Marin County property tax by town: estimated first-year bills
The table estimates the rate-based tax a buyer would owe in each Marin town at Redfin's median sale price for the three months to September 2026. It subtracts the $7,000 homeowners' exemption and applies the BOE's 1.133% county average. Your actual rate depends on your tax rate area, and Marin's per-parcel taxes are extra.
| Town | Redfin median sale price (3 months to Sept 2026) | Homes sold | Estimated tax at 1.133% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novato | $1,004,522 | 141 | $11,302 |
| Fairfax | $1,119,467 | 18 | $12,604 |
| San Rafael | $1,299,381 | 151 | $14,643 |
| San Anselmo | $1,549,512 | 30 | $17,477 |
| Sausalito | $1,574,250 | 36 | $17,757 |
| Larkspur | $1,801,142 | 42 | $20,328 |
| Mill Valley | $1,849,119 | 38 | $20,871 |
| Corte Madera | $1,896,597 | 28 | $21,409 |
| Tiburon | $2,998,572 | 40 | $33,895 |
| Belvedere | $6,297,001 | 13 | $71,266 |
Outside Novato and San Rafael, these medians rest on a few dozen sales, so one large sale can move them a lot. Use the table to compare towns, not to price a specific house.
Marin tax rate areas and the county rate books
Marin's Department of Finance combines the auditor-controller and tax collector roles. It publishes a tax rate book each year listing every tax rate area (TRA) and the rates behind it, on its property tax rate books page. A TRA is the combination of city, school, college and special districts that cover a parcel.
What is in a Marin rate
Every TRA starts with the 1% general levy. On top come voter-approved bonds for the parcel's elementary and high school districts, the College of Marin, and other agencies such as the Marin Healthcare District, which repays the bonds voters approved in 2013 to rebuild Marin General Hospital. These bond rates change each year as debt is issued and repaid.
Finding your Marin TRA
Look up your bill online by assessor parcel number through the Department of Finance's tax bill site, or read the TRA from the paper bill. Then find the same TRA in the current rate book. If you are buying, ask for the seller's latest bill: in Marin the fixed charges matter almost as much as the rate.
Marin County's tax base
The BOE puts Marin's net assessed value for the 2025 lien year at $111.3 billion. Its 1.133% average rate for 2024-25 is close to San Mateo County's 1.123% and Sonoma County's 1.139%.
School and district parcel taxes on Marin bills
Marin voters have approved many parcel taxes, which are flat amounts per parcel rather than a percentage of value. They fund school districts, libraries and other local services. Because they do not depend on value, they weigh most on owners with low Prop 13 assessments and on lower-priced homes.
How a flat Marin parcel tax changes your effective rate
Because a parcel tax is the same dollar amount on every parcel in a district, its weight depends on your assessed value. As an illustration, a $1,000 parcel tax adds about 0.10% to the effective rate on a home assessed at Novato's $1,004,522 median, but only about 0.02% on one assessed at Belvedere's $6,297,001 median. For an owner whose Prop 13 value is $300,000 after decades in the house, the same $1,000 adds about 0.33%. Add up the parcel taxes on the bill and divide by the assessed value to see your true effective rate. Amounts differ by district and some rise each year with a built-in escalator, so read the measure for each line.
Senior exemptions from Marin parcel taxes
The county's exemptions page says most Marin school and special districts offer a parcel tax exemption to qualifying seniors, and that each district administers its own. The county notes that California law does not allow exemptions from bonds. Miller Creek School District's rules are typical: you must be 65 before July 1 of the tax year, own the parcel and live there as your principal residence. You send an application with proof of age and a utility bill, and once approved the exemption continues until the property changes hands.
Revised 2026-27 bills for about 5,650 parcels
In early October 2026, the county said it would issue revised 2026-27 bills for about 5,650 parcels. Updated rates from the Miller Creek and Bolinas school districts arrived too late to be included in the original bills. The affected parcels are in the Bolinas area and parts of Terra Linda, Marinwood and Lucas Valley. If you own there, watch for the revised bill.
A worked Marin County property tax bill
This example uses Zillow's typical Marin County home value for September 2026, $1,484,731, as the price of an owner-occupied home, with the BOE's 1.133% average standing in for the TRA rate.
| Line | Math | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Assessed value | Purchase price | $1,484,731 |
| Less homeowners' exemption | $1,484,731 - $7,000 | $1,477,731 |
| General levy (1%) | $1,477,731 x 1.000% | $14,777.31 |
| Voter-approved bonds at the county average | $1,477,731 x 0.133% | $1,965.38 |
| Estimated ad valorem tax | $1,477,731 x 1.133% | $16,742.69 |
Add every parcel tax and direct charge listed on the parcel's bill to reach the real total. The homeowners' exemption is worth about $79 a year at this rate.
Year two in Marin
At the full 2% inflation factor, the assessed value becomes about $1,514,426, and the estimated tax at 1.133% rises to about $17,079. Parcel taxes with an annual cost-of-living escalator rise separately.
Marin values and decline-in-value reviews
Zillow's typical Marin home value peaked at $1,558,235 in June 2022. At $1,484,731 in September 2026 it is about 4.7% below that peak, even though it rose 4.8% over the last year. Owners who bought near the 2022 peak may have a factored base year value above today's market value. If so, ask the Assessor-Recorder for an informal review; the Assessor takes informal review requests from July 1, and county pages give the closing date as October 31 or November 1, so this year's window has passed. The formal appeal window runs to November 30, 2026. A reduction lasts only while the market value stays below your factored base year value.
Marin County homeowners' and veterans' exemptions
Homeowners' exemption in Marin County
File the homeowners' exemption with the Marin Assessor-Recorder after you buy, by February 15 for the full $7,000. The California property tax guide covers late claims and the disabled veterans' exemption, which removes far more value for those who qualify.
Prop 19 for Marin owners
Marin owners aged 55 or older can move their taxable value to a replacement home anywhere in California under Prop 19. Inherited homes keep the parent's value only if a child moves in, within a value cap. See the Prop 19 guide.
Supplemental tax bills after you buy in Marin
A Marin purchase triggers supplemental bills mailed to you, not your lender.
Example: a Mill Valley purchase in January
Say you pay Mill Valley's three-month Redfin median of $1,849,119 for a home with a prior taxable value of $900,000, and close on January 2. The supplemental assessment is $949,119. Because you bought between January 1 and May 31, two supplemental bills follow: one for January to June, roughly $949,119 x 1.133% x 6/12 = $5,377, and one for the next full fiscal year, roughly $10,754. Your TRA's rate and the county's proration will change the exact figures.
Paying Marin County property tax
For 2026-27, the first installment is due November 1, 2026 and becomes delinquent after December 10. The second is due February 1, 2027. Because April 10, 2027 falls on a Saturday, the county is accepting the second installment without penalty through Monday, April 12, 2027. A late installment carries a 10% penalty.
Marin payment options and fees
- Online: view and pay by assessor parcel number at marincounty.gov/taxbillonline. E-check is free; cards carry a third-party fee of 2.35%, minimum $1.49, none of which the county keeps.
- Deadline timing: the office closes at 5 p.m. on December 10, but online payments submitted by 11:59 p.m. that day count as on time.
- Bank bill pay: enter the parcel number and bill number and send it early.
- Returned payments: a returned check costs $40.
Appealing a Marin County assessment
The State Board of Equalization lists Marin's 2026 filing deadline as November 30, 2026, and the county's Clerk of the Board says applications close at 5 p.m. that day with no late filings accepted. For supplemental or escape assessments, file within 60 days of the notice.
Marin Assessment Appeals Board fees and deposits
Mail or deliver a paper application to the Assessment Appeals Board office in San Rafael with a $50 non-refundable processing fee, by check or money order payable to County of Marin. File a separate application for each parcel and each type of assessment. The application form also requires a deposit of at least $250 per parcel before a hearing begins, and costs can exceed it. Call the Assessment Appeals Clerk at (415) 473-7345 to confirm before you file.
For sales data behind Marin values, see the Marin County data page, and our Mill Valley and Sausalito guides. If you buy in a newer development, check its bill for a Mello-Roos special tax; the Mello-Roos guide explains how.