Watsonville property tax: where it goes
A Watsonville house at the typical market value ($686,000) pays about $8,280 a year on the property tax bill, including flat charges on the same bill. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.
A Watsonville house pays 1.219% of its taxable value in property tax. For a house at $686,000 of market value with the homeowners' exemption, that's about $8,276 a year.
Tax is levied on the assessed value determined and enrolled by the county assessor.
Who taxes this house
| Taxing agency | Rate | On $686,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Countywide 1% tax (Prop 13) | 1% | $6,790 |
| City of Watsonville retirement levy | 0.077% | $523 |
| 2024 Pajaro Valley Health Care District bond | 0.0156% | $106 |
| 2002 B Pajaro Valley school district bond (schools) | 0.0246% | $167 |
| 2025 refunding Pajaro Valley school district bond (schools) | 0.0067% | $46 |
| 2012 B Pajaro Valley school district bond (schools) | 0.0019% | $13 |
| 2012 C Pajaro Valley school district bond (schools) | 0.0012% | $8 |
| 2012 D Pajaro Valley school district bond (schools) | 0.0057% | $38 |
| 2020 refunding Pajaro Valley school district bond (schools) | 0.0076% | $52 |
| 2023 refunding Pajaro Valley school district bond (schools) | 0.0062% | $42 |
| 2024 A Pajaro Valley school district bond (schools) | 0.0541% | $367 |
| Cabrillo College 1998 Series D bond (schools) | 0.0014% | $9 |
| Cabrillo College 2004 Series A bond (schools) | 0.0051% | $35 |
| Cabrillo College 2016 refunding bond (schools) | 0.005% | $34 |
| Cabrillo College 2019 A refunding bond (schools) | 0.0015% | $10 |
| Cabrillo College 2019 B refunding bond (schools) | 0.0053% | $36 |
| Total | 1.219% | $8,276 |
2026-27 tax year, Santa Cruz County (tax rate area 02-021). Exemptions applied: Homeowners' exemption ($7,000).
How Watsonville compares with nearby cities
Property tax rate
- Scotts Valley · 16 mi1.12%
- Morgan Hill · 16 mi1.13%
- Santa Cruz · 15 mi1.14%
- Marina · 17 mi1.15%
- Gilroy · 12 mi1.22%
- Watsonville1.22%
The combined rate of every agency on the bill, before exemptions.
Ways to pay less
- Homeowners' exemption: $7,000 off taxable value. The California Constitution provides a $7,000 reduction in the taxable value for a qualifying owner-occupied home. How: The home must have been the owner's principal residence on January 1.
- CARE enrollees: exempt from Watsonville's gas and electric tax. A residential user enrolled in PG&E's CARE program is exempt from the city's gas and electric tax. How: File an exemption application with the city's Tax Administrator.
- Seniors 65+ or SSI-disabled: exempt from the gas and electric tax. A residential user who is 65 or older and head of household, or who meets the SSI disability criteria, is exempt from the gas and electric tax. How: File an exemption application with the city's Tax Administrator.
Sources
Checked October 28, 2026. Every number here comes from the public sources listed, matched by our checker.
Rates change every year; this page shows when it was last checked. Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.
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