LAKE COUNTY — Lake County property owners must still pay their property taxes despite coronavirus restrictions, but some can expect more leeway on late fees.
At the Lake County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Tax Collector Barbara Ringen responded to concerns from several members of the public regarding property tax payments during the ongoing shelter-in-place order, which has caused financial stress for many.
A local resident identified as Robin, who submitted a written question, asked the board to extend the property tax deadline from April 10.
“People should not have to choose between food and property tax at this time,” Robin wrote.
Property tax payments are still due on time, Ringen said, noting she does not have the authority to alter the deadline. “That is state law,” she said.
The county has created a process by which a Lake County property owner who has been financially impacted by the coronavirus emergency may apply for a “penalty waiver” after the April 10 deadline, which, if approved, would allow them to pay their taxes late with no penalties. The longest such a waiver can be used is until June 30.
“They will have to provide documentation as to their reason why they could not pay their taxes by April 10,” Ringen said of applicants for the waiver. “We do recommend that the taxpayers pay if they can, and if not, the penalty waiver process will be in place for them,” she said.
San Mateo and San Francisco counties, on the other hand, have utilized a clause in California tax code that allows tax payment deadlines to be extended in the case that county offices are not open for business. Usually this is applied when a holiday falls on a deadline, but the coronavirus crisis has closed many county offices to the public.
With shelter-in-place orders extended to May 3, these counties would ostensible begin requiring tax payments on May 4, the first day county departments reopen.
But Lake County is stopping short of such a blanket extension. Instead, the penalty waiver process requires late taxpayers to be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Ringen noted she expects her office can handle the workload of reviewing such applications once they begin arriving after April 10, but it may take between two and four weeks.
District 2 Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said that property owners who can pay their taxes on time despite the coronavirus emergency should still pay.
“Those who aren’t impacted financially should not make an impact on someone else because they feel they don’t have to pay,” he said.
For more information on the county’s penalty waiver program, Ringen recommended property owners contact her office at (707) 263-2234, or online at tax.lakecountyca.gov.
