Heirs of people who owned property that Santa Cruz County sold for unpaid taxes in June can claim any money left over from the sale, but only if the county receives their paperwork by June 24, 2027. The county’s Tax Collector, Steve Salatti, is the official who takes the claims. The notice carries the line “FINAL DATE TO SUBMIT CLAIM: June 24, 2027.”
The tax sale ran June 5 to 8, 2026, and the tax deed was recorded June 24, 2026. The county’s June notice puts no dollar figure or parcel list on the page. Its claim form leaves the parcel number and property address blank for each claimant to fill in, so the size of the leftover money is not public in that document.
When a tax-defaulted property sells for more than the unpaid taxes, penalties and costs, the difference is called excess proceeds. State law, Revenue and Taxation Code Section 4675, gives that money to people with a recorded interest in the property, in a set order, instead of letting the county keep it.
Relatives of anyone who held title to Santa Cruz County property that went to the June sale, including a parent or grandparent who died owing back taxes, are the group the notice is aimed at. The practical question for them is whether a family property was among those sold, and if so, whether the paperwork can be assembled and notarized in the roughly seven and a half months left before June 24, 2027.
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Three kinds of claimant, in a fixed order
The notice lists the claimants in priority. Lienholders of record whose liens were recorded before the tax deed come first. People who held title of record before the deed come second, and if that person has died, the heirs may claim. Assignees come third, and only where the right was transferred by a dated written instrument that expressly says so.
Heirs face an extra step. They must submit a completed affidavit under Probate Code Chapter 3, which begins at Section 13100, along with supporting records the notice describes as things like utility payments or repair receipts. Those documents tie the person to the property, which matters when a name on a deed predates the family’s records.
The county also names a second office for families sorting out an estate. The Santa Cruz County Public Administrator, Paige Garrahan, is listed at (831) 454-2400. The Tax Collector’s notice lists no phone number or email of its own for claims.
Assignments deserve scrutiny. Under state law, an assignment is valid only if the parties disclosed what they know about the right’s value to each other first, and an assignment that skips that step has no effect. A buyer of the right to claim who offers a small payment for it is acting under those rules.
The paperwork Santa Cruz County wants in hand
Every claimant signs the county’s claim form under penalty of perjury, and the signature must be notarized. The notice asks for original supporting documents rather than copies, so the first task for most families is locating the originals.
Owners and heirs submit original recorded documents, such as a deed, a death certificate or a court order. They also need a notarized verification of identity and a photo ID. Because the county asks for originals, mailing them in raises the question of how to keep a record of what was sent.
Lienholders have a different list. They submit the original promissory note, the trust deed and any assignments, plus a statement of the original lien amount, the payments received and the amount due at the time of the sale. A judgment creditor must also prove that the judgment debtor held record ownership of the property.
After the filing date: a board vote and a 90-day wait
The county processes claims only after one year from the deed recording date, and each claim must be received before that one-year period ends. A claim can therefore sit with the county for months before anyone decides it.
The Board of Supervisors approves or denies each claim, and the Tax Collector notifies claimants of the result. If a claim is approved, the Auditor-Controller issues a county warrant after 90 days. Any payment would arrive after the June 24, 2027 mark. Under state law, a claimant who is denied has 90 days to challenge the decision in court.
Mailing it to Ocean Street
Claims go to the Santa Cruz County Tax Collector, Attn: Steve Salatti, 701 Ocean St., Rm. 100, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. The county says claims not received by June 24, 2027, will not be accepted. State law counts a postmark, but the county’s own wording is receipt, so mailing early is the safer course.
The Tax Collector’s page lists a main line of 831-454-2510, open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It shows Room 150 for visitors at the same Ocean Street building, while the claim packet addresses mail to Room 100, so a call can confirm which room to use.
The county’s claim packet is the document to start from, because it carries the form, the priority list and the document requirements together. Families who find a parcel was in the June sale should start collecting originals now, since a death certificate or court order can take weeks to obtain.
Did a Santa Cruz County relative lose a property in the June sale?
Notarized forms, original documents and a county that receives claims only until June 24, 2027, leave little room for a missed detail. An heir who sends a copy where the county asked for an original, or files for the wrong parcel, can run out of time to fix it.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
