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Mills Act

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Mills Act Property Tax Abatement Program - California Office of Historic Preservation
The Mills Act encourages property owners of historic and/or architecturally significant homes to maintain the architectural integrity of their properties for at least a ten year period. First your qualified property needs to become officially registered. Once registered, homeowners may realize property tax savings of between 40-60%.

FAQs - Historic Property/Mills Act - California State Board of Equilization
FAQ on the Mills Act program and it's benefits.

Pasadena's Mills Act Program
Get Pasadena's program details and application information.

Pasadena's Historic Property Inventory Database (http://pasadena.cfwebtools.com/)
The California Historical Resources Inventory Database (CHRID) promotes and protects cultural heritage through documenting and sharing information on historical resources. CHRID was developed through the California State Office of Historic Preservation's Certified Local Government (CLG) Grant Program and partially funded through the Federal Historic Preservation Fund Program.  Search for properties here (http://pasadena.cfwebtools.com/search.cfm?display=search).

Pasadena's Historic Property Contract Program
You don't need to be a professional to apply.  This document describes in detail how to apply yourself.

 

How to self-apply for the Mills Act

  1. Fill in application
    • Legal Description: Use legal description on your tax records.  This would also be on the grant deed.
  2. Photographs
    • Include about 30 to 40 photographs.
    • Printed photos can be from a inkjet printer on 8.5 x 11 paper.
    • Burn photos to a CD.
  3. Site Plan
  4. Maintenance Plan and Timeline
    • Sample maintenance plan on page 23 of this document.
    • Project completion year is very important, be sure that you can meet these deadlines.

* Note:  The Design & Historic Preservation Section Planning Department of Pasadena will work with you if they see a historical significance for the City of Pasadena.  It is in their best interest to obtain historical landmark status and Mills Act designation to ensure preservation of the history of the city.

How to calculate Mills Act Property Taxes

Mills Act property taxes are calculated in three ways.  The lowest calculation of the three below is used on your tax bill.  This will only be an estimate as there are local rates not included in this calculation.

  1. Assessment Rate
    • This is the traditional method for property taxes.  It is the fair market value of the home multiplied by the current year's property tax rate.
    • Click here to get the current Los Angeles County property tax rate.
    • To get the rate for your actual area go here.  If your Assessor's ID Number (AIN) is AAAA-BBB-CCC D take the BBB value without zeros and put is into the tax rate field on this page.
  2. Income Rate
    • This is the fair market rental value of your home if you were to actually rent the home for income multiplied by a property tax factor.
  3. Mills Rate Method
    • With the Mills Method, the tax rate is described as "mills per $1".  (This is the amount of tax for every $1000 of assessed property value.)
    • The tax is found using the following formula.  Tax = Assessed Value X Mil Rate / $1000.