Article 1.7. Assessment Hearing Officers of California Revenue And Taxation Code >> Division 1. >> Part 3. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 1.7.

The county board of supervisors may appoint one or more assessment hearing officers or contract with the Office of Administrative Hearings for the services of an administrative law judge pursuant to Chapter 14 (commencing with Section 27720) of Part 3 of Division 2 of Title 3 of the Government Code to conduct hearings on any assessment protests filed under Article 1 (commencing with Section 1601) of this chapter and to make recommendations to the county board of equalization or assessment appeals board concerning the protests. Only persons meeting the qualifications prescribed by Section 1624 may be appointed as an assessment hearing officer.

(a) Hearings before an assessment hearing officer shall be conducted pursuant to the provisions of Article 1 (commencing with Section 1601) governing equalization proceedings by a county board of equalization or an assessment appeals board. The assessment hearing officer may conduct hearings on applications where all of the following apply:
  (1) The applicant is the assessee and has filed an application under Section 1603.
  (2) For counties in which the board of supervisors has not adopted the provisions of Section 1641.1, the total assessed value of the property under consideration, as shown on the current assessment roll, does not exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000); or the property under consideration is a single-family dwelling, condominium or cooperative, or a multiple-family dwelling of four units or less regardless of value.
  (3) The applicant has requested that the hearing be held before an assessment hearing officer.
  (b) In addition to subdivision (a), the board of supervisors may, by resolution, require the assent of the assessor to hearings before an assessment hearing officer in all cases in which the total assessed value on the current roll of the property under consideration exceeds a sum set by the resolution. However, that requirement shall not apply in cases involving owner-occupied residential property.

The applicant may be represented in the hearing of the application and shall have the right to offer evidence. The assessor may be represented in the hearing by an attorney if the applicant is represented by an attorney and one or more members of his staff, and the assessor and members of his staff shall have the right to offer evidence. The hearing shall be conducted in accordance with Section 1609. The hearing and disposition of applications shall be conducted in an informal manner.

The hearing officer shall conduct the hearing and shall prepare a summary report of the proceedings together with his recommendation on the assessment protest. The hearing officer shall transmit his report and recommendation to the clerk of the board of supervisors. The report and recommendation shall not constitute precedent for future proceedings initiated by the applicant or other applicants.

The clerk shall transmit in writing at the conclusion of the hearing or by mail to the protesting party or his or her agent and shall transmit to the county board of equalization or assessment appeals board the hearing officer's report and recommendation on the assessment protest. The protesting party shall be informed that the county board of equalization is bound by the recommendation of the assessment hearing officer.

(a) The clerk shall transmit in writing at the conclusion of the hearing or by mail to the protesting party or his or her agent and shall transmit to the county board of equalization or assessment appeals board, the hearing officer's report and recommendation on the assessment protest. The protesting party shall be informed that the county board of equalization or the assessment appeals board is not bound by the recommendation of the assessment hearing officer and that he or she or the assessor is entitled to a full hearing before the county board or the assessment appeals board.
  (b) The provision of this section shall supersede the provisions of Section 1640 in those counties in which the board of supervisors by resolution adopts the provisions of this section.

Upon the recommendation of an assessment hearing officer the county board of equalization or assessment appeals board shall establish the assessed value for the property at the value recommended by the hearing officer.

(a) Upon being notified of the recommendation of an assessment hearing officer, the protesting party or the assessor may request the county board of equalization or assessment appeals board to accept or reject the recommendation of the assessment hearing officer. The assessor may request the board to reject the recommendation of the assessment hearing officer. The county board of equalization or assessment appeals board shall, without further testimony, do either of the following:
  (1) Accept the recommendation and change the assessed value in accordance with Section 1610.8.
  (2) Reject the recommendation and set the application for reduction for hearing by the local board of equalization. If a request is not filed with the county board of equalization or assessment appeals board, the protesting party or the assessor may, within 14 days after mailing of the hearing officer's report and recommendation, make application for a hearing before the county board or the assessment appeals board, and the application shall be set for hearing by the county board or the assessment appeals board. The board may consider, but shall not be bound by, the recommendation of the assessment hearing officer.
  (b) The provisions of this section shall supersede the provisions of Section 1641 in those counties in which the board of supervisors by resolution adopts the provisions of this section.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 1604, if within 90 days of the expiration of the two-year period specified in Section 1604 within which a county board is required to hear evidence and make a final determination on an application for reduction in assessment, a taxpayer or his or her agent objects to an assessment appeals board member pursuant to Section 1624.4 or makes application for a hearing officer's recommendation to be heard before the county board pursuant to Section 1641.1, the two-year period shall be extended by 90 days.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the board of supervisors of a county in which a hearing officer exercises jurisdiction pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1637 may, by a resolution enacted by a majority of the entire membership of that board, provide that the decision of a hearing officer on an assessment appeal application constitutes the final administrative decision of the county board of equalization or county assessment appeals board on that application without any further action by the county board of equalization or county assessment appeals board.
  (b) In a county that adopts the resolution described in subdivision (a), that resolution supersedes Sections 1640 and 1641.