Tax Roll

The trustee collects the taxes in the amount set out in the tax roll or tax book prepared by the county clerk or assessor and delivered to the trustee on or before the first Monday in October of each year. The assessor identifies all taxable property in the assessment records so that tax rolls can be provided for each taxing entity within the county. The county legislative body may assign the duty of making the tax roll or book to the county clerk or the assessor.¹There are statutory requirements for the tax roll or tax book.

1. It is either a bound or loose-leaf book or unit tax ledger cards, one for each parcel of property;
2. It is arranged by districts or subdivision of districts;
3. It is ruled to show names of owners in alphabetical order or in the order in which the parcels of property are identified by a parcel number;
4. It shows the number of lots and blocks;
5. It states the number of acres;
6. It contains a description of the property; and
7. It states the value of each lot, tract, or parcel.    

A "description" of the property includes the name of the owner, if known, a description of each lot, tract, or parcel, and its value. Under the appropriate headings, the value of personal property is also listed. From the valuation placed on real and personal property, taxes are calculated and placed in an appropriate column according to the rate set by the county legislative body (or other appropriate authority). Dollar marks should be placed to clearly delineate the dollar amounts.²The property located within municipalities should be separated from other property of the county.³

The entries contained in the tax roll may be altered to reflect changes in the status of the property: the acquisition of the property by an entity which is exempt from taxation,⁴revisions due to damaged or incomplete improvements,⁵the roll back of taxes on land previously classified as agricultural, forest, or open space lands,⁶or actions of the State Board of Equalization.⁷The assessor must notify owners of any change in the classification or assessed valuation, usually by mail.⁸Decisions of the State Board of Equalization or the assessment appeals commission are evidenced by a certificate, a copy of which is sent to the owner, chief executive officer, trustee, and assessor.⁹