How Much Are Property Taxes on a $1.2 Million Home in Los Angeles County This Year

Los Angeles County uses a simple starting formula: assessed value multiplied by the tax rate. For a home purchased at $1.2 million in 2026, the county assessor sets the initial assessed value at the purchase price, which is $1,200,000. The base tax rate countywide is 1%, established by California's Proposition 13. That gives you a base tax of $12,000 per year.

The Prop 13 Foundation

Proposition 13, passed by California voters in 1978, capped the property tax rate at 1% of assessed value and limited annual increases in assessed value to no more than 2% per year, regardless of what the market does. This means a neighbor who bought the same style home in Los Feliz or Culver City a decade ago may pay far less in property taxes than you will, because their assessed value has only crept up by 2% annually while market values surged. The clock resets to market value only when a property changes hands or undergoes new construction.

For buyers, this is actually a meaningful long-term benefit. If you buy at $1.2 million in September 2026, your assessed value in 2036 can be no higher than roughly $1,463,000, even if the home is worth $2 million by then. Your tax bill grows slowly and predictably, which makes budgeting over a 10 or 20-year ownership period much more manageable than in states without similar protections.

What the Assessed Value Actually Means at $1.2 Million

The assessed value is not the appraised value, the Zillow estimate, or the listing price. It is the value the Los Angeles County Assessor places on the property for tax purposes. When you purchase a home, the assessor uses your recorded sale price as the new base year value. So if you close escrow on a Silver Lake bungalow or a Mar Vista two-story for $1,200,000, that figure becomes your base year assessed value, and your 1% base tax is calculated from there.

You can review how the Los Angeles County Assessor determines and records assessed values by visiting the assessor's official portal at assessor.lacounty.gov, where individual parcel data is publicly searchable. For a broader look at how California compares to other states on property tax burdens, the NAR Property Tax Resource Hub provides state-by-state data and research tools that are useful for buyers relocating from out of state.

2. The Full Annual Tax Bill on a $1.2 Million Home in LA County

The real total is higher than the 1% base rate suggests. On top of the $12,000 base tax, Los Angeles County adds a collection of voter-approved assessments, bond measures, and special district charges. The effective total tax rate across most of unincorporated Los Angeles County and its cities typically lands between 1.1% and 1.25% of assessed value, sometimes higher in areas with active Mello-Roos districts or multiple overlapping bond measures.

Base Rate Plus Special Assessments

Here is how the numbers stack up on a $1.2 million purchase in a typical Los Angeles city neighborhood, using a blended effective rate of approximately 1.1% to 1.2%:

• Base Prop 13 tax (1.0%): $12,000 per year
• County and city bond measures (typically 0.05% to 0.15%): $600 to $1,800 per year, depending on location
• Special assessment districts (varies widely): $100 to $600 or more annually for services like lighting, landscaping, or vector control
• Total estimated annual bill at 1.1% effective rate: approximately $13,200 per year, or $1,100 per month
• Total estimated annual bill at 1.2% effective rate: approximately $14,400 per year, or $1,200 per month

These are estimates based on the most common rate ranges seen across Los Angeles city and nearby incorporated cities. The only way to get the precise figure for a specific parcel is to look up that property's tax rate area (TRA) on the LA County Assessor or Tax Collector website. Every parcel in the county sits within a specific TRA that determines which bonds and assessments apply.

How Mello-Roos and Bond Measures Add to the Bill

Mello-Roos Community Facilities Districts (CFDs) are a common source of additional property taxes in newer developments across the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita, and parts of the South Bay. These are special taxes levied to repay bonds issued to fund infrastructure like roads, water systems, and public facilities in newer subdivisions. Unlike the base Prop 13 rate, Mello-Roos charges are not limited by assessed value and are not capped at 2% annual growth; they are fixed by the CFD's bond terms.

In established neighborhoods closer to central Los Angeles, such as Koreatown, Echo Park, or West Adams, Mello-Roos districts are far less common. However, county-wide and city-wide bond measures passed by voters do apply broadly. These include general obligation bonds for infrastructure and other public purposes. When you review a property's tax bill, you will see line items for each of these bonds listed separately alongside the base tax.

3. Los Angeles City Transfer Tax and Measure ULA

Transfer taxes are a one-time cost at closing, not an ongoing annual charge, but they are significant at the $1.2 million price point and must be factored into your total purchase costs. Los Angeles County charges a documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 of value, which on a $1.2 million sale comes to $1,320. The City of Los Angeles adds its own city transfer tax of $4.50 per $1,000, adding another $5,400 at this price point.

What Measure ULA Costs at $1.2 Million

Measure ULA, which Los Angeles voters approved in November 2022 and which took effect April 1, 2023, created an additional transfer tax specifically for higher-value property sales within the City of Los Angeles. The thresholds as of September 2026 are: a 4% tax on sales of residential or commercial properties priced between $5 million and $10 million, and a 5.5% tax on sales above $10 million. At $1.2 million, a sale falls below the $5 million Measure ULA threshold, so this additional tax does not apply.

This is an important distinction for buyers in the $1 million to $4 million range: Measure ULA is not triggered at your price point. It becomes a significant cost consideration only for buyers and sellers transacting above $5 million. For a thorough breakdown of how mansion-style transfer taxes work across California cities, the NAR overview of mansion taxes is a useful reference, and the Forbes analysis of Measure ULA's impact on Los Angeles homeowners provides additional context on how the tax has played out since its implementation.

Which Cities Have Their Own Transfer Taxes

Not every city within Los Angeles County imposes a city-level transfer tax. The county's $1.10 per $1,000 applies everywhere, but city-specific transfer taxes vary. The City of Los Angeles charges $4.50 per $1,000 on top of the county rate. Culver City, Santa Monica, and a handful of other incorporated cities have their own rates. If you are buying in Pasadena, Burbank, or unincorporated parts of the county such as areas of the San Gabriel Valley, the city-level transfer tax may be lower or absent. Always confirm the specific transfer tax for the exact city where the property is located before closing.

4. Exemptions and Reductions That Can Lower Your Bill

Several exemptions are available to Los Angeles County homeowners that can meaningfully reduce the annual property tax bill. The most widely used is the Homeowners Exemption, which reduces your assessed value by $7,000, saving you $70 per year. While that is a modest saving, it requires a simple one-time filing and is worth claiming.

Homeowners Exemption

To claim the Homeowners Exemption, you must file a claim form with the Los Angeles County Assessor by February 15 of the year following your purchase. The exemption applies only to your primary residence, not to investment properties or vacation homes. The assessor's office mails a claim form to new owners shortly after a deed is recorded, so watch your mail in the weeks after closing. Missing the February 15 deadline means waiting until the following tax year.

Prop 19 and Transferring a Low Base Year Value

California's Proposition 19, which took effect in February 2021, allows homeowners aged 55 or older, severely disabled homeowners, and victims of wildfire or natural disaster to transfer their existing low assessed value to a replacement home anywhere in California. This is a significant benefit for long-time Los Angeles homeowners who have built up a low base year value under Prop 13 and want to move to a different property. If you currently own a home assessed at $400,000 but worth $1.2 million, and you sell and buy a replacement home at $1.2 million, you may be able to carry forward your existing $400,000 assessed value rather than resetting to $1.2 million.

Prop 19 has specific rules about timing, price differences between the sold and replacement home, and eligibility requirements. The Los Angeles County Assessor's office administers these claims, and the forms must be filed within three years of purchasing the replacement property. This is one area where working with a knowledgeable local agent and a tax professional before closing can save tens of thousands of dollars over the life of your ownership.

Calamity and Decline-in-Value Reviews

If market values fall significantly after your purchase, you can request a Decline-in-Value review from the Los Angeles County Assessor. Under Prop 8, passed in 1978, the assessor is required to temporarily reduce your assessed value if the current market value of your property drops below your base year value. This is filed annually by November 30 and reviewed each year. If market values recover, the assessed value is restored, up to but not exceeding your original Prop 13 base year value.

5. What to Expect After Closing: Supplemental Bills and Payment Deadlines

Most new buyers are caught off guard by supplemental tax bills, which arrive separately from the regular annual bill and are not included in your lender's escrow estimate. When you purchase a home, the county assessor recalculates the assessed value based on your purchase price and issues a supplemental assessment for the difference between the prior owner's assessed value and your new one. This supplemental bill covers the portion of the tax year between your closing date and the next July 1.

Supplemental Assessment Timing

If you close on a $1.2 million home in September 2026, expect to receive one or two supplemental bills within the following three to six months. The amount depends on the difference between the prior owner's assessed value and your purchase price. If the previous owner had a low Prop 13 base from many years of ownership, the supplemental bill could be substantial. For example, if the prior assessed value was $500,000 and you paid $1.2 million, the assessor will bill you for the tax on the $700,000 difference, prorated for the months remaining in the tax year.

Supplemental bills are mailed directly to the property owner and are not typically collected through your lender's impound account. Set aside reserves for this cost. A buyer who closes in September 2026 on a home where the prior assessed value was $400,000 could receive a supplemental bill of $4,000 to $5,000 or more, due within 30 days of the bill's issuance. Many buyers are surprised by this and it is worth asking your agent and escrow officer about it before closing.

Payment Due Dates and Penalties

Los Angeles County property taxes are billed in two installments each fiscal year. The first installment covers July 1 through December 31 and is due November 1, with a delinquency date of December 10. The second installment covers January 1 through June 30 and is due February 1, with a delinquency date of April 10. Missing the delinquency dates triggers a 10% penalty on the unpaid amount, and properties that remain unpaid beyond June 30 of the following year enter a default status with additional penalties.

If your lender collects property taxes through an impound account, they handle the installment payments on your behalf using the funds you contribute monthly with your mortgage payment. However, supplemental bills, as noted above, are your direct responsibility and are not covered by most impound accounts. Mark the December 10 and April 10 delinquency dates on your calendar every year.

If you are in the process of evaluating homes across different Los Angeles neighborhoods and want to understand how property taxes fit into your total monthly payment, the guide to homes for sale in Los Angeles covers what buyers need to know about the current market, including how to think about total carrying costs when comparing properties.