Property Taxes in San Francisco
San Francisco property taxes are governed above all by California's Proposition 13, with an effective secured rate for fiscal year 2025-26 running approximately 1.18268% citywide -- though this record discloses a real ZIP-code-level spread (1.19% in 94123 to 1.70% in 94130) and the same real, dramatic long-time-owner-vs-recent-buyer gap that Proposition 13 creates across every California property.
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Learn moreProposition 13 Is the Single Most Important Fact Governing California Property Tax
As detailed in full on this project's Los Angeles property-taxes topic page, Proposition 13 caps a property's taxable assessed value at its purchase price, allowing it to rise by at most approximately 2% per year -- regardless of real market appreciation -- until the property resells, at which point it is reassessed to full current market value. This produces a real, dramatic, and disclosed gap between long-time owners and recent buyers on otherwise-comparable San Francisco homes, and applies identically to every California property, San Francisco included.
San Francisco's Effective Secured Rate Runs Approximately 1.18% Citywide, With a Real ZIP-Level Spread
San Francisco's effective secured property tax rate for fiscal year 2025-26 runs approximately 1.18268% -- Proposition 13's 1% base rate plus voter-approved local bonds. Because San Francisco is California's only consolidated city-county, this single rate structure applies citywide, though the ACTUAL effective rate still varies meaningfully by specific assessment/school-district area: sources reviewed cited a median effective rate as low as 1.19% in ZIP code 94123 and as high as 1.70% in ZIP code 94130 -- confirm the specific rate for a target property's actual ZIP and assessment area directly.
A New Purchase Resets the Assessed Value to Full Market Price, Especially Significant Given 2026's Price Appreciation
As with every California property, a newly-purchased San Francisco home does NOT inherit the prior owner's lower, capped assessed value -- the purchase itself triggers reassessment to the new purchase price. Given San Francisco's real, significant 15.2% year-over-year price appreciation as of 2026 (see the housing-market topic page), this reassessment mechanic is especially financially significant for 2026 buyers specifically, who will pay tax on a meaningfully higher base than a comparable purchase made even one year earlier.
Proposition 19 Portability for Eligible Owners
As detailed in this project's Los Angeles property-taxes topic page, California's Proposition 19 (2020) allows eligible owners (generally those 55-plus, severely disabled, or wildfire/disaster victims) to transfer their existing lower Prop 13 assessed value to a replacement home under defined conditions -- a real, potentially significant provision for longtime San Francisco-area owners considering downsizing or relocating within the state. This pass did not independently confirm the full, current specific eligibility mechanics; confirm directly with the San Francisco Assessor-Recorder or a qualified tax professional.
Confirm the Actual Bill for a Specific Property
Given the real complexity introduced by San Francisco's own ZIP-code-level rate spread and Prop 13's purchase-date-dependent assessed value, confirm the actual current property tax bill for a specific San Francisco property directly with the San Francisco Assessor-Recorder's office rather than relying on any single citywide percentage figure in this file.
Key takeaways
- Proposition 13 caps a property's taxable assessed value at its purchase price (growing at most ~2%/year until resale) -- producing a real, dramatic, and disclosed gap between long-time owners and recent buyers on comparable homes.
- San Francisco's effective secured rate runs approximately 1.18% citywide for FY2025-26, but the ACTUAL rate varies by ZIP code -- from 1.19% (94123) to 1.70% (94130) per sources reviewed.
- A new purchase resets the assessed value to full market price -- especially significant given San Francisco's real, 15.2% year-over-year price appreciation as of 2026.
- Proposition 19 allows eligible owners (55-plus, severely disabled, or disaster victims) to transfer their existing lower assessed value to a replacement home under defined conditions -- confirm current eligibility mechanics directly.
- Confirm the actual current property tax bill for a specific San Francisco property directly with the Assessor-Recorder, given the real ZIP-level rate spread and Prop 13 timing.
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