California Codes

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code § 4985.2 (2026)

Generally — Cancellations

✓ leginfo export of Sept. 26, 2026 (applied Oct. 1, 2026)
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Any penalty, costs, or other charges resulting from tax delinquency may be canceled by the auditor or the tax collector upon a finding of any of the following:

(a)Failure to make a timely payment is due to reasonable cause and circumstances beyond the taxpayer’s control, and occurred notwithstanding the exercise of ordinary care in the absence of willful neglect, provided the principal payment for the proper amount of the tax due is made no later than June 30 of the fourth fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the tax became delinquent.

(b)There was an inadvertent error in the amount of payment made by the taxpayer, provided the principal payment for the proper amount of the tax due is made within 10 days after the notice of shortage is mailed by the tax collector.

(c)The cancellation was ordered by a local, state, or federal court.

(d)(1)Failure to make a timely payment is due to a documented hardship, as determined by the tax collector, arising from a shelter-in-place order if the principal payment for the proper amount of tax due is paid no later than June 30 of the fiscal year in which the payment first became delinquent.

(2)For purposes of this subdivision, “shelter-in-place order” means an order that meets all of the following criteria:

(A)The order is issued by the Governor or the local health officer of the city, county, or city and county in which the property is located or in which the property owner resides.

(B)The order is enforceable under Section 101029 or 120295 of the Health and Safety Code.

(C)The order requires all persons to remain in their place of residence, except for essential activities as defined in the order.

(e)(1)Failure to make a timely payment is due to a documented hardship, as determined by the tax collector, arising from the Chiquita Canyon elevated temperature landfill event, if the principal payment for the proper amount of tax due is paid no later than June 30 of the fourth fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the tax became delinquent.

(2)For purposes of this subdivision, “Chiquita Canyon elevated temperature landfill event” means an event that meets all of the following criteria:

(A)The elevated temperature landfill event occurred beneath the Chiquita Canyon Landfill in the County of Los Angeles and began in 2022.

(B)The Department of Toxic Substances Control issued an imminent and substantial endangerment order to the owners of the landfill.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 2 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 2010–2025 · leading case: ZC Real State Tax Solutions Ltd. v. Ford, 191 Cal. App. 4th 378 (Cal. Ct. App. 2010).
ZC Real State Tax Solutions Ltd. v. Ford, 191 Cal. App. 4th 378 (Cal. Ct. App. 2010). “Revenue and Taxation Code section 4985.2, subdivision (a), provides that a penalty resulting from failure to make a timely real estate tax payment may be canceled if the failure “is due to reasonable cause and circumstances beyond the taxpayer’s control, and occurred…”
Al-Mansur v. Cnty. of Alameda, No. 3:24-cv-06909 (N.D. Cal. May 30, 2025). “Al-Mansur argued in his state court case that he had 26 satisfied certain statutory conditions for cancellation of property tax penalties under California 27 Revenue and Taxation Code § 4985.2, requiring Defendants to accept his payment for the 1 139 Cal.”
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