Verified July 2026 · By Oleg Kachko · Reviewed for accuracy against primary state and county sources
San Bernardino County property tax costs the typical homeowner about $3,538 a year, on a median home value of $505,000 – an effective rate of about 0.73%. That is below the national average annual bill of $4,271. This page shows you where that number comes from, who actually sets it, the deadline to challenge it, and the exemptions you may be leaving on the table.
San Bernardino County property tax at a Glance
- Effective property tax rate: 0.73%
- Median annual bill: $3,538
- Median home value: $505,000
- Who assesses your home: San Bernardino County Assessor
- Appeal deadline: November 30
On this page
San Bernardino County property tax: the real numbers
Property tax is the most local tax there is. Two homes of the same value in different counties – sometimes in different towns of the same county – can carry very different bills, because the rate is the sum of every overlapping district that taxes you: the county, the town or city, the school district, and often fire, library or water districts on top. So the san bernardino county property tax figure below is an average across the whole county – your own bill depends on which districts you sit inside.
| Figure | San Bernardino County | National |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual property tax bill | $3,538 | $4,271 |
| Effective property tax rate | 0.73% | about 0.90% |
| Median home value | $505,000 | – |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (5-year), the same dataset the Tax Foundation uses. The effective rate is total real-estate taxes paid divided by total owner-occupied home value – so it reflects what people actually pay, not the headline millage rate.
Who actually sets your san bernardino county property tax value
Your assessed value is set by San Bernardino County Assessor. That office does not set your tax rate – the county board, your city, and your school district each set their own, and your bill is the sum. So the assessor can only be argued with about one thing: what your home is worth. That is exactly what an appeal is.
How often your san bernardino county property tax value is reassessed:
Under Proposition 13, a home’s assessed value is its purchase-price base year value, rising no more than 2% per year, and is reassessed to market value only when the property changes hands or is newly built (which also triggers a supplemental bill).
How to appeal your san bernardino county property tax assessment
⚠ The deadline — miss it and you usually wait a full year
November 30
Prop 8 ‘decline in value’ appeal: file an Assessment Appeal Application (BOE-305-AH) with the San Bernardino County Assessment Appeals Board between JULY 2 and NOVEMBER 30 (Rev. & Tax. Code 1603). This county does NOT mail value notices to all secured-roll taxpayers by August 1, so the window is EXTENDED. There are NO extensions – miss it and you wait a year. Talk to San Bernardino County Assessor first: an informal review is free and often resolves it.
Confirm the current date with the Clerk of the Board.
Almost every san bernardino county property tax appeal comes down to one claim: the assessor thinks my home is worth more than it really is. Everything below is about proving that.
Do this first, before you file anything: ask for your property record card and read it. A surprising share of assessments are simply wrong on the facts – the wrong square footage, a bathroom you do not have, a finished basement that is bare concrete, a garage that was torn down. Factual errors are the easiest appeals to win, because there is nothing to argue about.
Then build the one thing that actually wins appeals: comparable sales. Find three to five homes near you, as similar as you can get on size, age, and condition, that sold recently for less than your assessed value. Not listings – sales. Not Zillow estimates – recorded sales. Boards ignore opinions and respond to comps.
A successful san bernardino county property tax appeal does not change your tax rate – it lowers the value the rate is applied to, which lowers the bill for as long as the new value stands.
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Appeals are heard by the San Bernardino County Assessment Appeals Board. In most places there is a free, informal step first – a conversation or a paper review with the assessor – and it resolves a large share of cases without a hearing. Take it. It costs you nothing and it is the fastest way to win.
One honest warning: an appeal reviews your value, and a review can go up as well as down. That is uncommon when you bring real comparable sales, and it is exactly why you check your comps before you file.
Where to go: San Bernardino County Assessor. Phone: 909-387-8307.
San Bernardino County property tax exemptions you may qualify for
This is where most homeowners quietly overpay their san bernardino county property tax. Exemptions are almost never applied automatically – you have to claim them, and many people simply never do. It is worth ten minutes of your time to check.
California’s relief is a CAP, not a dollar-off exemption: Prop 13 sets the assessed value at purchase and limits increases to 2% a year. The Homeowners’ Exemption is only $7,000 of assessed value (about $70/yr). Prop 19 lets homeowners 55+, severely disabled, or wildfire/disaster victims TRANSFER their low Prop 13 base year value to a new home, up to 3 times. Disabled-veteran exemption is separate. Confirm with San Bernardino County Assessor.
Homestead: Homeowners’ Exemption: $7,000 off the assessed value of an owner-occupied primary residence (about $70/year in savings – modest). File once with the county assessor by February 15; it auto-continues. The bigger structural break is Proposition 13: your assessed value is set at the purchase price and can rise no more than 2% per year until the home is sold.
Senior / over-65: California has no dollar senior exemption, but Proposition 19 lets homeowners 55+ (also severely disabled or disaster victims) transfer their low Prop 13 base-year value to a replacement home anywhere in California, up to three times – so a long-time owner can move without a big tax jump. There is also a State Controller Property Tax Postponement program for low-income seniors (62+).
Veteran: Disabled Veterans’ Exemption (Rev. & Tax. Code 205.5): exempts roughly $180,000 (basic) up to about $271,000 (low-income) of assessed value (2026, indexed) for a veteran who is 100% service-connected disabled, blind, or has lost limbs (and unmarried surviving spouses). It’s far larger than the Homeowners’ Exemption – you take one or the other. File with the county assessor.
Disability: California’s disability property relief runs through the Disabled Veterans’ Exemption above and the Prop 19 base-value transfer for severely & permanently disabled homeowners (move without losing your low Prop 13 base). There is no separate general disability exemption.
Common questions about san bernardino county property tax
Why did my san bernardino county property tax bill go up when I did nothing to the house?
Two different things can raise a bill: your assessed value went up, or a taxing district raised its rate. They are separate, and only the first one can be appealed. Your notice will show which changed.
Is it worth appealing my san bernardino county property tax?
Ask one question: would a similar home near mine sell for less than the value the assessor has put on mine? If yes, you have a case, it is usually free to file, and in many places the informal review settles it without a hearing.
Do I need to hire someone to appeal?
No. The informal review and the local board are built for ordinary homeowners to use themselves, and there is normally no fee. Appeal services exist and can be worth it for some people, but you are not required to use one and you should never be told you are.
How is my san bernardino county property tax bill actually calculated?
Your assessed value is multiplied by the combined rate of every district that taxes you, then any exemptions you have claimed are subtracted. That is why two neighbours can pay different amounts on identical homes – one of them claimed an exemption the other never did.
More on California property tax
- California property tax rates — how San Bernardino County compares with every other county in the state.
- How to win your California property tax appeal — the evidence that works and what to say at the hearing.
- California property tax exemptions — who qualifies, how much each one saves, and how to apply.
- California property tax due dates — when the bill is due and what happens if you are late.
- Property tax by state — every state, side by side.
The bottom line on san bernardino county property tax
Do two things this week. First, pull your property record card and check the facts – square footage, rooms, condition. Second, check whether you are claiming every exemption you are entitled to, because most people are not. If your san bernardino county property tax value looks higher than what a similar home nearby would actually sell for, you have grounds to appeal – and the only thing that can stop you is the deadline above.
Where our san bernardino county property tax figures come from
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey — the rate, median bill and median value on this page.
- Tax Foundation, Property Taxes by State and County — the same dataset and method.
- San Bernardino County Assessor — the office that can confirm your value, your exemptions and your deadline.
- California State Board of Equalization (boe.ca.gov); Rev. & Tax. Code; Prop 13 / Prop 19; county assessor sites
Informational only. Know Property Tax is not a government agency, not a county assessor, and not a tax-appeal service, and this is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Property tax rates, median bills, exemption amounts, and deadlines change every year, and every property is different. Any figure shown here is illustrative. Confirm your rate, your exemptions, and above all your appeal deadline with the office named on this page before you act.
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