If you are selling in Marin, the transfer tax is one of the smaller line items on your closing statement. Here is the actual rate and how it works.
The county rate
Marin County charges a documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 of value, or portion of $500, based on the full value less any liens or encumbrances remaining at the time of sale. That works out to $1.10 per $1,000. The Recorder collects it when the deed is recorded.
Does your city add its own?
In Marin, only one does. San Rafael, a charter city, adds $2.00 per $1,000 on top of the county tax, for a combined $3.10 per $1,000. Belvedere, Corte Madera, Fairfax, Larkspur, Mill Valley, Novato, Ross, San Anselmo, Sausalito, and Tiburon do not impose an additional city transfer tax, and neither does unincorporated Marin. Those areas pay the county rate only.
Worked example (illustration only)
A home sells in Mill Valley for $1,600,000. Divide by $500 to get 3,200 increments, multiply by $0.55, and the county transfer tax is $1,760. The same price in San Rafael would add $3,200 of city tax, for $4,960.
Why Marin's is comparatively small
Across the bridge, San Francisco charges $3.75 per $500 on sales from $1 million to under $5 million, about $12,000 on that same $1,600,000 price. Oakland's rate in its $300,000 to $2 million tier is 1.5 percent, roughly $24,000. Marin sellers pay a fraction of that.
Who pays it
In Marin, custom is for the seller to pay it. Custom is not law. It is a negotiable term of the purchase contract, and parties sometimes agree to split it. Read what your contract says.
What it is not
Transfer tax is a one time excise tax on the conveyance. It is not property tax, which you pay annually based on assessed value, and it is not the recording fee or the survey monument preservation fee, which are separate charges.
Exemptions
Some transfers are exempt, including many between spouses, gifts where no consideration changes hands, and certain transfers into or out of a revocable trust for the benefit of the grantor. The exemption must be claimed on the deed with the correct code reference. Do not assume yours qualifies. Confirm with your title or escrow officer, or a tax professional, before recording.
If you are weighing a Marin sale and want a net sheet first, reach out at paarth@brokerbela.com.
Marin County charges a documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 of value, which is $1.10 per $1,000, collected when the deed is recorded. San Rafael is the only Marin city that adds a city transfer tax, at $2.00 per $1,000 on top of the county rate.
Sources
This is general market commentary, not financial, investment, or legal advice; figures are as of publication and can change. Verify specifics, including any school assignments, ratings, or boundaries, independently. Bela Realty & Investments is committed to Equal Housing Opportunity and does not steer clients toward or away from any neighborhood on the basis of a protected characteristic.