The San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector's office announced Tuesday that it is sending nearly 23,000 defaulted tax bills to property owners around the county.
Throughout the week, the county is sending 22,850 overdue property tax bills, which will accrue additional penalties each month they're not paid. According to Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister, the county is owed more than $100 million in overdue taxes and fees, despite multiple warnings to property owners.
"We hate to see people have to pay significantly more in late fees, so we try to warn them at every step that higher penalties are coming," McAllister said. "Still, we had a 99.2% collection rate last fiscal year -- one of the highest in the state -- which shows me that the majority of San Diegans take the responsibility to pay on time seriously."
The county collected fiscal year 2019 property taxes last December and in April. Overdue property taxes went into default July 1 at the start of the current fiscal year and will be charged an additional 1.5% each month until they're paid. The county can also sell properties that have been in default for at least five years.
Property owners with defaulted property tax bills can make payments at the county Treasurer-Tax Collector website. Partial payments are not accepted, according to the Treasurer-Tax Collector's office, but certain residents are eligible for five-year payment plans.
