Buying a Home in Los Angeles County, CA: Transfer Tax, Closing Costs & Disclosures
Local transfer tax rules, closing-cost customs, and disclosure nuances for buying a home in LA County — not the same everywhere in the county.
Los Angeles County isn't one real estate market — transfer tax rates, who customarily pays which closing cost, and even mansion-tax exposure change depending on which of the county's 88 cities (or unincorporated area) a property sits in. This page covers the county-wide rules; the sub-market pages below cover what's specific to each city.
What’s the transfer tax in Los Angeles County?
The base documentary transfer tax in LA County is $1.10 per $1,000 of sale price, split $0.55 to the county and $0.55 to the city if the property is in an incorporated city.
On an $800,000 sale, that's $880 in base transfer tax. Properties in unincorporated LA County pay the full $1.10 to the county with no city share. Some cities add their own tax on top — the City of Los Angeles historically added $4.50 per $1,000, Culver City $4.50, Santa Monica $3.00 — while others (Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale, Long Beach, Torrance, Beverly Hills, and most unincorporated areas) charge the base rate only. Always verify the specific city's current add-on before relying on a number.
Who pays what at closing?
| Escrow fee | Split 50/50 between buyer and seller |
| Owner's title insurance | Seller (by custom, negotiable) |
| Lender's title insurance | Buyer |
| County + city transfer tax | Seller (by custom, negotiable) |
| Recording fees | Buyer |
“Custom” means convention, not law — every line item above is negotiable in your purchase contract.
Does Measure ULA apply in Los Angeles County?
Measure ULA — LA's 4%/5.5% mansion tax on sales over $5M — applies only inside the City of Los Angeles, not LA County as a whole.
Effective April 1, 2023, Measure ULA adds 4% of the entire sale price for transactions between $5,000,000 and $9,999,999, and 5.5% for $10,000,000 and up, on top of the normal transfer tax. It applies only to properties within the incorporated City of Los Angeles (Brentwood, Bel-Air, Pacific Palisades, Sherman Oaks, and similar LA City neighborhoods). It does not apply in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Culver City, West Hollywood, Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, Long Beach, Santa Clarita, or unincorporated LA County — all separate jurisdictions. Confirm a property's exact city before assuming ULA applies just because the mailing address says "Los Angeles, CA."
Disclosure landscape
- Natural Hazard Disclosure (NHD) covers state-mandated zones — flood, fire, and earthquake — for the specific parcel.
- Fire Hazard Severity Zone status varies block by block in hillside areas; always pull the parcel-specific map, not a neighborhood generalization.
- Mello-Roos / Community Facilities District special taxes must be disclosed under Civil Code §1102.6b — common in newer planned communities, rare in older established neighborhoods.
- LA City has a mandatory soft-story retrofit ordinance for pre-1978 multifamily buildings; most other LA County cities do not have an equivalent mandatory ordinance yet.
Los Angeles County sub-markets
Frequently asked
Who pays the transfer tax when buying a home in LA County?
By custom, the seller pays both the county and city transfer tax in LA County — but this is a matter of contract, not law, and can be negotiated either way.
Does Measure ULA apply everywhere in LA County?
No — Measure ULA only applies to sales within the incorporated City of Los Angeles. It does not apply in separately incorporated cities like Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, or Santa Clarita, even though they are all within LA County.
How do I find out if a specific city has its own transfer tax add-on?
Check that city's Clerk or City Attorney website — add-on rates change periodically and are set city by city, not countywide.
This is educational guidance, not legal advice. Consult a California real estate attorney for legal questions specific to your transaction.