In short
Santa Monica charges 2 local taxes on a home sale: Santa Monica documentary transfer tax, County documentary transfer tax. The Census publishes the median value of owner-occupied homes in Santa Monica city, California only as “$2,000,000 or more” (ACS 2024 1-year, table B25077, top-coded), so the table below uses typical prices.
Median value: The Census publishes the median value of owner-occupied homes in Santa Monica city, California only as “$2,000,000 or more” (ACS 2024 1-year, table B25077, top-coded). It is an owner estimate, not a sale price.
What you pay at different prices
| Price | Santa Monica documentary transfer tax (incl. Measure GS 3rd tier) | County documentary transfer tax | California state tax | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $300,000 | $900 | $330 | $0 | $1,230 |
| $500,000 | $1,500 | $550 | $0 | $2,050 |
| $1,000,000 | $3,000 | $1,100 | $0 | $4,100 |
| $2,000,000 | $6,000 | $2,200 | $0 | $8,200 |
Before exemptions and credits (first-time buyers, transfers between relatives…), which are listed below when the source gives them. The tax due on your deed is the one the recorder computes.
The rates, tax by tax
Santa Monica documentary transfer tax (incl. Measure GS 3rd tier)
Whole value: <$5M: $3.00/$1,000 (0.3%); $5M-$7,999,999.99: $6.00/$1,000 (0.6%); ≥$8M: $56.00/$1,000 (5.6%). City examples: $5M → $30,000; $8M → $448,000.
Exemptions: Qualifying affordable-housing transfers (S.M.M.C. 6.96.51) exempt from 2nd and 3rd tiers.
In force: Third tier since March 1, 2023 (Measure GS, Nov. 8, 2022); 2nd tier since Measure SM (2020).. Source: City of Santa Monica — Documentary Transfer Tax (Real Property Transfer Tax).
County documentary transfer tax
$0.55 per $500 of consideration or fraction thereof (= $1.10 per $1,000, 0.11%) when consideration exceeds $100; value is net of liens/encumbrances remaining on the property (assumed loans excluded).
Exemptions: Statutory exemptions in R&T Code §§11921-11930 (e.g. security for debt, gifts, certain trust transfers, divorce transfers, changes in method of holding title).
In force: Statute in force; rate unchanged.. Source: California Legislative Information — Revenue and Taxation Code §11911.
Questions
Is the local tax on top of the California tax?
Yes. The local taxes listed here are added to the California state transfer tax.
General information drawn from the official sources cited and dated on this page. It is not legal, tax or financial advice: for your own situation, ask a licensed professional.
Other local taxes in California
- California counties (cities without their own tax), California
- San Francisco, California
- Los Angeles, California
- Oakland, California
- Berkeley, California
- Alameda, California
- Albany, California
- Hayward, California
- Piedmont, California
- San Leandro, California
- Emeryville, California
- Richmond, California
- El Cerrito, California
- San Mateo, California
- Culver City, California
- Pomona, California
- Redondo Beach, California
- Riverside, California
- Sacramento, California
- San Jose, California
- Mountain View, California
- Palo Alto, California
- California transfer tax: the state rules
- All local transfer taxes, ranked