National City · Buying & selling
Buying or selling a home in National City
National City has its own transfer tax on property sales, owed by anyone who signs or issues the transfer document or benefits from it. Seller disclosures and property tax after a purchase follow state law.
Key points
- Transfer tax: National City taxes transfers at $0.55 per $1,000 of the consideration or value of the property conveyed.
- Seller disclosures: State law requires sellers of single-family homes to give buyers a Transfer Disclosure Statement; court-ordered, foreclosure and some other sales are exempt.
- Property tax: State law caps the general property tax at 1% of full cash value, plus voter-approved debt; base year value rises at most 2% yearly.
Each rule below is marked National City code or CA state law and links to the section it comes from (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.
Transfer tax
National City code National City taxes transfers at $0.55 per $1,000 of the consideration or value of the property conveyed.
All 4 National City 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 →
Sidewalk repairs
National City code If the city must do the maintenance, its cost becomes a lien collected on the property tax bill. Owners or those in charge must keep adjacent sidewalks, curbs and gutters free of dirt and debris and properly maintained.
All 3 National City rules on sidewalk repairs, with the code text →
Who this affects
General information, not legal advice.
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