Assessor

Many of the records kept by the Assessor are considered public documents.

Public information includes: secured and unsecured assessment rolls, Assessor's parcel number, owner's name (secured only), property address, mailing address,  assessed values, exemption values, tax rate area code, zoning code, land use code, Recorder's book and page, parcel maps and property characteristics.

Property Owner's Access to Confidential Records: The owner of any property (with photo identification) or that owner’s agent (with an original letter of authorization bearing an original signature) may view all public and confidential information pertaining to his/her own property at no charge. 

• Property Owner's Letter of Authorization​​​​

Information available by telephone and e-mail: Staff will provide general information for up to 2 parcels per telephone call or e-mail per day. You will need to provide the property address or parcel number to obtain information by telephone or e-mail. Ownership name searches and building characteristic information is not available by telephone or email.

Telephone: 916-875-0700, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

E-mail: assessor@saccounty.gov​

Building (Structure) Characteristics: The Assessor’s Office maintains building characteristics information for assessment purposes. The actual drawing (footprint) is a confidential document made available only to an owner or the owner’s agent (with an original letter of authorization signed by the property owner). 

Building Permits: Permitting Agencies are the official source of building permit and plan information and these agencies maintain permit and plan information. Although these agencies provide permit data and plans to the Assessor for property tax assessment purposes, the Assessor is not required by law to keep these records and may not have all permitting and plan information. The Assessor is an independent agency and Assessor records are legally required to be separately maintained from the permitting agencies. By law, any building permit information contained in the Assessor records is confidential except to the current owner of record. Owners can contact our office for assistance with permit information that may or may not be available in their assessment records. Non-owners should contact the applicable permitting agency for assistance with access to building permit information. ​The Assessor cannot provide confidential assessor records, including building permit and plan information, to non-owners without the Property Owner's Letter of Authorization​.

​Permitting Agencies within Sacramento County:​ 

• Citrus Heights Building Permits       
• Elk Grove Building Permits
  
• Folsom Building Permits
• Isleton Building Permits​​
• Rancho Cordova Building Permits
  
• City of Sacramento Building Permits
• Sacramento County Building Permits​​

Confidential Non-Public Records: The Assessor also keeps many records which are confidential under the law. Examples of documents that are not open to public inspection include: 

• Business Property Statements
• Change in Ownership Statements
• Exclusion Forms
• Homeowners' Exemption Claims
• Preliminary Change in Ownership Reports
• Property Appraisal Records
• Property Building Records (except for property characteristics)
• Property Sales Data (Market Comp​arables​​​) collected by the Assessor​
• Property statements and correspondence of any sort requested from owners by the Assessor

The law also specifies that certain law enforcement, certain governmental investigative agencies, and certain agencies of the State of California have access to all Assessor’s records (ref R&T 408).

If you wish to explore Assessor’s record confidentiality in more detail, recommended reading would include Revenue and Taxation Code Sections 162, 218.5, 327, 408-408.3, 409, 481, 531, 601-602, Property Tax Rule 135(e), and Government Code Sections 6250-6254, also known as the Public Records Act.