It depends on the address. Homes on Mare Island pay City special taxes, homes in Northgate and Hiddenbrooke sit in a school district Mello-Roos district, and many subdivisions pay a City landscape assessment, so pull the parcel’s Solano County tax bill and ask for any HOA documents before you commit.
Two homes a mile apart in Vallejo can have very different yearly bills. Here’s where the extra charges show up and how to check one house.
What’s the difference between Mello-Roos, an assessment and HOA dues?
They’re three different bills from three different places.
- Mello-Roos (a CFD special tax). The City of Vallejo’s own FAQ puts it this way: a Community Facilities District is formed by a local government agency under the Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982 to pay for facilities and services, and once it exists it can levy a special tax on the property inside its boundaries (City of Vallejo, CFD Nos. 2002-1, 2005-1A and 2005-1B FAQ, checked September 24, 2026).
- Landscape and maintenance assessments. These pay for things like landscaped slopes, medians and parks in a specific subdivision. Vallejo sets them each year in an engineer’s report.
- HOA dues. Paid to a homeowners association, not the county. They won’t show up on the tax bill.
The first two ride on your Solano County property tax bill as separate lines. The third comes from the association.
Where in Vallejo do these special taxes apply?
Three places come up most. None of this replaces the tax bill for the exact parcel.
Mare Island. The City has three CFDs on Mare Island: CFD No. 2002-1, CFD No. 2005-1A and CFD No. 2005-1B. CFD 2005-1A has a facilities part and a services part, shown as two lines on the bill, so it can look like four. Together they fund things like streets, parks, landscaping, lighting, storm drainage, and police, fire and paramedic services on the island (City of Vallejo CFD FAQ, checked September 24, 2026).
Northgate and Hiddenbrooke. Vallejo City Unified School District’s CFD No. 2 covers about 2,432 acres in the northeast part of the city, east of I-80, and fully includes the Northgate and Hiddenbrooke developments. The school board formed it on April 11, 1989, to help pay for school facilities (City of Vallejo, Fairview at Northgate Draft EIR, section 4.13, January 2020). In its latest state filing, the district reported $3,462,319.88 in CFD No. 2 special taxes due each year across the whole district, with $5,301,801 in bonds still outstanding (California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission, Mello-Roos yearly report for the year ending June 30, 2024, filed October 28, 2024, linked from vcusd.org).
Landscape maintenance districts. The City’s Engineering Division oversees 26 landscape maintenance districts and one CFD (City of Vallejo, Landscape Maintenance Districts page, checked September 24, 2026). Hiddenbrooke has its own, the Hiddenbrooke Maintenance District.
How much are these charges?
It varies a lot by district. Here’s what the City’s current reports and other official sources show.
- Hiddenbrooke Maintenance District: a proposed $611.04 per benefit unit for fiscal year 2026 to 2027, where a single-family lot counts as one unit. The maximum allowed is $957.39. The district covers 1,222 parcels (City of Vallejo, Hiddenbrooke Maintenance District Engineer’s Report, FY 2026-27). This is on top of the school CFD No. 2 tax.
- Other landscape districts: the City’s FY 2026-27 report proposes rates from $58.52 to more than $3,000 per benefit unit, depending on the district. Two examples: Zone 1 of Bordoni Ranch at $565.90, and Zone B (Highlands) of Garthe Ranch at $2,075.42 (City of Vallejo, 1972 Act Landscape Maintenance Districts Engineer’s Report, FY 2026-27).
- Mare Island CFDs: the City’s FAQ doesn’t list a per-home amount. The current amount for a specific home is on its Solano County tax bill. Ask the City’s Finance Department how each CFD line is figured.
- VCUSD CFD No. 2: the per-home amount is set by the district’s formula and shows on the bill. For questions about it, call VCUSD at (707) 556-8921.
Do these taxes ever go away?
Some might. Some won’t. For Mare Island, the City’s FAQ says:
- CFD 2002-1 ends when the City determines that other revenue from Mare Island covers the services it pays for.
- CFD 2005-1A facilities tax runs until its bonds are repaid and the facilities are done, and never past fiscal year 2050 to 2051. The FAQ notes no bonds had been issued yet. Its services tax continues indefinitely.
- CFD 2005-1B continues indefinitely.
(City of Vallejo CFD FAQ, checked September 24, 2026. The FAQ is undated, so ask the City’s Finance Department whether anything has changed.)
Landscape assessments are set every year and can go up, within each district’s approved maximum and inflation formula.
How do I check one Vallejo address?
Five steps. Do them during your contingency period, not after.
- Look up the tax bill. Solano County’s Treasurer-Tax Collector lets you view a parcel’s bill online at ca-solano.publicaccessnow.com. You can also call (707) 784-7485 or visit 675 Texas Street, Suite 1900, in Fairfield (Solano County Tax Collector page, checked September 24, 2026).
- Read every line under the base tax. Look for CFD names, “Hiddenbrooke,” “LMD” or other district names. Write down each amount.
- Ask the agency behind each line. For City landscape districts, the Engineering Division is at (707) 648-4315.
- Get the seller’s special tax notice. Under California Civil Code 1102.6b, a seller whose home carries a continuing special tax or assessment lien has to make a good faith effort to get a disclosure notice from each agency that levies it, and pass it to you.
- Ask for the HOA package if there’s an association. Civil Code 4525 lists what the seller must hand over before the sale, including the governing documents, a statement of current assessments and anything unpaid, approved increases not yet due, the budget and reserve information, and, if you ask, the last 12 months of board minutes (California Legislative Information, checked September 24, 2026).
Keep one thing in mind. Your regular property tax resets based on what you pay, so the seller’s total bill won’t match yours. The special tax and assessment lines are tied to the parcel, so they stay with the home. Confirm each one anyway.
Should these fees change which home I buy?
Only if they change what you can afford. Add them to the monthly payment with the mortgage, insurance and any HOA dues, then compare homes on that total. A Mare Island home and a similar home across the causeway might list at close prices and cost very different amounts each year. Your lender can tell you how they’ll count these charges.
We explain what’s on the bill. We don’t give tax advice. For how a special tax or assessment affects your own taxes, talk to a tax professional. For the amount on a parcel, go to the Solano County Treasurer-Tax Collector or the agency named on the bill.
Questions people also ask
Does Mare Island in Vallejo have Mello-Roos?
Yes. The City of Vallejo has three Community Facilities Districts on Mare Island, CFD Nos. 2002-1, 2005-1A and 2005-1B. They pay for services such as police, fire and park upkeep, and for facilities like streets and storm drains, per the City’s CFD FAQ, checked September 24, 2026. The exact yearly amount for a home is on its Solano County tax bill.
Does Hiddenbrooke have Mello-Roos or other special taxes?
Hiddenbrooke is inside Vallejo City Unified’s CFD No. 2, a Mello-Roos district for school facilities, per a 2020 City of Vallejo EIR. It also has the City’s Hiddenbrooke Maintenance District, with a proposed 2026-27 rate of $611.04 per single-family lot. Check the parcel’s Solano County tax bill for the exact lines and amounts, and ask about any HOA.
How do I look up a Vallejo property tax bill?
Use the Solano County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s online lookup at ca-solano.publicaccessnow.com and search by address or parcel number. The office is at 675 Texas Street, Suite 1900, Fairfield, and the phone line is (707) 784-7485, per the County’s Tax Collector page, checked September 24, 2026. Each special tax and assessment appears as its own line.
Is Mello-Roos tax deductible?
That’s a question for a tax professional, not us. How a special tax or assessment is treated depends on what it pays for and on current tax rules. Bring the Solano County tax bill for the parcel to your tax professional, who can go through it line by line. The agency named on each line can explain what that charge funds.
Your next step
Send us the Vallejo address you’re looking at. We’ll pull the Solano County tax bill, flag every special tax and assessment line, and ask the listing agent for the HOA package, so you know the full yearly cost before you write an offer. Ask a Vallejo agent on our team or call (510) 949-5525.
More on Vallejo: Living in Vallejo, CA · How much does a house cost in Vallejo right now? · Search Vallejo homes · What’s my home worth?
By Bill Davis, DRE #01880656, The Davis Team at eXp Realty, Vallejo, CA. Updated September 24, 2026.
Sources
- City of Vallejo, Community Facilities District Nos. 2002-1, 2005-1A, and 2005-1B, Frequently Asked Questions (undated): cityofvallejo.net (checked September 24, 2026)
- City of Vallejo, Landscape Maintenance Districts page, and the FY 2026-27 Hiddenbrooke Maintenance District and 1972 Act Landscape Maintenance Districts Engineer’s Reports: vallejo.gov (checked September 24, 2026)
- City of Vallejo, Fairview at Northgate Project Draft EIR, section 4.13 Public Services, January 2020: CEQAnet
- California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission, Mello-Roos yearly fiscal status report, Vallejo City Unified School District CFD No. 2, 2017 Special Tax Refunding Bonds, year ending June 30, 2024, filed October 28, 2024: linked from vcusd.org (checked September 24, 2026)
- Solano County Treasurer-Tax Collector-County Clerk, Tax Collector page and online tax lookup: solanocounty.gov and ca-solano.publicaccessnow.com (checked September 24, 2026)
- California Civil Code 1102.6b and 4525: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (checked September 24, 2026)