The transfer taxes on a Los Angeles sale.

The County's tax is $0.55 per $500 of consideration or value, not counting liens that remain (Revenue and Taxation Code 11911 to 11933). The Registrar-Recorder collects it.[1]

Five cities have their own rates: Culver City, Los Angeles, Pomona, Redondo Beach and Santa Monica.[1]

The City of Los Angeles taxes a transfer at $2.25 per $500 (0.45%) of consideration or value, not counting liens that remain (Municipal Code 21.9.2(a)).[2][3]

Since April 1, 2023, Measure ULA applies in addition to the base tax, computed on consideration or value including liens. For transactions closing after June 30, 2026, it is 4% on transfers over $5,400,000 and under $10,900,000, and 5.5% at $10,900,000 or more.[3]

The rate applies to the whole price, so the step at each threshold is large. The thresholds are adjusted every year by the Bureau of Labor Statistics chained consumer price index, and the current ones apply to transactions closing after June 30, 2026.[2][3]

Qualifying affordable housing buyers apply for exemptions through the Housing Department, and certain nonprofits and government entities through the Office of Finance.[3][4]

Proposition TE, a City of Los Angeles measure, would give a one-time exemption from Measure ULA, or a refund of ULA already paid, for a residential property the Palisades Fire damaged or destroyed, when the person who owned it on January 7, 2025 sells it between January 7, 2025 and January 6, 2030. It covers residential property only and needs a majority of the votes.[5][6]

Statewide, ACA 22 is on the ballot as Proposition 43. From January 1, 2027, no local government, voters using the initiative included, could impose, extend or increase a special tax without a two-thirds vote. It would also bar local ad valorem taxes on real property except as the Constitution already allows; that part names no start date.[7][8][9]

AB 736, a bill to limit local transfer taxes, last moved on June 25, 2026, when its Senate committee hearing was postponed. The last day for each house to pass bills in the 2025 to 2026 session was August 31, 2026, so it didn't pass this session.[10][11]