Property Tax in Placer County, California
The median real estate tax bill in Placer County, California is $5,600 per year, and the median home is worth $658,800. Both figures are the US Census Bureau's survey medians for owner-occupied households (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What the Placer County numbers mean
Read the two medians together: $5,600 is the middle tax bill among owner-occupied households in Placer County, and $658,800 is the middle home value. Neither figure describes a specific property — together they describe the typical homeowner's situation in the county.
The derived effective rate for Placer County is 0.85% (median tax ÷ median value). Treat it as an estimate for comparison only: it comes from survey medians of different households, not from the county's rate schedule.
Placer County by the numbers
| Measure | Placer County | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $5,600 | $4,926 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $658,800 | $695,400 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.85% | 0.71% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $467 | $410 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Placer County at a glance
- Median tax rank in California: #11 of 58 counties
- Median home value rank in California: #18 of 58
- Population rank in California: #22 of 58 (412,435 residents)
- Population density rank: #18 of 58 (293 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in California: #32 of 58 (1,407 sq mi, 0.9% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $467; per $1,000 of home value: $0.85
How Placer County compares
Of the 58 California counties with published data, 10 have a higher median property tax bill than Placer County's $5,600, putting the county at #11 in the state. Its bill is about 14% higher than the state median of $4,926 and about 89% higher than the national median of $2,969.
Rates and values pull in opposite directions: an expensive housing market can produce big bills at ordinary rates. Here the derived rate is 0.85%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #18 within California.
Some extra context for Placer County: the median bill works out to about $467 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $850 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 412,435 people — the #22 most populous county in California, spread over 1,407 square miles, a density of about 293 people per square mile. Its median home value, $658,800, ranks #18 among the state's 58 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 93 record a higher median tax bill than Placer County — it sits in the top 3% nationally. The county holds roughly 1.1% of California's people. Its homes are worth less than the state norm (median $658,800 versus $695,400), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.85% adds up to about 8.50% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Modoc County, medians $1,445 — $4,155 less than Placer County per year.
Counties nearest Placer County in the California ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Benito County, CA | $6,078 | $751,500 | 0.81% |
| Napa County, CA | $5,840 | $838,800 | 0.70% |
| Sonoma County, CA | $5,580 | $779,000 | 0.72% |
| San Diego County, CA | $5,542 | $791,600 | 0.70% |
How the tax is worked out
As an illustration of the arithmetic: at Placer County's derived rate of 0.85%, a home valued at $400,000 would carry a tax bill of roughly $3,400 a year. That is only an illustration using the derived rate — a real bill is computed from the property's assessed value, its exemptions, and the combined rates of its specific taxing districts, so it can be higher or lower.
The usual sequence is: the local assessor values the property; exemptions are applied; the taxable value is multiplied by the combined local rates; and the county bills and collects the tax, distributing it to the schools, municipalities and districts that levied it.
Checking your assessment in Placer County
If your bill looks wrong, work through these steps:
1. Get your property record card from the assessor and check the basics — living area, lot size, bedrooms, condition, and any exemptions you should have.
2. Compare your assessed value with recent sale prices of similar homes in Placer County.
3. Talk to the assessor's office informally first; clear errors are often fixed without a hearing.
4. If needed, file a formal appeal with the local review board before the deadline on your assessment notice, with your evidence attached.
5. Keep paying the bill as issued while the appeal runs, unless your notice says otherwise — unpaid taxes accrue penalties regardless of an appeal.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Placer County, California?
The median real estate tax paid in Placer County, California is $5,600 per year, on a median home value of $658,800 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Placer County, California?
The derived effective rate is 0.85% — the median bill ($5,600) expressed as a share of the median home value ($658,800). No authority sets a rate this way; it exists to make counties with different home prices comparable.
How does Placer County compare with the rest of California?
By median taxes paid, Placer County stands at #11 among the 58 California counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $5,600 median bill is about 14% higher than the state median ($4,926), and 10 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Placer County, California?
Three steps produce the bill: an assessment of market value by the local assessor, a reduction for exemptions you qualify for (a homestead exemption is the common one), and multiplication by the combined rates of the county, municipality, school district and any special districts covering the property. The median result in Placer County is $5,600 of tax on a $658,800 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Placer County, California?
You can. Pull your property record card from the Placer County assessor, verify its details, and compare the assessed value against similar homes that sold recently. If the value still seems too high, submit a formal appeal to the board named on your notice before the stated deadline — usually a 30-to-90-day window.