How to Appeal Your Property Tax Assessment in Placer County

How do you appeal your property taxes in Placer County if your home lost value?

If your home is worth less today than the value the county has it assessed at, California's Proposition 8 lets you ask for a temporary reduction — and a lower assessment means a lower tax bill. In Placer and El Dorado counties, the deadline to file a formal Assessment Appeal Application for the 2026 tax year is September 15, 2026. In Sacramento County, you have until November 30, 2026. You can also request a free informal review from the Assessor, but that request does not extend the formal filing deadline — so if you might be over-assessed, protect your rights by filing on time.

By Rich & Kat Farless | August 3, 2026

If you bought your home near the top of the market — say, 2022 through early 2024 — there's a real chance the county is taxing you on a value your home wouldn't sell for today. That's money out of your pocket every year until you fix it. The good news: California gives you a straightforward way to push back, and the window to do it for 2026 is open right now.

Here's exactly how property tax appeals work in Placer County and across the Sacramento region, who should look into one, and how to build a case that actually holds up.
Why you might be over-assessed right now
California property taxes are built on two rules working together. Under Proposition 13, your "base year value" is set at what you paid when you bought, and it can only rise by a maximum of 2% per year. Under Proposition 8 (passed the same year, 1978), the Assessor has to enroll the lower of two numbers each year: your factored base-year value, or your home's actual market value as of the January 1 lien date.

That second rule is the one that helps you in a softening market. If your home's market value on January 1, 2026 was less than your factored base-year value, you're entitled to have your assessment — and your tax bill — brought down to match.

This isn't a rare situation locally in 2026. Roseville's median sale price sits around $635,000, essentially flat year over year, while some nearby submarkets have pulled back more noticeably. In El Dorado Hills, the average home value is down roughly 5% over the past year, and mid-priced segments have seen larger drops. If you paid a premium in a bidding war, bought a new-construction home in West Roseville at peak builder pricing, or purchased in a neighborhood that has cooled, your assessed value may now be higher than what a buyer would pay.

A quick reality check before you file: pull your assessed value off your latest tax bill or your county Assessor's website, then compare it to what similar homes near you have actually sold for recently. If the sales are clearly below your assessed number, you have a case worth making.
The two ways to challenge your assessment
You have two separate tracks in California, and it's worth understanding both because they do different jobs.

1. The informal value review (free). You submit a request directly to the county Assessor asking them to take a second look at your market value. In Placer County, the Value Review Form is available July 2 through December 31. In Sacramento County, the informal Prop 8 review runs July 1 through December 31. There's no charge, and if the Assessor agrees with you, they simply lower your value — no hearing required.

2. The formal assessment appeal. This is an Assessment Appeal Application (form BOE-305-AH) filed with the Clerk of the Assessment Appeals Board — a body independent of the Assessor that hears both sides and decides. This is the track that legally preserves your rights for the tax year.

Here's the trap people fall into: filing an informal review does not stop the clock on your formal appeal deadline. If you ask the Assessor for an informal review, wait for an answer, and it comes back after September 15, you may have lost your chance to formally appeal for 2026. The safe move is to file the formal application before the deadline even if you're also pursuing the informal route. You can always withdraw the formal appeal if the Assessor gives you what you want.
The deadlines and fees, county by county
Because Rich & Kat serve buyers and sellers across three counties, the details matter — each one runs on its own calendar and fee.

Placer County (Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Loomis, Granite Bay): Formal appeals for the 2026 roll are accepted July 2 through September 15, 2026. The filing fee is $40 per parcel. The Clerk of the Assessment Appeals Board is at 175 Fulweiler Avenue, Auburn, CA 95603 (530-889-4020); the Assessor's office is at 530-889-4300.
El Dorado County (El Dorado Hills): Formal appeals are due September 15, 2026.
Sacramento County (Folsom and the greater metro): Formal appeals are accepted July 2 through November 30, 2026 — a longer window. The fee is $30 per application, filed with the Assessment Appeals Board at 700 H Street, Suite 2450, Sacramento, CA 95814.

Every county also offers the free informal Assessor review running into December. And in every case, the value in question is your home's market value as of January 1, 2026.
What actually wins an appeal: comparable sales
An appeals board isn't interested in your opinion, the Zestimate, or how you feel about your tax bill. It wants evidence — specifically, what similar homes near you sold for around the lien date.

The strongest case is built on three to five comparable sales: homes similar to yours in size, age, condition, and location that sold for less than your assessed value. A few rules make or break these comps:

Timing is strict. Under California Revenue and Taxation Code §402.5, the board cannot consider a sale that closed more than 90 days after the January 1 lien date. For the 2026 appeal, that means qualifying sales generally need to have closed by around April 1, 2026. Sales from later in the year won't count as evidence.
Closeness beats quantity. Three excellent comps that closely match your home will beat ten loose ones. Same neighborhood, similar square footage, similar lot, similar condition.
California uses a 100% assessment ratio, so sale prices compare directly to your assessed value — no conversion math required.

This is exactly where working with a local agent pays off. We have direct access to the MLS, which carries the most accurate and detailed sales data available — interior condition notes, concessions, whether a sale was arm's-length — none of which shows up on public sites. Pulling a clean set of lien-date comparables is something we do for clients regularly, and it's the difference between an appeal the board can act on and one it can't.
What to expect after you file
A few things worth knowing so there are no surprises:

Keep paying your tax bill. Filing an appeal does not pause your payments. Pay on time to avoid penalties — if you win, the county issues a refund for the overpaid amount.
It can take a while. A formal appeal can take several months, and counties legally have up to two years to resolve one. The informal Assessor review is usually much faster.
A Prop 8 reduction is temporary — and reviewed every year. Once your value is reduced, Placer County automatically re-reviews it each January 1. You don't have to refile. But as the market recovers, your value can climb back up — the ceiling is always your original factored base-year value, never higher.

One important limit: a decline-in-value appeal only addresses your home's assessed market value. It does not touch fixed charges like Mello-Roos special assessments, which are common in West Roseville, Lincoln, and Folsom Ranch and are calculated separately from your property's value. If a big chunk of your bill is Mello-Roos, an appeal won't change that piece — it's worth understanding how Mello-Roos actually works before you assume an appeal is the fix.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much can I actually save by appealing my property taxes?

It depends entirely on the gap between your assessed value and your home's current market value. When appeals succeed, reductions commonly land somewhere in the range of 8% to 20% of assessed value, which translates directly to a lower tax bill for that year at Placer's roughly 1.1% base rate. On a $700,000 assessment, even a 10% reduction is about $770 in tax savings for the year.

Do I need to hire someone to appeal, or can I do it myself?

Many homeowners file the informal review on their own — it's free and low-risk. The part most people want help with is the evidence: assembling clean, lien-date comparable sales that a board will accept. That's something we're glad to pull for clients at no cost, since it comes straight from the MLS data we work in every day.

What if I just bought my home recently — can I still appeal?

Yes. In fact, recent buyers who purchased near the top of the market are often the best candidates, because their assessed value is close to a peak-market purchase price. If comparable homes have since sold for less, you may be over-assessed even though your purchase was recent.

Will appealing my assessment raise a red flag or hurt me later?

No. A Proposition 8 appeal is a routine, built-in part of California property tax law — the Assessor is required to enroll the lower value. Your base-year value under Prop 13 is unaffected; a reduction is temporary and simply reflects current market conditions.

Is the Mello-Roos portion of my bill something I can appeal too?

No. Mello-Roos and other special assessments are fixed charges tied to community facilities districts, not to your home's market value, so a decline-in-value appeal doesn't reach them. Only the assessed-value portion of your bill is subject to a Prop 8 appeal.
Ready to see if you have a case?
If you think the county may be taxing you on more than your home is worth, the first step is simple: compare your assessed value to what similar homes near you actually sold for around January 1. If there's a gap, it's worth acting before the deadline — September 15 in Placer and El Dorado counties, November 30 in Sacramento County.

Pulling accurate, lien-date comparable sales is exactly the kind of thing we do for clients, and it's the evidence an appeal lives or dies on. If you're a homeowner in Roseville, Granite Bay, Lincoln, Loomis, Folsom, or El Dorado Hills wondering whether you're over-assessed, we're happy to run the numbers with you. And if a tax question comes up alongside a possible move, it's worth knowing how California's supplemental property tax bill works and, for homeowners 55 and older, how you can transfer your property tax base under Proposition 19.

If you're ready to talk through your situation — whether you're appealing an assessment, buying, or selling — Rich & Kat are here to help. Schedule a free consultation at richandkatsoldthat.com/talktous.

This article is general information, not tax or legal advice. Assessment rules, deadlines, and fees can change, so confirm current details with your county Assessor or a qualified tax professional before you file.

About Rich & Kat Farless Rich and Kat Farless are a husband-and-wife real estate team with over 30 years of combined experience serving buyers and sellers across the Sacramento region. As the #1 husband-and-wife team in Roseville, CA, they specialize in single family, new construction, and luxury properties across Placer, Sacramento, and El Dorado counties. Connect with them at richandkatsoldthat.com.