January 1. If the market value is lower, you likely qualify.
Overassessed does this for you — enter your address and we'll pull your assessment and run the comparison.
Gather comparable sales
Collect recent sales of similar nearby homes that closed on or before March 31, since later sales can't be used for this year's case.
The Overassessed Filing Guide includes selected comps with professional-grade adjustments, ready to copy onto the form.
File the free informal review
Submit the county's online review request form with your opinion of value and your comps — or print the PDF version and mail it to the Assessor's Prop 8 Review unit. The window runs July 1 – December 31, and it's free.
File the formal appeal by November 30 (as backup)
Print the BOE-305-AH, sign it in blue ink, and mail it with the $30 fee to the Sacramento County Assessment Appeals Board (Assessment Appeals Board, 700 H Street, Suite 2450, Sacramento, CA 95814) by November 30 — and don't leave the opinion-of-value box blank, or the application is rejected.
Prepare for your hearing
If your case goes to a hearing, confirm your appearance with the Clerk at least 21 days before the hearing date, and bring five copies of your evidence to 700 H Street. Many cases settle by signed stipulation before the hearing ever happens.
Our Filing Guide gives you copy-ready values for both the informal form and the formal application, plus a deadline tracker.
Check if you qualifyImportant things to know
The informal review outlives your appeal rights
This is the single most expensive mistake in Sacramento: the informal window runs to December 31, a month past the November 30 formal deadline — and the informal review does not preserve your appeal rights. If the Assessor finishes after November 30 and you disagree, it's over for the year unless the formal appeal is already on file.
You have until November 30 — not September 15
Don't trust generic California guides that say September 15 — in Sacramento County the formal window is July 2 – November 30. Sacramento is an extended-deadline county because the Assessor doesn't mail value notices to all taxpayers.
No notice is coming — you have to look
Sacramento County doesn't mail annual value notices. Your new assessment appears on the county's Assessed Value Look-up around July 1 — if you never check, you never know you're overassessed.
The formal appeal costs $30 — the informal review is free
The formal appeal costs $30 per application whether you win or lose, payable to the County of Sacramento, and applications without the fee are returned unprocessed. The informal review costs nothing — which is why it's the smart first move.
Comps must close by March 31
The Assessor uses open-market sales close to January 1 and no later than March 31. A perfect comp that sold in April is worthless for this year's case — check closing dates before you build your evidence.
Three paperwork traps sink otherwise-good appeals
Leaving the opinion-of-value box (Section 4, Column B) blank gets your application rejected — the form says so itself. Trying to file the formal appeal online or by fax gets it rejected too; only a signed paper original counts. And when your hearing notice arrives (at least 45 days ahead), confirm your appearance with the Clerk at least 21 days before the hearing — failing to appear means denial.
On your own home, the Assessor carries the burden of proof
For an owner-occupied single-family home, the burden of proof at the hearing rests on the Assessor — not you — as long as you supplied the information the county asked for. Good comparable sales evidence tilts the field further in your favor.
Frequently asked questions about Sacramento County property tax appeals
What is the deadline to appeal property taxes in Sacramento County?
There are two deadlines, and they don't line up. The formal appeal with the Sacramento County Assessment Appeals Board runs July 2 through November 30 — a postmark by November 30 counts. The free informal review with the Sacramento County Office of the Assessor runs July 1 through December 31. Don't let the later informal date fool you: only the formal appeal preserves your rights, and its window closes November 30. See the county's Assessment Appeals page.
How much does it cost to appeal my property tax in Sacramento County?
The informal review is completely free. The formal appeal costs $30 per application — check, money order, or cash payable to the County of Sacramento, included when you file — and it's nonrefundable even if you win or later withdraw. Applications submitted without the fee are returned unprocessed. Details are on the county's Assessment Appeals page.
Should I file the informal review or the formal appeal in Sacramento County?
Start with the free informal review — no fee, no hearing, and the Assessor can only lower or confirm your value. But the Assessor says reviews can take months, and the county's own FAQ advises: if you haven't heard back by mid-November, file the formal appeal by November 30 too. If the informal review is completed after November 30 and you disagree with the outcome, you have no further recourse unless you already filed the formal appeal.
Do I still pay my tax bill while my Sacramento County appeal is pending?
Yes — pay every installment on time, or penalties apply regardless of how the appeal turns out. If your value is reduced, the county refunds the difference; the Assessor notes assessment changes can take up to 95 business days to process. The county's Prop 8 FAQ covers this.
What evidence do I need for a property tax appeal in Sacramento County?
Comparable sales are the core evidence: recent sales of similar nearby homes that show the market was below your assessed value on January 1. The Assessor uses open-market sales close to January 1 and no later than March 31. The informal form has room for two comps and explicitly invites attachments — "any information that supports your opinion of value such as an appraisal, escrow statement, sales contract or relevant marketing history." A neighbor's assessed value doesn't count — but a neighbor's recent sale does.
How long does a property tax appeal take in Sacramento County?
The informal review can take a few months. A formal appeal takes longer: the Clerk mails a hearing notice at least 45 days ahead, you must confirm your appearance at least 21 days before the hearing, and the Board has up to two years to hear and decide. Many cases settle by signed stipulation before a hearing. The county's appeals materials cover the timeline.
Does filing the free informal review protect my appeal deadline in Sacramento County?
No — and in Sacramento this trap is especially dangerous because the informal window stays open until December 31, a month past the November 30 formal deadline. The informal review doesn't pause or extend anything. File the $30 formal appeal by November 30 as a backstop; you can withdraw it if the review works out (the fee isn't refunded). This is the county's own advice on its Prop 8 FAQ.
Official county resources: Assessment Appeals, the Prop 8 decline-in-value FAQ, the Assessed Value Look-up, and every Sacramento County deadline in one place.
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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.