Photo above: Aerial view of Bethel Island and the Delta east of Oakley, with a lake-centered subdivision, sloughs and farm tracts, October 2020. Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
If it’s in one of Oakley’s newer tracts, there’s a good chance it does. The City of Oakley levied six Community Facilities District taxes and a police special tax for fiscal year 2025/26. A built single-family home in Summer Lake North, for example, paid $2,566.60 in CFD tax plus $1,347.54 in police tax that year (City of Oakley, fiscal year 2025/26 CFD and P-6 annual reports, filed with the City Council January 13, 2026).
Some homes carry two or three of these at once. The only way to know for one house is its property tax bill. Here’s what each district is, what it costs and how to check.
Why do newer Oakley homes pay special taxes?
Because the city made new tracts pay their own way for upkeep and police. The city’s January 13, 2026 staff report says conditions of approval for new development require the developer or owner to set up a way to cover the cost of public services and maintenance, and the city does that by adding the property to one or more special tax districts that bill on the Contra Costa County property tax roll (City of Oakley, staff report, January 13, 2026).
Mello-Roos is the everyday name for a Community Facilities District, or CFD. Oakley’s six CFDs plus its police tax area, called P-6, are what show up as extra lines on newer tract tax bills.
What does each Oakley district charge in 2025/26?
These are the fiscal year 2025/26 rates for a developed single-family parcel, straight from the city’s annual reports filed January 13, 2026:
| District (tax bill name) | Where it applies | What it pays for | 2025/26 rate per single-family parcel |
|---|---|---|---|
| CFD No. 1 (Cypress Grove) | Cypress Grove, north of East Cypress Road | Levee, stormwater pond, pump, force main and outfall upkeep | $636.16 |
| CFD 2015-1 (Emerson Ranch) | Emerson Ranch, north of East Cypress Road, west of Sellers Avenue | Regional and community parks, neighborhood parks and streetlights, landscaping, stormwater | $1,885.12 |
| CFD 2015-2 (Parks, Streetlight, Landscape and Stormwater) | 48 developments in 37 tax zones across the city | Parks, streetlights, landscaping, stormwater | Varies by zone (see below) |
| CFD 2018-1 (Fire Protection Services) | Gilbert Property, Village at Main, The Vines, Acacia and other listed tracts | Fire protection, passed through to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District | $357.48 in Tax Zones 1 and 2 |
| CFD 2022-2 (Summer Lake North) | North of East Cypress Road, east of Bethel Island Road | City parks, streetlights, landscaping and stormwater, plus Reclamation District 799 levees and pumps | $2,566.60 |
| P-6 Police Services Special Tax | About half the city, in 94 zones | City police services | $216.15 to $1,347.54, by zone |
The sixth CFD, CFD 2020-1, covers the Contra Costa Logistics Center, an industrial site north of Main Street and east of Bridgehead Road, not homes (same staff report).
A few details from those reports worth knowing:
- Summer Lake North’s rate includes the levees. Of the $2,566.60, $548.76 goes to Reclamation District 799 services such as levees, drainage pump stations and storm drainage. Only 62 single-family parcels were built and taxed in that district for 2025/26 (City of Oakley, CFD 2022-2 annual report, fiscal year 2025/26).
- Cypress Grove’s tax is flood upkeep. CFD No. 1 was formed in 2005 to maintain the levee system and stormwater pumping for Cypress Grove. It covered 541 single-family parcels for 2025/26, and its maximum rate can rise 2% a year (City of Oakley, CFD No. 1 annual report, fiscal year 2025/26).
- The police tax is big in newer zones. The city approved P-6 in 2000. Older zones pay far less than newer ones, and for 2025/26 the city applied the maximum rate in every zone. The report lists Cypress Grove, Emerson Ranch, Summer Lake North and Prescott at $1,347.54 each. P-6 raised about $8.24 million, roughly half the city’s police budget (City of Oakley, P-6 annual report and staff report, January 13, 2026).
How much is CFD 2015-2 on my tract?
It depends on the tax zone. Every zone with a single-family rate pays the same three citywide pieces for 2025/26: $175.22 for regional parks, $386.94 for community parks and $76.39 for streetlights. Then each zone adds its own landscaping and stormwater amounts, which can be zero or can be large (City of Oakley, CFD 2015-2 annual report, fiscal year 2025/26, Tables 9 to 13).
Two examples, adding the five applied rates in that report:
- Tax Zone 1 (Prescott, north of Delta Vista Middle School): $1,869.61 a year.
- Tax Zone 14 (Gilbert Ranch, Baldocchi and Burroughs): $2,019.61 a year.
The report lists every zone by development name, so you can find the tract for the home you like.
What can the total look like on one house?
Add the lines. Here’s what the city’s own 2025/26 rates show for two areas:
- A built single-family home in Emerson Ranch: $1,885.12 for CFD 2015-1 plus $1,347.54 for P-6 is $3,232.66 a year, about $269 a month.
- A built single-family home in Summer Lake North: $2,566.60 for CFD 2022-2 plus $1,347.54 for P-6 is $3,914.14 a year, about $326 a month.
That’s before the base property tax, any landscape zone assessment, school or water district lines, and HOA dues. Those numbers are only the city’s special taxes. Your bill is the final word.
Do these taxes go up or end?
Most of them can go up each year, and the ones below have no payoff date. The rate formulas for CFD 2015-1 and CFD 2015-2 say the tax is levied in perpetuity as needed to cover the district’s costs (City of Oakley, CFD 2015-1 and CFD 2015-2 annual reports, fiscal year 2025/26, rate and method appendix). CFD 2015-1, CFD 2015-2 and CFD 2022-2 can rise each year with the Bay Area consumer price index, with a 3% floor and a 5% cap. P-6 rises with the index too. The city can charge less than the maximum when costs are lower, but for 2025/26 several districts were billed at the maximum (City of Oakley, fiscal year 2025/26 annual reports).
These city districts pay for upkeep and services year after year, not a construction loan that gets paid off. So don’t plan on a payoff date for them. Ask the district’s consultant about the rate and how it changes.
What about landscape and lighting assessments?
They’re a separate line, and many older Oakley tracts have one. The city has one citywide landscape maintenance district and 26 sub-area benefit zones, collected on the county tax bill. The city says many zones still pay the assessment set when they were formed and calls many of them “Underfunded” (City of Oakley, Landscape Maintenance Districts and Zones page, checked September 25, 2026).
So an older home without a CFD may still carry a landscape line. Check the bill either way.
How do I check a specific Oakley home?
Five steps, before you remove contingencies:
- Get the parcel number from the listing or the preliminary title report.
- Pull the current Contra Costa County property tax bill. Each special tax is its own line with a dollar amount.
- Match each line to a contact. Contra Costa County’s Levy Listing for 2025-26 lists the Oakley CFD, P-6 and landscape zone lines with Francisco and Associates at (925) 867-3400, two lines named Oakley AD 2004-1 and Oakley AD 2006-1 with NBS at (888) 892-2480, and Reclamation District 799 at (925) 684-2398. We couldn’t open an official source for what the two NBS lines pay for, so call and ask.
- Ask the seller for the special tax notice. California requires a seller of property with a Mello-Roos lien to make a good faith effort to get the special tax notice from each agency that levies one and give it to the buyer (California Civil Code section 1102.6b, checked September 25, 2026).
- Put the total in your monthly payment. Compare the payment, not just the price, with an older home a few streets over.
Buying in a tract that’s still being built? The city’s annexation packet, effective May 1, 2026, says new projects join CFD 2015-2, P-6 and Contra Costa County Fire’s own CFD No. 2020-1 (a fire district CFD, not the city’s CFD 2020-1 for the Logistics Center), and that a Notice of Special Tax Lien for CFD 2015-2 is recorded with the county within 15 days of the council approving the annexation (City of Oakley, CFD and P-6 annexation application packet, checked September 25, 2026). Ask the builder for every special tax the lot will carry.
Is a home with Mello-Roos a bad buy?
Not by itself. It’s a cost, and it buys something: parks, streetlights, landscaping, police and, in some tracts, levee upkeep. The honest move is to compare the full monthly cost and the condition of the house against an older home that may have lower taxes and more repairs.
We don’t give tax advice. How these taxes fit your budget or your tax return is a question for a tax professional. What a lien or disclosure means legally is a question for a real estate attorney.
Questions people also ask
How do I know if an Oakley house has Mello-Roos?
Read the current Contra Costa County property tax bill for that parcel. Oakley’s special taxes show as separate lines, such as lines starting OKLY CFD2015-2, or OAKLEY S/A P-6, on the county’s 2025-26 Levy Listing. The seller should also try to get you the special tax notice under California Civil Code section 1102.6b. A tax professional can explain what the lines mean for you.
How much is Mello-Roos in Emerson Ranch?
For fiscal year 2025/26, the city’s CFD 2015-1 report shows $1,885.12 a year for a built single-family parcel in Emerson Ranch. The P-6 police tax report shows another $1,347.54 for the Emerson Ranch zone. Together that’s $3,232.66 a year from those two lines, before base property tax and other assessments. Confirm on the parcel’s own tax bill.
Does Summer Lake North pay for its own levees?
Partly, through its special tax. The city’s fiscal year 2025/26 report for CFD 2022-2 shows $548.76 of the $2,566.60 single-family rate going to Reclamation District 799 services such as levees, drainage pump stations and storm drainage. The rest funds city parks, streetlights, landscaping and stormwater upkeep. The P-6 police tax is billed separately.
Will Oakley special taxes go down?
Don’t count on it. The city’s reports say CFD 2015-1, CFD 2015-2 and CFD 2022-2 can rise each year with the Bay Area consumer price index, between 3% and 5%, and the P-6 police tax rises with the index too. The city can bill less than the maximum when costs allow. Ask the district consultant and a tax professional before you buy.
Your next step
Send us the address. We’ll pull the tax bill lines, match each one to its district and put the monthly total next to two or three similar Oakley homes, so you see the real difference before you offer. Talk to an Oakley agent on our team or call (510) 949-5525.
More on Oakley: Living in Oakley, CA · Oakley home prices right now · Search Oakley homes · What’s my home worth?
By Bill Davis, DRE #01880656, The Davis Team at eXp Realty, Oakley, CA. Updated September 25, 2026.
Sources
- City of Oakley, staff report “Filing of Fiscal Year 2025/26 Annual Reports for the City’s Maintenance and Services Community Facilities Districts and Police Services Special Tax,” January 13, 2026, with the attached fiscal year 2025/26 annual reports for CFD No. 1, CFD No. 2015-1, CFD No. 2015-2, CFD No. 2018-1, CFD No. 2020-1, CFD No. 2022-2 and P-6: City Council agenda packet, oakley.granicus.com (checked September 25, 2026)
- Contra Costa County, Levy Listing for 2025-26 (tax bill contact list): contracosta.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/805 (checked September 25, 2026)
- City of Oakley, Community Facilities Districts and Police Services Special Tax Area Annexation Application Packet, effective May 1, 2026: oakleyca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1406 (checked September 25, 2026)
- City of Oakley, Landscape Maintenance Districts and Zones: oakleyca.gov/262 (checked September 25, 2026)
- California Civil Code section 1102.6b: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (checked September 25, 2026)