San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector

What San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector does

The San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector (TTC) is a county government department under the County of San Diego, California, responsible for collecting property taxes, managing the County's investment pool, and administering the deferred compensation program for County employees. The office holds exclusive statutory authority to bill and collect secured property taxes (real estate), unsecured property taxes (boats, aircraft, business personal property), supplemental taxes, transient occupancy taxes, and cannabis taxes on behalf of the County and local taxing agencies. Annual property tax collections exceed $6 billion and billed amounts reached a record $9+ billion in FY 2024-25 / 2025-26, with the County Investment Pool earning $151+ million for the region in the most recent fiscal period.

The office's core operational platform is an online property tax payment and management system (sdttc.com) supporting e-check (free), credit card, and other payment methods with SSL/HTTPS encryption and PCI-compliant third-party payment processing. Supporting systems include an E-Billing registration system with SMS opt-in, a property tax auction platform operated through Grant Street Group (sdttc.mytaxsale.com), unclaimed monies and refund claim portals, mobile home and subdivision map tax clearance certificate workflows, and a deferred compensation portal operated through Empower for County employee 401(a), 457(b) Traditional, and 457(b) Roth retirement plans. Distribution is multi-channel: 24/7 web portal, phone payment line (1-855-829-3773), physical branch offices, mail-in processing, and social media presence across Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

The TTC's revenue mechanics derive from statutory fees (not discretionary pricing) set by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors ordinance in 2011. Fee-bearing services include manufactured home tax clearance certificate reissuances ($72), delinquent tax installment plan setup ($71) and annual maintenance ($85), escaped tax installment plans ($76 setup, $81 annual), subdivision map tax clearance ($279), auction bid deposits ($1,000 plus a $35 processing fee), and document fees ($1–$2 per copy, $25 returned checks). Customer segments are horizontally stratified: San Diego County property owners (residential and commercial), business personal property owners, mobile home owners, real estate investors bidding at tax auctions, and County government employees enrolled in deferred compensation. As a government office, the entity is not commercialized; it functions under regulatory mandate with no private ownership, no funding rounds, and no M&A optionality. Leadership transitioned in late 2025 with Larry Cohen assuming the Treasurer-Tax Collector role following Dan McAllister's retirement after nearly 23 years.

Name

San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector

Legal name

San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector

Website

https://sdttc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1850

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector is a county government department that collects property taxes (over $6 billion annually), manages the County investment pool, and administers the County employee deferred compensation program under California statutory authority.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Tax Collection & Treasury Services

NAICS

Public Finance Activities (921130), Collection Agencies (56144)

SIC

Finance Services (6199), Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)

akta.pro primary industry

Municipal Tax & Revenue Administration (Local) (BPAIACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Municipal Finance, Treasury, Budget & Procurement (BPAIACAC), Collections, Arrears Management & Debt Enforcement (BPAIADAD), State/Provincial Taxation & Revenue Administration (BPAIABAD), Utilities/Telecom & Other Non-Financial Receivables Collections (FSAKAJAN)

Keywords

• Property tax collection
• County treasury services
• Tax auction platform
• Unsecured property tax
• Deferred compensation administration

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Collection: Collection of secured property taxes (real estate), unsecured property taxes (boats, aircraft, business personal property), supplemental taxes, transient occupancy taxes, and cannabis taxes for San Diego County and local taxing agencies
2. Service Fees: Collection of statutory fees for various services including tax clearance certificates, installment plan setup and maintenance, property tax auction fees, and tax lien preparation
3. Deferred Compensation Program Administration: Administration of 401(a), 457(b) Traditional, and 457(b) Roth retirement savings plans for County employees through Empower platform

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector is a county government department that collects property taxes (secured, unsecured, supplemental, escape, and defaulted), manages the County Investment Pool, and administers the Deferred Compensation Program for County employees. The office processes over $6 billion in annual property tax collections and distributes funds to local taxing agencies through online, phone, in-person, and mail channels.

Product overview

San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector operates as a government tax collection and treasury services office managing over $6 billion in annual property tax collections. The core product is the Online Property Tax Payment System, a web-based platform enabling search and payment of secured, unsecured, defaulted, supplemental, and escape tax bills via e-check (free) or credit card. This platform connects to the Property Tax Auction Platform (via Grant Street Group) for tax-defaulted property sales, and supports E-Billing for electronic notifications. Supporting services include Mobile Home Tax Clearance and Map Tax Clearance certificates, Deferred Compensation Program administration (via Empower), Unclaimed Monies recovery for abandoned properties and estates, and Property Tax Refunds processing. The portfolio is unified under the sdttc.com web presence with separate modules for tax collection, treasury, and unclaimed property services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Deferred Compensation Program: County of San Diego's retirement savings program offering 401(a), 457(b) Traditional, and 457(b) Roth retirement savings plans for County employees.

Products and services

• Online Property Tax Payment System
• Property Tax Auction Platform
• Secured Property Tax Services
• Unsecured Property Tax Services
• Supplemental Property Taxes
• Mobile Home Tax Clearance Certificate
• Subdivision Map Tax Clearance Certificate
• Property Tax Refunds
• Unclaimed Monies
• Deferred Compensation Program
• E-Billing System
• Timeshare Tax Sale
• Prior Sales Results Database
• County Investment Pool

Quantifiable outcome

• $6 billion+ collected annually in property taxes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Grant Street GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party vendor conducting the property tax auction through online platform at sdttc.mytaxsale.com. Responsible for bidder registration, deposit processing, and auction technology infrastructure.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• San Bernardino County Tax Collector: Southern California peer performing property tax collection, business personal property assessment, and tax-defaulted property auctions under the same statutory framework as San Diego County.
• Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector: The largest county tax collector in California, performing the same statutory functions of property tax collection, default auctions, and treasury management under California law — directly comparable in service mix, regulatory authority, and operational scale.
• Riverside County Treasurer-Tax Collector: Inland Empire county tax collector performing the same California-law-mandated property tax billing, collection, installment plans, and auction functions for residential and commercial property owners.
• Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector: Adjacent Southern California county tax collector offering secured/unsecured property tax collection, tax-defaulted property auctions, and treasury investment pool services — a near-identical operating model with similar customer segments.
• Sacramento County Tax Collector: Sacramento County's tax collection unit, providing secured property tax billing, unsecured property tax administration, and delinquent tax enforcement — a directly analogous California county government function.

Others

• Grant Street Group: Vendor that operates the SD TTC's online tax auction platform at sdttc.mytaxsale.com; not a peer in service delivery but a critical infrastructure provider whose platform enables the auction revenue stream.
• Empower Retirement: Third-party administrator powering the SD County Deferred Compensation Program (401(a), 457(b) Traditional, 457(b) Roth); adjacent enabler rather than direct peer, but central to the retirement services line of business.

Emerging players

• OpenGov: Government financial management software vendor serving counties and cities with budgeting, procurement, and transparency tools; overlaps with the financial reporting and treasury oversight functions performed by the SD TTC office.

Broad incumbents

• Granicus: Government experience and communications platform provider — comparable in addressing multi-channel resident communication, notifications, and digital service delivery for public sector entities like the SD TTC.
• Tyler Technologies: Large government technology vendor providing enterprise software across tax collection, appraisal, and treasury functions to counties and municipalities; offers overlapping capabilities but as part of a broader public sector software portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@sdtreastax
• Facebookfacebook.com/sdcttc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sdttc
• Instagraminstagram.com/sd_ttc
• TikToktiktok.com/@sd_ttc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector