What is Mello-Roos and does my Inland Empire home have it?

Mello-Roos is a special tax district created under California's Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act. The district issues bonds to build the roads, schools, parks, water, and sewer lines that serve a new community, and the special tax repays them as a separate line on your property tax bill. It is the norm in newer Inland Empire communities like Beaumont, Menifee, Fontana, Temecula, Eastvale, and Jurupa Valley, and it can add roughly $1,000 to $4,000 or more a year on top of your regular property tax. Older, pre-1990 neighborhoods usually have little or none. The tax does not go away when you buy, so the amount matters for your monthly budget. Julian Cesar checks the tax records before you fall in love with a home, so the Mello-Roos number is on the table from day one.