Mello-Roos in Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana and Ontario Ranch: How It Works and How to Check a Home (2026)

What Mello-Roos is

Mello-Roos is the common name for a Community Facilities District, or CFD. A CFD is a local area that taxes the homes inside it to pay for things like streets, sewers, parks and lighting, or to pay for services after the homes are built. The extra charge is called a "special tax." It shows up as a line on the property tax bill.

Not every home is in a district. The tax bill for the address tells you: CFD special taxes are typically collected on your general property tax bill.

The base tax everyone pays

In California, Proposition 13 limits the general property tax rate to 1% of the assessed value. The San Bernardino County Assessor says debt service on voter-approved bonds is added on top of that 1%.

Assessed value is not the same as the price you pay. The county can raise it each year by an inflation factor, but not by more than 2%. For 2026-27 the state Board of Equalization set the factor at 1.02, a 2% increase.

A special tax is different. It is a separate charge, and its yearly increase is set by that district's own rules.

Real examples from city records (FY 2024-25)

These are FY 2024-25 figures from city records (Rancho Cucamonga's preliminary budget and Fontana's parcel tax forms). Current amounts may differ. Please read this carefully.

• These are city-levied districts only. School districts, water districts and other agencies can add their own special taxes to the same bill. We do not have those figures.
• A home's total may be higher than the number shown, or it may be in a different district altogether.
• Fontana's pages do not say whether each figure is the maximum or the amount actually levied. To ask about a specific parcel, call Fontana's Accounting Department at (909) 350-6608.
• We name neighborhoods only where the city names them.

Same caveats for every row: city-levied only, it may not be the home's total, and Fontana's listed amounts may be maximums.

What the table does not tell you: which streets are in Fontana CFD 87 or CFD 99, any Fontana "Special Tax B" amounts, or any school or water district taxes. It is not a ranking of anything. It shows how wide the range can be, and why you check the home, not the city.

What it adds to a monthly budget

City-levied line only; it may not be the home's total, and Fontana's listed amounts may be maximums.

Special taxes are listed by the year, but you plan by the month. So divide the yearly amount by 12. Here is one worked example, from the table above: one Fontana district (CFD 87, a detached home of 1,750 to 1,949 square feet) listed $2,316 for FY 2024-25. $2,316 divided by 12 is about $193 a month.

That is a tax figure for illustration. It is not a loan payment or a quote. Use the same math with the numbers from the tax bill for the home you are looking at.

Ontario Ranch

Ontario Ranch, in the City of Ontario. We could not find published per-home rates from the City of Ontario, so we are not going to guess.

If you are looking at a home in Ontario Ranch, here is how to get the real number for that address:

1. Ask the listing agent or seller for the Notice of Special Tax and the latest property tax bill. On a new home, the builder is the seller: ask the builder for the Notice of Special Tax for your lot.
2. Look at the special-tax lines on the bill. Each line names the agency that charges it.
3. Ask the City of Ontario's Financial Services department, (909) 395-2027, which districts cover the address.
4. Ask us to include it in your estimate before you make an offer.

Bond districts and service districts

The City of Fontana explains that there are two kinds of CFD, and the difference affects how long you pay.

• Bond CFDs pay for things like streets, sewers and storm drains. Fontana says these are taxed until the principal and interest on the bonds are paid off, "typically over a 30-year period."
• Services CFDs pay for things like lighting, landscaping and parks. Fontana says these are taxed as long as the maintenance or other services are provided. The Notice of Special Tax states the last year the tax can be levied.

State law requires the notice to say so. In the state's notice form, the tax is levied until the facilities are built and the bonds are repaid, "but in any case not after" a stated tax year.

How fast the tax can go up each year also varies. Some rise by a set percentage each year, and some follow inflation. We will not tell you a "typical" number, because it depends on the district. The Notice of Special Tax states the maximum yearly increase for your home.

How to check a specific home

1. Get the Notice of Special Tax. Under California Civil Code section 1102.6b, the seller makes a good-faith effort to get this notice from each agency that levies a special tax and gives it to you. It should show four things: the current yearly tax, the maximum tax, the maximum yearly increase, and the last year the tax can be levied.
2. Read the tax bill by agency. Special taxes are listed line by line, by the agency that charges them. Add up every special-tax line, not just the city's.
3. Ask the listing agent for the latest bill. The latest full-year bill is more useful than a listing estimate.
4. Ask your loan officer to include it in your payment estimate. Give us the address and we will build it in, so you can see how it fits your monthly budget before you make an offer.
5. Ask for a title company property profile. It can show the tax breakdown for an address.

If anyone says "I'm not sure what the special tax is," get the notice in writing before you go further.

The bottom line

Mello-Roos is a cost that belongs to a home's tax district, so don't guess it from the city name. Get the Notice of Special Tax and the tax bill for the address, add up every special-tax line, and call us if you want help reading them.

Questions buyers ask