Eight California counties currently participate in Prop 90 tax base transfers.   They include Alameda, San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Los Angeles, Orange, El Dorado and Ventura.    Santa Clara County supervisors recently voted to keep Prop 90 in place while El Dorado County was a new addition in 2010.

Prop 90 allows people aged 55 & over  to transfer a property’s factored base year value from an existing residence to a replacement residence between the participating counties.   Replacement properties must be of equal or lesser value than the original property.

This means you could sell your long time residence in Palo Alto and purchase a replacement property in San Diego that was of equal or lesser value than your Palo Alto home and apply to have your existing tax base transfer to your new property.    It can be a great benefit if you have owned a home for many years.

The participating counties can change at any time and you should always talk to your financial advisor regarding requirments of your specific situation.