County officials facilitate tax relief for homeowners affected by wildfires

County Officials Facilitate Property Tax Relief for Homeowners Affected by Wildfires

Homeowners in the County of Los Angeles whose properties have been damaged or destroyed by the Woolsey, Hill, or Pike fires may be eligible for property tax relief. The offices of Los Angeles County Assessor Jeffrey Prang, Treasurer and Tax Collector Joseph Kelly, Auditor-Controller John Naimo, and Executive Officer Celia Zavala are working in partnership to provide information and accommodate affected property owners.

Following the Governor’s declaration of a state of emergency, taxpayers whose properties have either been destroyed or sustained a minimum of $10,000 in damage may file a Misfortune and Calamity (M&C) claim for property tax relief. “My dedicated team is ready to offer assistance and has a designated hotline to guide property owners through this process,” said Assessor Prang.

Assessor’s Disaster Relief Hotline

(213) 974-8658

The Assessor has also created a one-stop center on its website for those who have been displaced and/or evacuated. By visiting assessor.lacounty.gov, affected taxpayers can provide updated contact information to various county agencies, learn about disaster relief, obtain an electronic copy of the disaster relief claim form, and request paper forms.

In addition, with the first installment of the 2018-19 Secured Annual Property Tax Bills due on November 1, 2018, and considered to be delinquent on Monday, December 10, 2018, there may be concern among impacted homeowners about their ability to meet this deadline.

“We understand that residents who have been displaced and/or evacuated, as well as first responders and other employees working for responding agencies, may be unable to pay this first installment by the delinquency date,” said Joseph Kelly, the County’s Treasurer and Tax Collector. Those impacted by the fires who cannot pay the first installment by the delinquency date may file for a penalty cancellation: http://ttc.lacounty.gov/PenaltyCancellationRequest. For a paper form, call (213) 974-2111 or TTY (213) 974-2196. For requesting duplicate tax bills, the TTC has established a special account for prioritizing affected taxpayers: [email protected].

Although damage assessment remains in its initial stages, County officials are offering disaster relief in an effort to ease the overwhelming hardships that evacuees are facing as they struggle to rebuild their homes and their lives.