In California, a parsonage is not automatically exempt from property taxes—churches must first obtain an Organizational Clearance Certificate and then file annual county affidavits to prove the home is used exclusively as clergy housing.
Understand California church property tax exemptions, including Church, Religious, and Welfare Exemptions, filing deadlines, and eligibility requirements.
When a church leases space to a for-profit tenant, its property tax exemption is suddenly at risk. Here’s how California’s Church, Religious, and Welfare exemptions differ, and what leasing to the wrong tenant can cost your congregation.
