The owners of this home added this 2nd story with permits in 2005. The 2nd story is 532 ft2.

They also finished a garage with sheetrock, electricity for a studio office. Escaping taxes makes it easier to be a fervent advocate of tax increases!

This 702ft2 extra was never captured for the City’s parcel taxes. Berkeley tax measures passed by voters are to be imposed for dwelling square footage. Nor was the assessed value adjusted.

This slip up by the City Finance Department cost the City’s taxpayers $10,014 in parcel taxes since 2005. In 2021, the County Assessor billed the homeowner for escaped ad valorem property taxes for the $53K addition, but only for the past 4 years.

There are hundreds of homes/multi-family buildings escaping tax, but corrections like this are rare. As of the October 2021 billing, the parcel taxes have not yet been corrected.