Will an Orange County Remodel Raise Your School Taxes?

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is about school taxes.

School taxes are something that was passed about 15 or 20 years ago. If you’re doing an Orange County Remodel that includes a room addition, chances are you’ll have to pay school taxes.

Every city is a little different. It ranges from $2.50 a square foot to $5.50 a square foot. It is something you will have to check on with your local school district. Keep in mind that if your addition is fairly small, under 500 square feet, you will not have to pay school taxes.

It’s a one time shot. You make your check out to the local school district. But it is something you have to pay before you can get your final permit and your plans approved.

Sometimes contractors will tell you about the school taxes and other times they won’t because they’re afraid adding one more cost to your Orange County home remodeling project will cause you to not go through with your addition.

The only way around this is what I did for one customer in Huntington Beach, where we added onto their house three different times at 499 sq ft each time.

That was definitely not the most cost effective way to go, but as they had no children and wanted to avoid the extra tax. That was the only way to get around paying it unless of course you keep your room addition under 500 sq ft.

I’d say that 70 to 80% of my work is right around 498 square feet.

If you have any other questions about remodeling in Orange County, room additions or home improvement, please give me a call. (714) 931-0295.