Property Tax Appeal in California
Smart Reasons to Challenge Your Property’s Assessed Value
Discover the key situations when appealing your property tax assessment makes sense—whether your home’s market value has declined, your property was damaged, or a reassessment after improvements doesn’t reflect reality.
Every year, California homeowners receive a property tax bill based on the county assessor’s opinion of what their home was worth on January 1. While this system is designed to be fair, it does not always reflect the current market or the actual condition of a property. In fast-changing real estate markets like Marin, San Francisco, and Sonoma, assessed values can remain inflated long after prices have softened. Errors in the assessor’s data, such as overstated square footage, miscounted bedrooms, or overlooked maintenance issues, can also result in an assessment that is too high.
A property tax appeal allows you to formally challenge that valuation and request a correction. In California, appeals must be filed during a specific window each year (typically July through mid-September in San Francisco, and July through late November in Marin and Sonoma). Once filed, the county’s Assessment Appeals Board reviews evidence to determine whether your assessed value should be reduced. While homeowners may try to gather comparable sales on their own, the most persuasive evidence is almost always a professional appraisal.
At Pfeiffer Appraisal Services, we prepare independent, USPAP-compliant reports that stand up to scrutiny in front of local appeals boards. Our process includes a full property inspection, detailed analysis of comparable sales, and a clear reconciliation of market data to establish your home’s fair market value. With decades of local experience, our certified appraisers deliver credibility that online estimates or self-prepared research cannot match. If the board agrees that your property was over-assessed, you may be entitled to a reduced tax bill and even a refund of overpaid taxes.
Our role is to provide accurate, defensible valuations so you can enter the appeals process with confidence. While no outcome is guaranteed, homeowners throughout Marin, San Francisco, and Sonoma have successfully lowered their annual tax burden by presenting a professional appraisal as part of their case.
Contact us today to learn about filing deadlines in your county and request a quote for a tax appeal appraisal. A fair tax bill starts with knowing your home’s true value.