Gilroy (95020) effective property tax rate runs roughly 1.18% in 2026, slightly higher than Morgan Hill's 1.14% because of additional school district and city assessments. On a $1.2M Gilroy home, that's about $14,160 per year. If you're buying, inheriting, or moving as an over-55 homeowner, the math gets more complicated and the savings can be enormous.
Use our free Gilroy Property Tax + Prop 19 Calculator to run all three scenarios in 60 seconds.
Gilroy property tax bills are the sum of:
For a typical Gilroy home in an established neighborhood, the all-in effective rate runs about 1.18%. New developments with active CFD bonds can run 1.4 to 1.6%. The Calculator looks up your specific rate based on your zip and parcel characteristics.
When you buy, the home gets reassessed to your purchase price on close. Year 1 property tax = purchase price × 1.18%. There's also a one-time supplemental tax bill that catches up the prorated difference between the seller's old assessed value and your new purchase price, covering the months between close and the next July 1 lien date. Most first-time Gilroy buyers don't see this coming. The Calculator estimates both.
California Prop 19 (Feb 16 2021) replaced the old Prop 58 parent-child transfer rules. To keep your parent's low Prop 13 base when you inherit:
The current exclusion cap (through Feb 15 2027) is $1,044,586. If the home's market value at transfer is below your parent's assessed value plus that cap, the full base transfers. If it's above, you pay the difference at the new rate. The Calculator runs this math for you.
If you're 55+ and moving (within California, up to 3 times in your lifetime), you can carry your old assessed value with you to a replacement home. Same county, different county, doesn't matter under Prop 19. The Calculator handles the replacement-home calculation.
Santa Clara County publishes a generic property tax tool, but it's designed for tax professionals. Ours speaks plain English, runs all three scenarios from one form, and flags the three Prop 19 filing deadlines (12 months, 1 year, 3 years) that wreck families who miss them. We use the actual SCC Tax Rate Book published rates for 95020, not state-wide averages.
Plug your scenario into the Gilroy Property Tax + Prop 19 Calculator. Pick your scenario (buying, inheriting, over-55), enter the relevant numbers, and you'll get a real tax estimate in 60 seconds.
Sheena and Ryan cover Morgan Hill, Gilroy, and San Martin in a free weekly newsletter. Subscribe here.