95065 Property Tax Rate
Santa Cruz, California · Part of Santa Cruz County
Effective Tax Rate
0.67%
63.1% above state avgMedian Annual Tax
$7,994
$666/mo escrow
Estimate Your Tax
Annual Tax
$7,994
Monthly
$666
Eff. Rate
0.67%
Buyer decision brief
What ZIP 95065 means for your housing budget
Use this ZIP page to compare recurring tax burden before you compare listing prices. The numbers below are Census ZCTA estimates, so they are strongest for neighborhood comparison and weakest for parcel-specific tax planning.
Monthly escrow signal
$666/mo
Based on median annual tax paid
State context
0.02 percentage points below the California average
California average: 0.69%
Data confidence
High confidenceThe Census margin of error is $1,080, about 14% of the median tax estimate.
Verify before you offer
- Confirm parcel assessed value with Santa Cruz County assessor.
- Check homestead, senior, veteran, and disability exemptions.
- Ask whether purchase triggers reassessment or value-cap reset.
- Review school district and special assessment boundaries.
Lower-rate similar ZIPs
This is informational content, not tax, legal, or mortgage advice. Local assessor records remain the source of truth for a specific property.
Data confidence ledger
Can you trust ZIP 95065 for comparison?
ACS vintage
2019-2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
Five-year Census ZCTA estimates.
ZCTA caveat
Census area, not parcel boundary
USPS ZIP routes and taxing districts can differ inside the same area.
Field completeness
3/3 required fields
Median tax, home value, and derived rate are present.
MOE status
Strong ACS confidence
$1,080 tax MOE, 14% of the median tax estimate.
Last site refresh
March 10, 2026
Dataset and page-quality audit run locally before publication.
County fallback
County advisory available
Santa Cruz County is used for assessor verification and broader context.
Tax bill anatomy
What can change your actual bill in ZIP 95065
Use the ZIP estimate to compare neighborhoods, then verify these parcel-level inputs before relying on a payment estimate.
Assessed value
The ZCTA median home value is $1,192,200, but your bill starts with the local assessed value for a specific parcel.
Effective rate
The displayed rate is 0.67%, derived from median tax paid divided by median home value.
Exemptions
Homestead, senior, veteran, disability, and local exemptions can reduce taxable value. Confirm eligibility before estimating escrow.
Reassessment
A purchase can change assessed value depending on California and county rules. Ask how sale price affects the next assessment cycle.
Escrow impact
The median tax paid in this ZCTA equals about $666 per month before insurance, HOA dues, or special assessments.
Assessor verification
Santa Cruz County assessor or tax collector records are the source of truth for parcel taxes, appeal windows, and exemptions.
How ZIP 95065 Compares
Median Annual Property Tax
ZIP 95065
0.67%
Effective rate
California Avg
0.69%
Effective rate
National Avg
1.10%
Effective rate
State Ranking
Property Tax Rank in California
Lower than 52% of ZIP codes in California(48th percentile, 1,562 ZIPs compared)
Property Tax Analysis
Property Tax Insights for ZIP 95065
Property owners in ZIP code 95065 (Santa Cruz, California) pay a median of $7,994/year in property taxes on homes valued at $1,192,200. This translates to an effective tax rate of 0.67%, which is 3% below the California state average of 0.69%.
The monthly property tax burden for a median-valued home in 95065 is approximately $666, which factors into escrow payments on mortgages. This ZIP code is located within Santa Cruz County. This is $3,094 more than the California average of $4,900/year.
Compared to similar ZIP codes in California, 95065 has higher property taxes. ZIP codes with similar effective rates include 92610 (0.67%) and 93656 (0.67%).
In Santa Cruz, property taxes represent approximately 5.6% of the median household income of $142,768, providing context for the relative tax burden on homeowners in this area.
Under California's Proposition 13, your property reassesses to the purchase price at sale, with taxes capped at 1% of that amount and increases limited to 2% annually until the next ownership change. Santa Cruz County provides a Homeowners' Exemption reducing assessed value by $7,000—file your claim with the Santa Cruz County Assessor within 30 days of closing to apply this benefit. After closing, obtain your Preliminary Assessment Notice from the Santa Cruz County Assessor, verify your base year value and exemption, and file a protest within 60 days if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the property tax rate in ZIP code 95065?
How much are property taxes in Santa Cruz, CA (95065)?
How does ZIP 95065 compare to the California average?
What is the median home value in ZIP 95065?
What county is ZIP code 95065 in?
Margin of Error
The median property tax estimate for this ZIP code has a margin of error of ±$1,080. ZCTA-level data has wider margins than county-level estimates due to smaller sample sizes.
County-Level Data
ZIP code 95065 is part of Santa Cruz County, California. View the full county profile for broader context and more data.
View Santa Cruz County on TaxByCounty →Explore Santa Cruz, CA
View all 4 ZIP codes in Santa Cruz with property tax comparisons.
View Santa Cruz Property Tax Rates →Why compare these ZIPs?
Better comparison set for ZIP 95065
Each ZIP highlights a homebuyer tradeoff: lower rate, stronger value context, shared county rules, city boundary changes, or nearby missing data.
95060
Santa Cruz, CA
0.10 percentage points lower than ZIP 95065.
Rate
0.57%
Tax
$6,725
Quality
96
95062
Santa Cruz, CA
0.06 percentage points lower than ZIP 95065.
Rate
0.61%
Tax
$6,478
Quality
96
95041
Mount Hermon, CA
0.31 percentage points lower than ZIP 95065.
Rate
0.36%
Tax
$3,800
Quality
74
95006
Boulder Creek, CA
0.07 percentage points lower than ZIP 95065.
Rate
0.60%
Tax
$4,714
Quality
89
95005
Ben Lomond, CA
0.06 percentage points lower than ZIP 95065.
Rate
0.61%
Tax
$5,822
Quality
84
95073
Soquel, CA
0.04 percentage points lower than ZIP 95065.
Rate
0.63%
Tax
$6,354
Quality
89
95003
Aptos, CA
0.03 percentage points lower than ZIP 95065.
Rate
0.64%
Tax
$7,436
Quality
89
95076
Watsonville, CA
0.01 percentage points lower than ZIP 95065.
Rate
0.66%
Tax
$5,039
Quality
89
Data from U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates (ZCTA level). ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census approximations of USPS ZIP codes.
Estimates are informational only and should not be used as financial or legal advice.