CHAPTER 2. Deferment [20810. - 20817.]

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC 2.

in effect

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 20810. Section 20810.

A county may elect to participate in the County Deferred Property Tax Program for Senior Citizens and Disabled Citizens by adopting a resolution indicating the county’s intention to participate in and to administer the program. All requirements of a county or county officials set forth in this chapter are conditioned upon the county’s adoption of this resolution. Under this program, a participating county may defer a claimant’s property taxes retroactively, for property taxes due on or before February 20, 2011, and prospectively, as provided in this part.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 20811. Section 20811.

(a) A claimant shall use the application form of a county to initiate participation in the program pursuant to Section 20810. (b) Upon a participating county’s receipt of a claim for property tax deferment under the program, submitted within the filing period specified in Section 20812, the county treasurer or county tax collector shall review the claimant’s application for program eligibility, consistent with the requirements specified in Section 20802. (c) If the claimant is eligible to participate in the program, and if there are sufficient funds within the county’s Property Tax Deferral Fund, established pursuant to Section 20822, to defer property taxes on the claimant’s residential dwelling for that fiscal year, the county treasurer or county tax collector, may do all of the following: (1) Defer the property taxes due on the claimant’s residential dwelling and owing for that fiscal year. (2) Issue a subvention payment, equivalent to the amount of the deferred property taxes, from the county’s Property Tax Deferral Fund to the county to be processed in the same manner as all other property tax payments. (3) Direct the county auditor to apportion that subvention payment in the same manner as if the property taxes had been paid. (4) Provide a letter or other written confirmation to the claimant, noting the relevant fiscal year of participation, for use as written confirmation of program participation. (d) If the claimant’s property taxes are deferred under the program, the participating county shall not charge the claimant any penalties, or undertake any collections actions with respect to taxes deferred under this chapter. (e) (1) The amount of property taxes deferred, plus any interest accrued thereon, shall be secured by a judgment lien, against the claimant’s residential dwelling for which the property taxes are deferred. (2) In the case of a residential dwelling that is part of a larger parcel taxed as a unit, including, but not limited to, a duplex, farm, or multidwelling or multipurpose building, the lien shall be against the entire tax parcel. (f) The lien shall be evidenced by a notice of lien for deferred property taxes executed by the county, and shall secure all sums deferred and owing under this chapter, including amounts deferred subsequent to the initial deferment. The notice of lien shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following: (1) The names of all record owners of the real property for which the county has deferred property taxes under the program. (2) A description of the real property for which property taxes have been deferred. (g) The county recorder shall index the lien according to the names of each record owner and the county.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 20812. Section 20812.

(a) The filing period for a claimant to apply to a participating county for deferment under the program shall be from October 1 to December 10 of each year. (b) A participating county may require any information necessary to process the claimant’s application for deferment under the program, whether through the county’s application form or forms or otherwise. (c) Any form filed by a claimant under this chapter shall not be under oath, but shall contain, or be verified by, a written declaration that the information therein was provided under the penalty of perjury. (d) All forms supplied to the claimant shall include a statement of the interest rate that will apply to the property taxes deferred under the program. (e) A county may grant a reasonable extension for filing a claim if it determines that good cause for the extension exists. However, no extension shall be granted beyond the termination of the fiscal year for which deferment is requested.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 20813. Section 20813.

(a) Upon receipt of a notice of lien for deferred property taxes from the county treasurer, the county assessor, or county tax collector shall immediately do all of the following: (1) Enter on the notice of lien a description of the real property for which the taxes have been deferred. (2) Enter on the notice of lien the names of all record owners of the real property, as disclosed by the county assessor’s records. (3) Enter on the assessment records applicable to the property, the fact that the taxes on the property have been deferred. (b) Upon entry of the information required by subdivision (a), the county assessor shall immediately forward the notice of lien to the county recorder, who shall record the notice of lien. (c) When the record reveals a change in the ownership status of the real property subsequent to the date of entry of the deferral information thereon, the county assessor shall notify the county treasurer or county tax collector, as appropriate, of the change in the ownership status in the manner prescribed by the county treasurer or county tax collector.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 20814. Section 20814.

(a) A participating county shall reduce the amount secured by the lien provided for in subdivision (e) of Section 20811 by the amount of any payment received for that purpose. Payments shall be applied to the oldest deferral amount in order of lien recordation date until paid in full. (b) A participating county shall increase the amount secured by that lien to reflect the accrual of interest on the property taxes deferred, or any subsequent deferral of property taxes made with respect to that residential dwelling pursuant to a claim of that claimant. (c) A participating county shall annually adjust the lien as described in this section.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 20815. Section 20815.

If at any time the amount of the obligation secured by the lien for deferred property taxes is paid in full or is otherwise discharged, the county treasurer or county tax collector shall do all of the following: (a) Execute and cause to be recorded by the county recorder a release of the associated lien conclusively evidencing the satisfaction of all amounts secured by the lien. The cost of recording the release of the lien shall be added to, and become part of the obligation secured by, the lien being released. (b) Direct the county tax collector, or other appropriate county official, to remove from the secured roll the information required to be entered thereon by paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 2514 with respect to the real property described in the lien. (c) Direct the county tax collector, or other appropriate county official, to remove the information required to be entered into the county assessment records by Section 2515 from the assessment records applicable to the real property described in the lien.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 20816. Section 20816.

(a) If property taxes are deferred for a claimant and that claimant subsequently dies, all amounts owed by that claimant pursuant to this chapter shall become due as of the end of the next application period, unless another eligible claimant for the same residential dwelling successfully applies to the county for deferment pursuant to this chapter for the next fiscal year. (b) All amounts owed by the claimant pursuant to this chapter shall become due immediately if any of the following occurs: (1) The claimant ceases to own the residential dwelling by sale, conveyance, or condemnation. (2) The claimant ceases to reside permanently at the residential dwelling. (3) The claimant’s equity in the residential dwelling falls below the amount necessary to be eligible to participate in the program, as provided by paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 20802 and subdivision (b) of Section 20808. (4) The claimant refinances an existing mortgage or deed of trust on the residential dwelling causing his or her equity value in the residential dwelling to decline by 5 percent or more. (5) Deferment was granted erroneously because eligibility requirements were not actually met.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 20817. Section 20817.

(a) The county treasurer or county tax collector shall maintain a record of all residential dwellings against which a notice of lien for deferred property taxes has been recorded pursuant to this chapter. With respect to each residential dwelling, the record shall include, but not be limited to, the name of the claimant, a description of the real property against which the lien is recorded, the identification number of the notice of lien or book and page number of the recording, and the amount of the lien. (b) Information and records of the program not required to be disclosed shall be maintained in the same manner as described in Section 408.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026