Buying or selling a home in Santa Monica

Each rule below is marked Santa Monica code or CA state law and links to the section it comes from (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

Santa Monica code City rule: the transfer tax is $3 per $1,000 of price or value when the price or value is under $5,000,000. City rule: the transfer tax is $6 per $1,000 for a price or value of $5,000,000 or more but under $8,000,000. City rule: the transfer tax is $56 per $1,000 for a price or value of $8,000,000 or more. City rule: the tax applies only above $100; anyone who makes, signs or issues the taxed document, or benefits from it, is fully liable.

All 10 Santa Monica rules on transfer tax, with the code text and the state law underneath →

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 →

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 →