In the aftermath of the devastating wildfires in January, the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office has worked diligently to provide property tax relief to impacted homeowners. The Assessor’s Office is urging homeowners to make sure the county has their most current address to ensure that important tax notices and documents are delivered.

Since January, the office has mobilized teams, reassigned resources and developed streamlined processes to assess property damage and expedite disaster relief for eligible properties. The assessor’s office took a proactive approach by evaluating all properties within the declared disaster zones – even in cases in which a misfortune and calamity tax relief claim was not submitted by the property owner. The effort ensures that all qualifying property owners receive the full benefits provided under California law, including temporary reductions in assessed value and in many cases, property tax refunds.

The Treasurer and Tax Collector is applying deferrals of property tax payments and cancellation of late-payment penalties. Additionally, the Assessor’s Office is working in partnership with the auditor-controller to ensure that revised property valuations are applied to future tax bills, and to facilitate the issuance of property tax refunds to owners whose property was damaged, destroyed or impacted by the fires.

As a result of the coordinated efforts, hundreds of affected homeowners have already received relief. However, many of the notices of assessed value change and property tax refund checks are being returned to the county because the mailing addresses on record are no longer valid. In numerous cases, the original property was destroyed by a fire and with it, the recorded mailing address.

Homeowners who have experienced property loss are urged to update their current mailing address to ensure delivery of important property assessment and tax-related documents, including property tax refunds. To update a mailing address, visit assessor.lacounty.gov/homeowners/change-mailing-address.

Updating a mailing address does not change the official records or status of a property’s physical location. However, it ensures that important tax notices and documents – including refunds – are delivered to the address where they can be received.

“Getting relief into the hands of wildfire victims is a top priority for our Office,” Los Angeles County Assessor Jeff Prang said. “We understand how devastating these fires have been, and we are committed to making sure impacted property owners receive the support they’re entitled to. But we need their help in updating contact information so that relief can reach them without delay.”

For information on all disaster relief programs including misfortune and calamity claims, visit assessor.lacounty.gov/tax-relief/disaster-relief.