Property tax · FY 2023-24 rates
Mello-Roos in Rancho Santa Fe: what it costs
Written by Sofia Azizi, CA DRE# 02108624 · Updated 2026-09-09
Rancho Santa Fe’s one community facilities district, the Community Services District’s CFD No. 1, is confined to four zones of the Santa Fe Valley — The Crosby, The Lakes, Bernardo Lakes and Salviati — where the latest levy report the district has published, FY 2023-24, put a detached home at $1,611.82 to $5,490.14 a year depending on zone and lot or house size. Its 2016 bonds mature September 1, 2030. The Covenant pays none of it.
How much is Mello-Roos in Rancho Santa Fe?
Rancho Santa Fe’s CFD No. 1 levies by zone and by lot or house size: in FY 2023-24, the latest levy report the Community Services District has posted, a Crosby home on a 5,000–9,999 sq ft lot paid $3,328.74 and one on 30,000 sq ft or more paid $5,242.12; at The Lakes the range was $1,723.02 to $5,490.14; at Bernardo Lakes $2,311.16 to $2,817.24; and at Salviati $1,611.82 to $1,957.18.
Each zone is levied at whatever share of its maximum covers its own share of the 2016 bonds — 52.59 percent at The Crosby, 61.66 percent at The Lakes, 58.30 percent at Bernardo Lakes and 44.44 percent at Salviati that year — and the maximum itself rises 2 percent every year, so the levy drifts up as the bonds amortise. The Crosby’s 43 condominiums paid $1,607.20.
The county’s FY 2025-26 roll carries 1,025 parcels in the district for a total of $3,644,517.60; the per-class figures for that year sit in board packets the district has not posted online, so the table below carries the last report that is public, and the county’s parcel search returns the current line for any address.
When does Rancho Santa Fe Mello-Roos end?
Rancho Santa Fe’s CFD No. 1 is a bonded facilities district whose 2016 Special Tax Refunding Bonds — $35,835,000 issued, $21,620,000 outstanding after the September 2023 payment — mature on September 1, 2030, so the last debt-service levy falls in FY 2029-30.
The schedule steps up to the end: $2,535,000 of principal was due in September 2024, rising to $3,695,000 in September 2030. Each zone carries its share — The Crosby 44.54 percent, The Lakes 41.42, Bernardo Lakes 10.83, Salviati 3.21 — which is why the levy percentages differ by zone. A buyer in 2026 is looking at four more annual bills.
Which Rancho Santa Fe homes pay Mello-Roos?
Rancho Santa Fe’s CFD No. 1 covers only the Santa Fe Valley zones the Community Services District built sewer, recycled water and roads for: Zone 1 is The Crosby (429 taxed homes in the FY 2023-24 report), Zone 2 The Lakes (384), Zone 3 Bernardo Lakes (150) and Zone 4 Salviati (63). The Covenant and Fairbanks Ranch are outside it.
The Crosby also sits inside the Solana Beach School District’s CFD 2000-1, a separate school-facilities levy of $803.12 to $1,632.16 by house size, so a Crosby bill can carry two special-tax lines; the Solana Beach School District cost page has that district. Elsewhere in Rancho Santa Fe the property-tax conversation is Proposition 13 basis and reassessment at sale, not special taxes.
The districts and their rates
| District | Annual tax, FY 2023-24 | Range and cap | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rancho Santa Fe CSD CFD No. 1 — Zone 1, The Crosby Fund 6870-04 · facilities | $3,328.74 detached home on a 5,000–9,999 sq ft lot (92 of 429 taxed homes); levied at 52.59% of the maximum | $2,808.28 (lot under 5,000 sq ft) to $5,242.12 (lot of 30,000 sq ft or more); condominiums $1,607.20 maximum $5,340.34–$9,968.64 detached; +2.00% a year | FY 2029-30 (bonds mature September 1, 2030) |
| Rancho Santa Fe CSD CFD No. 1 — Zone 2, The Lakes Fund 6870-04 · facilities | $5,490.14 detached home on a lot of 35,000 sq ft or more (124 of 384 homes); levied at 61.66% of the maximum | $1,723.02 (lot under 15,000 sq ft) to $5,490.14 (35,000 sq ft or more) maximum $2,794.47–$8,904.09 detached; +2.00% a year | FY 2029-30 (bonds mature September 1, 2030) |
| Rancho Santa Fe CSD CFD No. 1 — Zone 3, Bernardo Lakes Fund 6870-04 · facilities | $2,581.06 home of 4,500–4,999 sq ft (56 of 150 homes); levied at 58.30% of the maximum | $2,311.16 (3,500–3,999 sq ft) to $2,817.24 (5,000 sq ft or more) maximum $3,153.80–$4,832.69; +2.00% a year | FY 2029-30 (bonds mature September 1, 2030) |
| Rancho Santa Fe CSD CFD No. 1 — Zone 4, Salviati Fund 6870-04 · facilities | $1,957.18 home of 5,250–5,749 sq ft (36 of 63 homes); levied at 44.44% of the maximum | $1,611.82 (4,000–4,749 sq ft) to $1,957.18 (5,250–5,749 sq ft) maximum $2,917.26–$4,690.61; +2.00% a year | FY 2029-30 (bonds mature September 1, 2030) |
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 2023-24, retrieved 2026-09-08; most districts escalate annually, so next year’s bill will be higher by the stated percentage.
Sources
- Rancho Santa Fe CSD, FY 2023-24 Special Tax Levy report for CFD No. 1 (board packet of August 7, 2023) — Rancho Santa Fe CSD CFD No. 1 — Zone 1, The Crosby, high confidence. The county's FY 2025-26 roll totals $3,644,517.60 across 1,025 parcels; the district's later per-class reports are not online.
- Rancho Santa Fe CSD, FY 2023-24 Special Tax Levy report for CFD No. 1 (board packet of August 7, 2023) — Rancho Santa Fe CSD CFD No. 1 — Zone 2, The Lakes, high confidence
- Rancho Santa Fe CSD, FY 2023-24 Special Tax Levy report for CFD No. 1 (board packet of August 7, 2023) — Rancho Santa Fe CSD CFD No. 1 — Zone 3, Bernardo Lakes, high confidence
- Rancho Santa Fe CSD, FY 2023-24 Special Tax Levy report for CFD No. 1 (board packet of August 7, 2023) — Rancho Santa Fe CSD CFD No. 1 — Zone 4, Salviati, high confidence
Which districts are named for Rancho Santa Fe in the County Auditor’s list, and the administrator contacts, are on the Rancho Santa Fe 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 2026-09-09