County waives clerical fees for people impacted by January storms

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diegans impacted by the severe floods earlier this year will not have to pay feeds associated with the Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk’s Office thanks to a new action by Chair Nora Vargas and Supervisor Joel Anderson.

On Tuesday, Vargas and Anderson introduced a letter at the Board of Supervisors meeting to waive any fees associated with replacing important documents that were damaged or destroyed during the winter storms. The action passed unanimously.

Deadline approaching for flood victims to get property tax relief

Previously, the office was only able to issue free copies of vital records — birth, death and marriage certificates — after Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for the winter storms.

The new waiver covers other essential documents to help residents with the recovery process including proof of property ownership as well as fictitious business name records.

According to the letter, the fiscal impact of waiving copy fees for property and business documents will result in a loss in revenue of about $10,000 for the county.

Meanwhile, flood victims only have until Wednesday to apply for property tax relief. Detailed information about to apply for the deferred tax and the calamity tax relief programs can be found on the County Assessor’s Office website. An online version of the application can be found here.

These deadlines are different from the ones for federal and state taxes for all residents in San Diego County. Back in February, the Internal Revenue Service pushed back the last day to file individual and business tax returns without fines to June 17.

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