Property tax · FY 2025-26 rates
Mello-Roos in Escondido: what it costs
Written by Sofia Azizi, CA DRE# 02108624 · Updated 2026-09-11
Escondido’s five Mello-Roos districts are each tied to one development, and the county’s FY 2025-26 roll shows what each collects: Eureka Springs’ CFD 2006-01 levies $1,061,528.86 on 337 parcels, The Villages’ CFD 2020-2 $669,473.44 on 380, Eclipse/Mountain House’s CFD 2022-1 $225,787.88 on 113, Hidden Trails’ CFD 2000-01 $205,365 on 290, and Escondido Union School District’s CFD 2019-1 $356,787.98 on 244 — at $0.49154 per square foot of house for the newest cohort. Hidden Trails ends by FY 2034-35, Eureka Springs by FY 2046-47; the two newest districts run up to 50 years.
How much is Mello-Roos in Escondido?
Escondido publishes rate schedules for two of its five districts: The Villages’ CFD 2020-2 assigned $1,769 a year for a home under 1,450 sq ft, rising through nine size classes to $2,739 above 3,199 sq ft, in its FY 2020-21 base year, escalating 2 percent every July 1 since — about 10 percent higher by FY 2025-26 — and Escondido Union School District’s CFD 2019-1 charges $0.49154 per square foot of assessable space for homes first taxed in FY 2023-24 or later, $983 a year on a 2,000 sq ft house, with earlier cohorts fixed at $0.40373 to $0.45871; for Hidden Trails, Eureka Springs and Eclipse/Mountain House the county roll gives totals and parcel counts but no per-home schedule is posted.
The roll for FY 2025-26: Eureka Springs $1,061,528.86 on 337 parcels, The Villages $669,473.44 on 380, Eclipse/Mountain House $225,787.88 on 113, Hidden Trails $205,365.00 on 290, and the school district’s CFD 2019-1 $356,787.98 on 244. The Villages’ rate and method also carries a price-point clause: the assigned tax can be adjusted against the minimum sale prices a consultant establishes, which is unusual and worth reading before relying on the table.
Special District Financing & Administration answers payoff and rate questions for the four city districts at (760) 233-2630, KeyAnalytics for the school district at (877) 575-0265, and the county’s parcel search returns every line on an address.
When does Escondido Mello-Roos end?
Escondido’s districts have dated ends: Hidden Trails’ CFD 2000-01 may not be levied after FY 2034-35, and its 2013 refunding bonds ($2,355,000 issued) had $1,500,000 outstanding at the last report the city posted; Eureka Springs’ CFD 2006-01 may not be levied after FY 2046-47, with $11,095,000 of its 2015 refunding bonds ($13,745,000 issued) outstanding at that report; The Villages and Eclipse/Mountain House may be levied for up to 50 years after each parcel became developed property, with bonds authorized up to $16 million and $6 million.
The posted CDIAC reports are as of June 30, 2022; later filings sit with the state. The school district’s CFD 2019-1 taxes each parcel for 35 fiscal years and never after FY 2069-70, with the base rate for new cohorts rising by the greater of 2 percent or the State Allocation Board index and a developed parcel’s rate rising 2 percent a year. Hidden Trails and Eureka Springs publish no escalator; The Villages’ is 2 percent.
Which Escondido homes pay Mello-Roos?
Escondido’s districts sit where the city’s own page puts them: Hidden Trails along Hidden Trails Road, Meadow Creek Lane, Oak Valley Lane, Hidden View Lane, Hidden Estates Lane and Willow Tree Lane in the northeast; Eureka Springs east of the Escondido Creek channel and north of East El Norte Parkway; The Villages on the former Escondido Country Club east of North Nutmeg Street and north of West El Norte Parkway; Eclipse/Mountain House at the southwest corner of Brotherton Road and South Centre City Parkway; and the school district’s CFD 2019-1 on Edencrest and the tracts annexed since — Beazer’s homes north of North Avenue, Nutmeg 134, Sonora Hills, Dixon Trail, Amanda Lane, Capistrano and Rosegate.
Everything else in the city carries none: the older stock that makes up most of Escondido predates all five districts, which is the quiet half of the Escondido guide’s affordability arithmetic. Hidden Trails financed its own backbone streets, water and sewer; Eureka Springs its streets, storm drains, sewer and utility undergrounding; The Villages and Eclipse/Mountain House a longer list that runs from drainage to the animal shelter.
The districts and their rates
| District | Annual tax, FY 2025-26 | Range and cap | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| City CFD 2020-2 (The Villages) Fund 6038-62 · facilities | $2,359 FY 2020-21 (base year; +2% each July since), the latest published · assigned special tax for a 2,200–2,449 sq ft home in the FY 2020-21 base year; nine classes from $1,769 (under 1,450 sq ft) to $2,739 (over 3,199 sq ft); each rises 2% every July 1, so the FY 2025-26 schedule is about 10.4% higher | $1,769 to $2,739 base; county roll FY 2025-26 $669,473.44 on 380 parcels assigned rates +2% a year; undeveloped land $24,346 an acre, +2% | no later than 50 years after a parcel became developed property |
| Escondido Union SD CFD 2019-1 Fund 6121-01 · facilities | $0.49154 per sq ft homes first taxed in FY 2023-24 or later (a 2,000 sq ft home: $983.08); earlier cohorts $0.40373 (2019-20), $0.40405 (2020-22), $0.45871 (2022-23) | $0.40373 to $0.49154 per sq ft; county roll FY 2025-26 $356,787.98 on 244 parcels base rate for new cohorts rises by the greater of 2% or the State Allocation Board index; a developed parcel's rate then rises 2% a year | 35 fiscal years per parcel; never after FY 2069-70 |
| City CFD 2006-01 (Eureka Springs) Fund 6038-54 · facilities | not found per home county roll FY 2025-26: $1,061,528.86 on 337 parcels; no rate schedule is posted | not published per parcel not found | may not be levied after FY 2046-47 |
| City CFD 2000-01 (Hidden Trails) Fund 6038-42 · facilities | not found per home county roll FY 2025-26: $205,365.00 on 290 parcels; no rate schedule is posted | not published per parcel not found | may not be levied after FY 2034-35 |
| City CFD 2022-1 (Eclipse / Mountain House) Fund 6038-63 · facilities | not found per home county roll FY 2025-26: $225,787.88 on 113 parcels; the rate table is not in the posted resolution text | not published per parcel not found | no later than 50 years after a parcel became developed property |
The County Auditor publishes a parcel lookup, County of San Diego special assessments parcel search, which returns the current levy for a specific address. Use it before an offer; the table above tells you what to expect, the lookup tells you what is true for that parcel.
A Mello-Roos amount is specific to the parcel, not the neighborhood: it varies by district, improvement area and the phase a home was built in. The authoritative figure is the line item on the property tax bill, which names the district and gives a contact number. Figures above are the administrators’ published rates for fiscal year 2025-26, retrieved 2026-09-08; most districts escalate annually, so next year’s bill will be higher by the stated percentage.
Sources
- City of Escondido, Resolution 2020-25 — rate and method of apportionment for CFD 2020-2 (Exhibit C, Table 1) — City CFD 2020-2 (The Villages), high confidence. The rate and method lets the assigned tax be adjusted against a price-point study; the table is the base schedule.
- Escondido Union School District, resolution setting CFD 2019-1 special tax rates for FY 2025-26 (Exhibit A) — Escondido Union SD CFD 2019-1, high confidence
- City of Escondido, Community Facilities Districts page and the Eureka Ranch CDIAC fiscal status report — City CFD 2006-01 (Eureka Springs), high confidence
- City of Escondido, Community Facilities Districts page and the Hidden Trails CDIAC fiscal status report — City CFD 2000-01 (Hidden Trails), high confidence
- City of Escondido, Resolutions 2022-10 and 2024-34 and the Community Facilities Districts page — City CFD 2022-1 (Eclipse / Mountain House), high confidence
Which districts are named for Escondido in the County Auditor’s list, and the administrator contacts, are on the Escondido guide; every community we cover is on the Mello-Roos lookup.
Want the number for a specific address?
Send the address and we will pull the district, the current levy and the remaining term together with what comparable homes on that street actually sold for.
Last updated 2026-09-11