Owners of property in Sonoma County that sustained more than $10,000 damage from the Kincade Fire in October may be eligible to defer their first property tax installment due on Tuesday, Dec. 10, county officials said.
Property owners must submit an Application for Reassessment of Property Damage by Misfortune or Calamity to the assessor no later than Tuesday, Dec. 10. A separate application is required for each parcel. Property owners who are not eligible or do not wish to defer their payment will need to pay their tax bills by Dec. 10 to avoid penalties.
Once an application is submitted, the assessor will work to correct the property value via the supplemental assessment process. If the property qualifies for a reduction in value, the tax collector will issue a prorated supplemental representing the reduced portion of the tax.
If the supplemental refund is greater that the first tax installment, the refund will be applied to the first tax installment and the owner will receive a check for the difference.
The tax collector will provide a letter to the affected property owners that summarizes how the net tax liability was calculated, the outstanding amount if any and the due date.
More information is available at http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/CRA/Assessor/.
