By Paarth Shah, REALTOR® · August 3, 2026 · Silicon Valley / San Jose
If your assessed value looks higher than what your San Jose home would actually sell for, you do not have to just accept the tax bill. Santa Clara County gives homeowners two ways to challenge an assessment, and the window for the formal route is open right now.
The first route is an informal review with the Assessor's Office. It is free: you ask the Assessor to take a second look, typically with recent comparable sales in hand, and if they agree, they lower the value without any hearing. The catch is timing; requests for informal review of the regular roll are generally due by August 1, so for this tax year that door has effectively closed. Keep it in mind for next spring.
The second route is a formal assessment appeal with the county's Assessment Appeals Board, filed through the Clerk of the Board. The filing window for regular assessments runs from July 2 through September 15 each year, which means as of this writing you still have several weeks. You can file online through the county's appeal portal or by mail to the Clerk's office in San Jose, and applications must be submitted or postmarked by 5:00 p.m. on the deadline. There is a filing fee for residential appeals (currently about $290, per county fee schedules; confirm when you file).
Two things to understand before you file. First, keep paying your tax bill. Filing an appeal does not pause your obligation, and if you win, the county refunds the overpayment with interest. Second, your evidence matters more than your frustration. The strongest residential appeals show comparable sales near the January 1 lien date that support a lower value than the assessed one. If similar homes on your street sold for less than your assessed value around that date, you have a case. If your complaint is simply that taxes are high, you do not.
It is worth being honest about who benefits. Because Prop 13 caps assessed-value growth, longtime owners are usually assessed well below market and have nothing to appeal. The homeowners most likely to gain are recent buyers who purchased near a market peak, since their assessments track their purchase price.
If you are not sure whether your number is worth challenging, send me your address and I will pull the comparable sales, no charge and no obligation: the contact page or paarth@brokerbela.com works.
File a formal appeal with the Assessment Appeals Board between July 2 and September 15, online or by mail, with comparable sales supporting a lower value. A free informal review with the Assessor is also available each spring, generally due by August 1.
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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.