408
. (a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivisions (b), (c),
(d), (e), and (g), any information and records in the assessor's
office that are not required by law to be kept or prepared by the
assessor, disabled veterans' exemption claims, and homeowners'
exemption claims, are not public documents and shall not be open to
public inspection. Property receiving the homeowners' exemption shall
be clearly identified on the assessment roll. The assessor shall
maintain records which shall be open to public inspection to identify
those claimants who have been granted the homeowners' exemption.
(b) The assessor may provide any appraisal data in his or her
possession to the assessor of any county.
The assessor shall disclose information, furnish abstracts, or
permit access to all records in his or her office to law enforcement
agencies, the county grand jury, the board of supervisors or their
duly authorized agents, employees, or representatives when conducting
an investigation of the assessor's office pursuant to Section 25303
of the Government Code, the county recorder when conducting an
investigation to determine whether a documentary transfer tax is
imposed, the Controller, employees of the Controller for property tax
postponement purposes, probate referees, employees of the Franchise
Tax Board for tax administration purposes only, staff appraisers of
the Department of Financial Institutions, the Department of
Transportation, the Department of General Services, the State Board
of Equalization, the State Lands Commission, the State Department of
Social Services, the Department of Child Support Services, the
Department of Water Resources, and other duly authorized legislative
or administrative bodies of the state pursuant to their authorization
to examine the records. Whenever the assessor discloses information,
furnishes abstracts, or permits access to records in his or her
office to staff appraisers of the Department of Business Oversight,
the Department of Transportation, the Department of General Services,
the State Lands Commission, or the Department of Water Resources
pursuant to this section, the department shall reimburse the assessor
for any costs incurred as a result thereof.
(c) Upon the request of the tax collector, the assessor shall
disclose and provide to the tax collector information used in the
preparation of that portion of the unsecured roll for which the taxes
thereon are delinquent. The tax collector shall certify to the
assessor that he or she needs the information requested for the
enforcement of the tax lien in collecting those delinquent taxes.
Information requested by the tax collector may include social
security numbers, and the assessor shall recover from the tax
collector his or her actual and reasonable costs for providing the
information. The tax collector shall add the costs described in the
preceding sentence to the assessee's delinquent tax lien and collect
those costs subject to subdivision (e) of Section 2922.
(d) The assessor shall, upon the request of an assessee or his or
her designated representative, permit the assessee or representative
to inspect or copy any market data in the assessor's possession. For
purposes of this subdivision, "market data" means any information in
the assessor's possession, whether or not required to be prepared or
kept by him or her, relating to the sale of any property comparable
to the property of the assessee, if the assessor bases his or her
assessment of the assessee's property, in whole or in part, on that
comparable sale or sales. The assessor shall provide the names of the
seller and buyer of each property on which the comparison is based,
the location of that property, the date of the sale, and the
consideration paid for the property, whether paid in money or
otherwise. However, for purposes of providing market data, the
assessor may not display any document relating to the business
affairs or property of another.
(e) (1) With respect to information, documents, and records, other
than market data as defined in subdivision (d), the assessor shall,
upon request of an assessee of property, or his or her designated
representative, permit the assessee or representative to inspect or
copy all information, documents, and records, including auditors'
narrations and workpapers, whether or not required to be kept or
prepared by the assessor, relating to the appraisal and the
assessment of the assessee's property, and any penalties and interest
thereon.
(2) After enrolling an assessment, the assessor shall respond to a
written request for information supporting the assessment,
including, but not limited to, any appraisal and other data requested
by the assessee.
(3) Except as provided in Section 408.1, an assessee, or his or
her designated representative, may not be permitted to inspect or
copy information and records that also relate to the property or
business affairs of another, unless that disclosure is ordered by a
competent court in a proceeding initiated by a taxpayer seeking to
challenge the legality of the assessment of his or her property.
(f) (1) Permission for the inspection or copying requested
pursuant to subdivision (d) or (e) shall be granted as soon as
reasonably possible to the assessee or his or her designated
representative.
(2) If the assessee, or his or her designated representative,
requests the assessor to make copies of any of the requested records,
the assessee shall reimburse the assessor for the reasonable costs
incurred in reproducing and providing the copies.
(3) If the assessor fails to permit the inspection or copying of
materials or information as requested pursuant to subdivision (d) or
(e) and the assessor introduces any requested materials or
information at any assessment appeals board hearing, the assessee or
his or her representative may request and shall be granted a
continuance for a reasonable period of time. The continuance shall
extend the two-year period specified in subdivision (c) of Section
1604 for a period of time equal to the period of continuance.
(g) Upon the written request of the tax collector, the assessor
shall provide to the tax collector information for the preparation
and enforcement of Part 6 (commencing with Section 3351). The tax
collector shall certify to the assessor that he or she needs the
contact information to assist with the preparation and enforcement of
Part 6 (commencing with Section 3351). The assessor shall provide
the information, which may not include social security numbers. Any
information provided to the tax collector pursuant to this
subdivision shall not become a public record and shall not be open to
public inspection. The tax collector shall reimburse the assessor
for the actual and reasonable costs incurred by the assessor for
providing the information to administer this subdivision. The tax
collector shall add the costs described in the preceding sentence to
the assessee's delinquent taxes and include the costs incurred
subject to Sections 4112 and 4672.2. The tax collector or his or her
designated employee shall, under penalty of perjury, certify to the
assessor that he or she needs the information to assist with the
preparation and enforcement of Part 6 (commencing with Section 3351),
and that the information provided pursuant to this subdivision that
is not public record and that is not open to public inspection shall
not become public record and shall not be open to public inspection.