Bay Area sales tax rates in 2026 run from 7.375% in unincorporated Solano County to 10.750% in several Alameda County cities, one of the widest gaps in any California metro. Every rate starts from the 7.25% statewide minimum, and voter-approved district taxes stack on top depending on the exact address where the sale takes place.1California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rate Information
How the Rate Is Built
California sales tax is a stack, not a single number. The floor is 7.25%, which includes state general fund, education, and local government allocations under the Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law.1California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rate Information
Districts add their own voter-approved taxes on top of that floor to fund transit, county healthcare, affordable housing, road maintenance, and parks. Each district has its own boundaries, so crossing a city line can change the rate inside a single county. The combined district taxes in a county are generally capped at 2%, but the state legislature has granted exceptions that let some jurisdictions exceed that ceiling.2California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Implementing New Local Jurisdictions or District Taxes
Those exceptions are why Alameda County cities routinely land at 10.25% or higher. Overlapping transit, housing, and infrastructure measures have pushed the district total well past 2%. A rate above 9.25% almost always means voters in that jurisdiction have repeatedly approved additional local levies.
2026 Rates in the Nine Counties
The rates below are effective as of January 1, 2026. Because a new ballot measure or expiring tax can shift the number, confirm the rate for a specific address at the CDTFA lookup tool before any large purchase.
Alameda County
Alameda has the highest rates in the region. The unincorporated county rate is 10.250%. Oakland, Hayward, Union City, San Leandro, Newark, Albany, and the city of Alameda are at 10.750%. Emeryville is 10.500%. Berkeley, Dublin, Fremont, Livermore, and Pleasanton are at 10.250%.3California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rates
Contra Costa County
El Cerrito and Pinole are 10.250%. Concord, Antioch, Richmond, Martinez, and San Ramon charge 9.750%. Walnut Creek, Lafayette, and Pittsburg are 9.250%. The unincorporated county and cities like Brentwood, Clayton, and Danville are at 8.750%.3California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rates
San Francisco
San Francisco is a flat 8.625% across the entire city-county, one of the lower rates among the urban cores.3California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rates
Santa Clara County
Most of the county sits at 9.125%, including Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and the unincorporated area. San Jose and Milpitas are 9.375%. Campbell is the outlier at 9.875%.3California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rates
San Mateo County
The unincorporated area and cities including Menlo Park, Foster City, and Millbrae charge 9.375%. Daly City, Redwood City, South San Francisco, and Pacifica hit 9.875%. The city of San Mateo and Burlingame are 9.625%.3California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rates
Sonoma County
Sebastopol leads at 10.500%. Cotati, Petaluma, and the city of Sonoma are 10.250%. Santa Rosa and Cloverdale are 10.000%. Unincorporated Sonoma and Windsor are at 9.250%.3California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rates
Marin County
Unincorporated Marin is 8.250%. San Rafael, Novato, and Sausalito are at 9.250%.3California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rates
Napa County
Napa cities including American Canyon and Calistoga are 7.750%.3California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rates
Solano County
Solano has the widest internal spread in the region. Unincorporated Solano is 7.375%, the lowest rate in the Bay Area. Vacaville is 8.125%. Vallejo is 9.250%, and Benicia jumps to 9.625%.3California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rates
What the Spread Costs on a Big Purchase
The gap between the cheapest and most expensive Bay Area jurisdictions is 3.375 percentage points. On a $40,000 vehicle, that’s a $1,350 difference between buying in unincorporated Solano County (7.375%) and Oakland (10.750%). Comparison shopping across county lines doesn’t necessarily save money, though, because the applicable rate depends on where you take delivery or register the item, not where you shop.
Which Rate Applies When Goods Are Shipped
For an in-store purchase, you pay the combined state and district rate at the store’s location. For shipped or delivered goods, district taxes follow the delivery address. A retailer in Brentwood shipping to a customer in Oakland collects Oakland’s district use tax, not Brentwood’s.4California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Tax Rate FAQ for Sales and Use Tax
There’s a wrinkle for smaller sellers. A retailer may be relieved of the obligation to collect district use tax when shipping to a customer’s address outside the retailer’s own district, provided the retailer isn’t “engaged in business” in the destination district. Most large retailers and online sellers collect the destination rate automatically. Smaller businesses shipping across county lines need to know which districts they have a collection obligation in.4California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Tax Rate FAQ for Sales and Use Tax
If you pick up goods from a warehouse in one county and use or store them at home in another, the district taxes follow the goods to where you keep them.
Buying From Out of State
When an out-of-state seller doesn’t collect California tax, the buyer owes use tax directly to the state. The rate is identical to the combined sales tax rate where the item is stored or used, so a Bay Area buyer pays the same combined rate that would have applied to a local purchase.5California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California Use Tax for Personal Use
Most consumers now run into this only with private-party purchases like a car, boat, or piece of equipment from an out-of-state seller, since major online retailers collect California tax at checkout. Use tax is due by April 15 of the year after the purchase, and it can be reported on the line and worksheet built into the California income tax return.6California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Resources for California Use Tax
Confirming the Exact Rate Before You Buy
Because rates can shift block by block, the reliable way to confirm one is the CDTFA’s address lookup tool at maps.cdtfa.ca.gov. Enter a street address and it returns the combined rate plus a breakdown of every district tax that applies.7California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Find a Sales and Use Tax Rate The full statewide table lives at cdtfa.ca.gov/taxes-and-fees/rates.aspx and is updated when new measures take effect.3California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rates
Rates typically change on January 1 or April 1 as new measures kick in or old ones expire. For a large planned purchase, check the rate at the actual delivery address close to the purchase date rather than relying on a figure you looked up months earlier. And remember the boundary: groceries taken home, prescription medicines, and most electronically delivered digital products aren’t taxed at any of these rates, so the combined figure only applies to purchases of tangible personal property.8California Legislative Information. California Revenue and Taxation Code 6359