Prop 19 base-year transfers for buyers over 55: keeping your California tax base when you buy here
If you are at least 55 and selling a California principal residence to buy in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel or Pebble Beach, Proposition 19 can let you take your taxable value with you. Here is how the Board of Equalization’s rules work, which form to file in Monterey County, and how timing affects the new tax bill. This page is about the 55+ (and disability) base-year transfer, not parent-child inheritance.
The short version: Under Proposition 19 (effective for base-year transfers on or after April 1, 2021), a homeowner who is at least 55, or severely and permanently disabled, can transfer the factored base year value of a principal residence to a replacement principal residence anywhere in California, up to three times. The replacement must be bought or newly built within two years of selling the original home. There is no cap that blocks a higher-priced Peninsula home: if the replacement costs more than the equal-or-lesser-value test, the excess is added to the transferred base. File claim form BOE-19-B with the Monterey County Assessor after both sales are done and you live in the new home, within three years of buying or finishing the replacement.
Age or disability
Or severely and permanently disabled; disaster path is separate.
Replacement home
Including Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel and Pebble Beach.
Lifetime-year transfers
For age or disability under Prop 19.
Buy or build window
Between selling the original and buying the replacement.
Who can move a tax base under Proposition 19
This is the base-year transfer for people at least 55 or severely disabled. Parent-child inheritance is a different Prop 19 rule.
Age 55 or older
You must be at least 55 on the date you sell the original principal residence. A severely and permanently disabled person of any age can use a parallel claim (forms BOE-19-D and BOE-19-DC).
Principal residence to principal residence
Both the home you sell and the home you buy must be eligible for the homeowners’ or disabled veterans’ exemption. Second homes and most rentals don’t qualify as the original or the replacement.
Anywhere in California
Unlike the old Prop 60/90 rules, the replacement can be in any California county. Selling in the Bay Area and buying in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel or Pebble Beach is exactly the kind of move Prop 19 allows.
Up to three times
You may use the age or disability base-year transfer up to three times under Prop 19, even if you already used a one-time transfer under the old Prop 60/90 rules. A disaster-based transfer does not count against that three-time limit.
Not the same as inheriting
If you inherited a family home, see inheriting a home in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel or Pebble Beach. That page covers the parent-child exclusion and the $1,044,586 allowance for transfers February 16, 2025 – February 15, 2027.
What “any value” really means
You can buy a more expensive Peninsula home. The excess gets added to your old tax base.
Equal or lesser value
If the replacement is of equal or lesser value than the original home’s full cash value (with the timing bands below), the original home’s factored base year value transfers with no upward adjustment.
The timing bands
“Equal or lesser value” means: 100% if you buy or finish the replacement before you sell the original; 105% if you buy or finish it in the first year after the sale; 110% if you buy or finish it in the second year after the sale.
Buying up
If the replacement’s full cash value is above that adjusted original value, the difference is added to the transferred base year value. The BOE’s example: original sold for $400,000 with a $100,000 factored base; replacement bought in year one for $600,000 → compare to $420,000 (105%); $180,000 excess + $100,000 base = $280,000 new taxable value.
Why that matters here
Peninsula medians sit well above many Bay Area starter or long-held tax bases. You often still save versus a full market reassessment, but your new bill is not always the same as the old one. See Carmel and Pebble Beach property taxes for how the roughly 1% base rate and local charges work.
Figures and examples are from the California Board of Equalization’s Proposition 19 page, checked Nov 5, 2026. Your assessor applies the rules to your facts.
The two-year window and when the transfer starts
Miss the window and you lose the transfer.
Two years
Buy or newly construct the replacement within two years of selling the original principal residence. Either the sale or the purchase (but not both) may have occurred before April 1, 2021.
When it takes effect
The transfer is as of the later of (1) the sale of the original home or (2) the purchase or completion of new construction of the replacement.
Buying first
If you buy here before you sell, you pay full market-value taxes on the new home until the original sells. There is no refund for that gap.
No minimum years in the old home
The original home must be eligible for the homeowners’ or disabled veterans’ exemption at sale (or within two years of buying the replacement). There is no fixed minimum occupancy period beyond that.
Form BOE-19-B with the Monterey County Assessor
This is not handled in escrow.
After you move in
File after both transactions are done and you are living in the replacement home.
Which form
Age 55+: Claim for Transfer of Base Year Value to Replacement Primary Residence for Persons at Least Age 55 Years (BOE-19-B). Disability: BOE-19-D plus disability certificate BOE-19-DC. Wildfire or Governor-declared disaster: BOE-19-V.
Where to file
With the Assessor of the county where the replacement home is located. For a Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel or Pebble Beach purchase, that is Monterey County.
Deadline
Within three years of the date the replacement dwelling is purchased or new construction is completed.
Talk before you commit
Monterey County’s Assessor notes that Prop 19 checklists are general. If transferring your assessed value is important to your plans, discuss your facts with the Change in Ownership Section before you make commitments.
How this shows up when you buy on the Peninsula
A few local points buyers ask about.
Carmel-by-the-Sea vs Carmel
The city of Carmel-by-the-Sea and the unincorporated Carmel area around it are both in Monterey County for assessment. The Prop 19 claim is the same county process; the housing and permit rules differ by jurisdiction. See Carmel vs Carmel-by-the-Sea vs Carmel Valley.
Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach homes are also assessed by Monterey County. Private-road, district and club costs are separate from the Prop 19 tax base. See buying a home in Pebble Beach and Pebble Beach HOA and district fees.
Selling to buy
If you are selling a Peninsula home to buy another one here, pair this page with selling in Carmel-by-the-Sea, selling in Carmel or selling a Pebble Beach home.
Get the numbers early
I run purchase scenarios with the Prop 19 math in mind so the tax bill after closing is not a surprise.
Over 55 and looking at the Peninsula?
I help buyers model the Prop 19 timing and the real tax bill on Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel and Pebble Beach homes, then find the right street for how you actually live.
Start with a 30-minute call. Bring your current assessed value if you have it.
Buying in Carmel-by-the-SeaBuying in Pebble BeachBuying in Carmel
Let’s run your numbers
Call or text 831-747-0310, or book a 30-minute call.
Before you rely on this
- Proposition 19 details are from the California Board of Equalization’s Proposition 19 page and the Monterey County Assessor’s change of ownership page, checked Nov 5, 2026. Rules and forms change; confirm with the Assessor and a tax advisor for your facts.
- This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
- Parent-child inheritance under Prop 19 is covered on a separate page and is not repeated here.
Prop 19 base-year transfers: quick questions
Can I transfer my Prop 13 tax base to a Carmel or Pebble Beach home if I am over 55?
Yes, if you meet Proposition 19’s rules: the original home is your principal residence, you are at least 55 (or severely disabled) when you sell it, and you buy or newly construct a replacement principal residence anywhere in California within two years. File BOE-19-B with the Monterey County Assessor.
Is there a price cap on the home I buy?
No hard cap that blocks the transfer. If the replacement costs more than the equal-or-lesser-value test (100%, 105% or 110% of the original’s full cash value, depending on timing), the excess is added to the transferred base year value.
How many times can I use Prop 19?
Up to three times for age or disability transfers under Prop 19, even if you already used a one-time transfer under the old Prop 60/90 rules. Disaster transfers do not count toward that limit.
Do I file the claim in escrow?
No. File after both transactions are complete and you live in the replacement home, with the Assessor of the county where the replacement is located.
What if I buy the Peninsula home before I sell?
You can, as long as the original sells within two years. You pay full market-value taxes on the new home until the original sells, with no refund for that period.
Is this the same as the Prop 19 rule for inherited homes?
No. Inheritance uses the parent-child (intergenerational) exclusion, with different forms and a value allowance. See the inherited-home guide on this site.
Where do I get BOE-19-B?
From the Assessor of the county where your replacement home is located, or from BOE sample forms. For a Monterey County purchase, start with the Monterey County Assessor.
Updated November 2026 · Facts checked Nov 5, 2026 against the California Board of Equalization and the Monterey County Assessor
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