The Current Measure ULA Thresholds and Rates for a City of Los Angeles Sale

Published August 10, 2026

Measure ULA taxes City of Los Angeles property sales at 4 percent from just above 5.4 million dollars and 5.5 percent at 10.9 million dollars and up, effective July 1, 2026. The thresholds adjust every year, and the tax stacks on top of the county and city base transfer taxes.

The short answer

As of July 1, 2026, Measure ULA taxes a City of Los Angeles property sale at 4 percent of the total transaction value from $5,400,000 up to just under $10,900,000, and 5.5 percent at $10,900,000 and above. Below $5,400,000, no ULA tax applies. The thresholds adjust annually, and ULA stacks on top of LA's own base city transfer tax and the countywide tax.

Last verified: August 10, 2026

The two tiers, in plain terms

Measure ULA, the Homelessness and Housing Solutions Tax, applies only to property sales inside the City of Los Angeles and only above a high-dollar threshold. There are two tiers, and the rate applies to the entire transaction value once a sale crosses into a tier, not just the amount above the threshold. That's a meaningful distinction from how income tax brackets work: this is not a marginal rate.

Effective July 1, 2026, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's current rate schedule for the City of Los Angeles shows:

• 4 percent of the total transaction value on sales above $5,400,000 but less than $10,900,000
• 5.5 percent of the total transaction value on sales at or above $10,900,000

A sale at $5,399,999 owes no ULA tax at all. A sale at $5,400,001 owes 4 percent of the full $5,400,001, not just 4 percent of the dollar over the line. That cliff effect is one of the most consequential design features of the tax and shapes a lot of pricing and negotiation behavior near the threshold.

ULA is layered on top of two other taxes, not instead of them

A City of Los Angeles sale above the ULA threshold owes three separate documentary transfer taxes stacked together:

| Layer | Rate | Applies to |

|---|---|---|

| Los Angeles County tax | $0.55 per $500 ($1.10 per $1,000) | Every sale in LA County, per Revenue and Taxation Code section 11911(a) |

| City of Los Angeles base tax | $2.25 per $500 ($4.50 per $1,000) | Every sale inside City of LA limits, regardless of price |

| Measure ULA | 4 percent or 5.5 percent of total value | Only City of LA sales at or above $5,400,000 |

On a $12,000,000 City of Los Angeles apartment sale, that means $13,200 to the county, $54,000 to the city's base tax, and $660,000 in ULA tax at the 5.5 percent tier, for a combined documentary transfer tax bill of $727,200 before any other closing costs. The ULA layer dwarfs the other two once a sale is large enough to trigger it, which is the entire point of the measure as a funding mechanism for the city's affordable housing programs.

The thresholds move every year, and the direction is always up

The dollar thresholds are indexed and adjust annually, which is why the exact cutoff matters for the year a sale actually closes rather than the year an owner started planning it. The county's own rate schedule shows the progression directly: the thresholds sat at $5,300,000 and $10,600,000 effective July 1, 2025, before rising to $5,400,000 and $10,900,000 effective July 1, 2026. The percentages themselves, 4 percent and 5.5 percent, have not changed since the tax took effect; it is only the dollar cutoffs that move.

Because the adjustment lands mid-year on July 1 rather than January 1, a sale that closes in June under one year's thresholds and a sale that closes in July under the next year's thresholds can land in different tiers even at an identical sale price, if the price happens to sit between the two years' cutoffs. An owner timing a sale near either threshold should confirm the exact figures in effect on the closing date, not the figures quoted in an article from a prior year.

Who owes it and when it's assessed

The tax is assessed on the total consideration or fair market value of the property interest conveyed and is paid at the time the deed is recorded, the same mechanism as the county and city base transfer taxes. Measure ULA has applied to recorded sales since April 1, 2023, following its approval by City of Los Angeles voters in November 2022.

FAQ

Is Measure ULA a marginal tax like federal income tax brackets, where only the amount above the threshold is taxed at the higher rate?

No. Once a sale's total value crosses into a tier, the full transaction value is taxed at that tier's rate, not just the portion above the threshold. This is why sales near the cutoff sometimes get restructured or timed to land just under a threshold.

Does Measure ULA apply to a sale of a single family rental I own personally in the City of Los Angeles?

Yes, if the total sale price crosses the current threshold. The tax applies to real property sales generally and is not limited to commercial or multifamily property, though most single family home sales fall well under the threshold and never trigger it.

When do the thresholds update next?

The county's rate schedule shows a pattern of annual adjustments effective each July 1. Confirm the specific figure in effect on your actual closing date rather than assuming the year-ago number still applies, since the dollar cutoffs have risen in each adjustment observed so far.

Does a 1031 exchange or other tax-deferred transaction avoid Measure ULA?

Documentary transfer taxes, including ULA, are generally separate from federal and state income tax deferral mechanisms like a 1031 exchange, and a qualifying like-kind exchange does not automatically exempt a deed from a documentary transfer tax. Confirm any specific exemption claim with your title company before assuming one applies.

Is Measure ULA the only added cost, or does the City of Los Angeles's base transfer tax also apply on top of it?

Both apply together. The City of Los Angeles's own base documentary transfer tax of $2.25 per $500 applies to every sale inside city limits regardless of price, and ULA is an additional layer on top of that base tax once the threshold is crossed.

This is general information, not tax advice. Confirm the exact ULA threshold in effect on your closing date, and your full stacked transfer tax exposure, with a CPA or your title officer before you price a City of Los Angeles sale.

Topics: taxes, Measure ULA, Los Angeles, documentary transfer tax

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