Property Tax Assessments


Mojave Water Agency Related Assessments

The District has established three ad valorem assessments associated with the State Water Project:

  • MWA Debt-1, permanently set at 11 1/4 cents per $100 of assessed value of the land only. The tax rate can never rise on this particular tax; however, the amount of tax can rise based on any increase in the assessed valuation of your property.  This tax helps to fund the capital, interest, transportation, and construction components of the State Water Project charges.
  • MWA Debt-2, is levied to supplement the first tax assessment to pay Agency debt service and to fund the MWA administration.  The tax rate has no cap, and the rate can be raised by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.  It is currently set at 5 1/2 cents per $100 assessed valuation on land improvements. These funds are used mostly for funding additional State Water Project costs for operations, repairs and maintenance, Agency water purchases, Agency Administration, and debt incurred to construct facilities and pipelines, and to purchase additional entitlement water.
  • Improvement District "M" has been paid off and should be zero.  It was based on land and improvements with a rate of $0.0900 secured and $0.1000 unsecured per $100 assessed value. This assessment was for 20 years to pay for the Morongo Basin Pipeline.

Standby

The standby fee is an availability charge for all unimproved properties within the Hi-Desert Water District (HDWD) service area. The fee covers the shared costs of water facilities, ensuring service will be available to a parcel when needed.

The charge is set annually, based on the parcel size and assessment rate. The annual standby assessment is reflected on the property owner's tax bill, which is mailed out twice a year by the San Bernardino County Assessor's office.

The standby fee was established by the Board of Directors in 1969. The Board holds a public hearing before establishing the charge for the coming year. No changes to the fee were recommended for the 2024/2025 fiscal year.

Assessments Rates

  • Rates are based on the proximity of the property to District facilities. In no case will the standby charge on any parcel exceed $1,000.

Unimproved Categories

Unimproved Category 1

Unimproved category 1 parcels are located within 2,640 feet of an existing District water pipeline. Fees are:

  • $20 per parcel for each subdivision lot
  • $20 per parcel for the first 2.5 acres of land or portion thereof, and $10 per acre for each acre or portion thereof exceeding 2.5 acres

Unimproved Category 2

Unimproved category 2 parcels are located more than 2,640 feet from an existing pipeline. Fess are:

  • $4 per acre for each acre or portion thereof exceeding 1 acre
  • $4 per parcel less than 1 acre in size

All parcels larger than 1 acre will be computed to the nearest one-tenth acre.