How to appeal your property taxes in Lake County, California
In Lake County, if the value on your notice is too high, you can ask to have it lowered. You don't need a lawyer.
Checked against official sources: Oct 21, 2026
Can I still appeal?
Open in some places until Nov 30, 2026
Open in some counties until November 30, 2026 (for example Los Angeles). Counties with a September 15 deadline are closed until July 2027. You can still ask the assessor for an informal decline-in-value review.
Lake County homeowners pay a median of $2,369 a year in property tax on a median home value of $324,300. Its effective tax rate (property taxes paid as a share of home values, per the Tax Foundation) is 0.72%, the 22nd highest of 58 California counties. Your home's value is set by the Lake County Assessor. If you can't settle it informally, you file an Assessment Appeal Application with the clerk of the Lake County Assessment Appeals Board, usually the clerk of the Board of Supervisors.
Regular (annual) appeals are filed with the county clerk of the Assessment Appeals Board between July 2 and September 15. If the county assessor does not mail value notices to all owners by August 1, the window is July 2 to November 30. Each county announces its period by April 1. Example: Los Angeles County accepts appeals July 2 to November 30. Supplemental and escape assessments: within 60 days of the notice or bill. Calamity reassessments: within 6 months. A base year value (the value set when you bought or built the home) can be challenged in the regular period of the year it is first enrolled or any of the next three years.
Where to file in Lake County
Lake County Assessor
Phone: 707-263-2302
Assessor: Richard A. Ford
Official website: lakecountyca.gov
Sets your home's assessed value: the value when you bought or built it (the Prop 13 base year value), plus up to 2% a year. Ask here for an informal review or a Prop 8 decline-in-value review first.
Assessment Appeals Board clerk
Phone: 707-263-2371
Official website: lakecountyca.gov
File your Assessment Appeal Application here, not with the assessor. In most counties this is the clerk of the Board of Supervisors.
Tax collector
Official website: lakecountyca.gov
Sends the tax bill and collects payment. It can't change your value.
How to appeal in Lake County, step by step
Read your notice
Most assessors mail a notice of assessed value in spring or summer, before July 1 in many counties. Whether every owner gets one each year depends on the county. Supplemental assessment notices are mailed after a purchase or new construction.
Check your property record
Look up your home on the Lake County Assessor website and check square footage, bathrooms, condition and features. Mistakes are the easiest wins. Use our record card checklist.
File by the deadline
File the county's Assessment Appeal Application (its version of BOE-305-AH) with the clerk of the Lake County Assessment Appeals Board between July 2 and the county's deadline (September 15 or November 30). One parcel per application; many counties take it online.
Gather evidence
What works in California:
- Sales of similar homes close to the January 1 valuation date
- An appraisal by a licensed appraiser valuing the home as of January 1
- For a base year appeal: proof of what the home was worth on the purchase or completion date
- Photos and repair bids showing condition problems the assessor did not account for
- Errors in the assessor's records
More detail
- Sales of similar homes close to the January 1 valuation date (sales more than 90 days after January 1 cannot be used)
- An appraisal by a licensed appraiser valuing the home as of January 1
- For a base year appeal: proof of what the home was worth on the purchase or completion date
- Photos and repair bids showing condition problems the assessor did not account for
- Errors in the assessor's records (size, lot, features)
Go to the hearing
Bring copies of your evidence for each board member. Keep to the value of your home, not the size of the bill.
More detail
For an owner-occupied single-family home that is your principal residence, the assessor has the burden of proof. For other property, the applicant must prove the assessment is wrong.
If you disagree with the decision
Next step: California Superior Court (refund lawsuit). Within 6 months after the county Board of Supervisors denies your claim for refund (or after the appeals board decision if your application was also marked as a refund claim). The appeals board decision is final at the county level. To go further you must have filed a claim for refund, then sue in Superior Court. The court reviews the board's record, so you need written findings of fact and a hearing transcript. This usually requires a lawyer.
The official appeal form is BOE-305-AH: Assessment Appeal Application (BOE sample; file your county's version).
Open Form BOE-305-AHHow much could you save?
Enter the market value on your assessment notice and what you think the home would really sell for. We estimate the yearly saving if the board agrees with you.
Some states cap how fast the taxable value of a home can rise (California, Florida, Michigan and Texas homesteads, for example). If your taxable value is already held below market value by a cap, a lower market value may not lower this year's bill.
Free property tax appeal letter
Fill in your details and download a written appeal statement as a PDF. Most boards also require their own appeal form: file the form and attach this letter and your evidence to it.
RobinClaim is a free information site, not a law firm or appraiser. The letter is a template, not legal advice.
Lake County property tax appeal FAQ
What is the deadline to appeal property taxes in Lake County?
Regular (annual) appeals are filed with the county clerk of the Assessment Appeals Board between July 2 and September 15. If the county assessor does not mail value notices to all owners by August 1, the window is July 2 to November 30. Each county announces its period by April 1. Example: Los Angeles County accepts appeals July 2 to November 30. Supplemental and escape assessments: within 60 days of the notice or bill. Calamity reassessments: within 6 months. A base year value can be challenged in the regular period of the year it is first enrolled or any of the next three years.
Where do I file a property tax appeal in Lake County?
With the clerk of the Lake County Assessment Appeals Board (usually the clerk of the Board of Supervisors), using the county's Assessment Appeal Application.
How do I contact the Lake County Assessor?
Phone 707-263-2302. Website: lakecountyca.gov.
Does it cost anything to appeal?
Set by each county; some charge nothing. Example: Los Angeles County charges a $46 non-refundable processing fee per application (fee waiver available for hardship). Written findings of fact cost extra.
Sources
Contact details change; call or check the office website before you visit.