Berkeley · Buying & selling
Buying or selling a home in Berkeley
Berkeley charges a city documentary transfer tax and a separate real property transfer tax whose rate rises with the price. Seller disclosures and property tax follow state law.
Key points
- Transfer tax: From 2027, Berkeley’s property transfer tax rises with price: 1½% below $1,600,000 to 3½% at $3,000,000 or more, thresholds adjusted annually.
- Seller disclosures: State law: single-family sellers must give a Transfer Disclosure Statement unless exempt, and written smoke alarm and water heater bracing statements.
- Property tax: State law caps general property tax at 1% of value; property is reassessed on sale, and its base value rises at most 2% yearly.
Each rule below is marked Berkeley code or CA state law and links to the section it comes from (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.
Transfer tax
Berkeley code From 2027, Berkeley’s property transfer tax rises with price: 1½% below $1,600,000 to 3½% at $3,000,000 or more, thresholds adjusted annually.
All 13 Berkeley rules on transfer tax, with the code text and the state law underneath →
Seller disclosures
CA state law California law sets this statewide. Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS) — who must give it: Sellers of single-family residential property must give the buyer a Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement (sale, exchange, installment contract, lease-option or ground lease with improvements) (Civ. Code §§ 1102(a), 1102.2). Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement (NHD): Sellers must disclose if the property is in a special flood hazard area, dam inundation area, very high fire hazard severity zone, earthquake fault zone, seismic hazard zone, or wildland fire area (Civ. Code § 1103(c)). California seller disclosure rules — the full state rule →
Property tax after you buy
CA state law California law sets this statewide. 1% property tax limit (Prop 13): The general property tax on real property may not exceed 1% of its full cash value; voter-approved bond debt is levied on top (Cal. Const. art. XIII A, § 1(a), (b)). 2% annual cap on assessed value: The base year value rises each year by the California CPI change, but never more than 2% (Rev. & Tax. Code § 51(a)(1)(D)). California property tax rules — the full state rule →
Who this affects
General information, not legal advice.
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