San Diego business property statement
Business property statement deadlines and threshold
- Owners who paid $100,000 or more in total for business equipment, fixtures and supplies must file every year under state law.
- Owners file by April 1, and the Assessor adds a 10 percent penalty to the assessed value when they file after May 7 (2026).
- Owners can e-file from February 1 to May 31 and file on paper after that.
The San Diego County Assessor values business personal property, such as a Convoy Street restaurant's ovens or a Kearny Mesa machine shop's lathes, each January 1. The Assessor mails about 60,000 statements and notices a year. Owners report what the business owned on that date on the San Diego business property statement.
Who must file Form 571-L in San Diego County
Under Revenue and Taxation Code section 441, anyone who paid $100,000 or more in total for taxable personal property files a signed statement each year. Anyone the Assessor asks files too, whatever the total.
Smaller businesses with steady values receive an Important Assessment Notice and return it only after a change in value, ownership or status, or when the business closes. Owners can request a Form 571-L from the Business Division at 858-505-6100.
San Diego business property statement deadlines and penalty
- The Assessor adds a 10 percent penalty to the assessed value of a statement filed after May 7.
- For a May 7 on a weekend or legal holiday, the Assessor applies the penalty only after the next business day.
How to file a business property statement
- Open the Assessor's e-File Program with the account number and access code printed on the letter.
- List equipment, furniture, fixtures and supplies by year acquired and cost; the Assessor applies its own depreciation tables.
- Submit by May 7 and keep the confirmation.
Owners send address changes to the Business Division at 9225 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92123. The County uses that address for notices and unsecured tax bills.
The County Treasurer-Tax Collector sends the San Diego unsecured property tax bill, separate from any property tax bill on the building.
Business personal property tax for a Kearny Mesa machine shop
The shop paid $150,000 for its equipment, the Assessor values it at $90,000 after depreciation, and the County Auditor reports an average 2025-26 rate of 1.16729 percent:
- Tax filed on time: $90,000 × 1.16729 percent = $1,050.56
- Assessed value with the late penalty: $90,000 + 10 percent = $99,000
- Tax filed after May 7: $99,000 × 1.16729 percent = $1,155.62, or $105.06 more
When to hire a CPA for business personal property
A clinic leasing imaging equipment, or a lab that moved mid-year between Sorrento Valley and Carlsbad, reports leased and relocated property under separate rules. Before handing over the statement, read how to choose a CPA.