INFO PAGE

SMART Project

The Office of the Assessor-Recorder is in the final phase of a major technological infrastructure investment and upgrade that will help us serve you better: the SMART Project, our new system for managing records, assessments and transactions. The SMART system will launch Fall 2025.

The final stage of the SMART Project includes a cutover period where the Assessor-Recorder is unable to access our old assessment system through Fall 2025, resulting in delays for updating assessments, changing mailing addresses and ownership information. When the new system is live, outstanding taxpayer requests will be prioritized and resolved as soon as possible. We understand that delays are challenging and thank you for your patience during this critical transition.

Modernizing property assessment and tax functions

San Francisco relies on the Office of the Assessor-Recorder for the fair and accurate assessment of over 212,000 parcels and nearly 30,000 businesses, which creates the bedrock for our City's financial stability through property tax revenue.

SMART, our Office's new system for managing records, assessments and transactions represents a transformation in how we complete our vital mission in service to you.

It will:

  • Allow you to do business with our Office online, using our new community portal.
  • Provide you with more access to your property assessment information as well as to policymakers to enable better revenue forecasting and data analysis on property here in San Francisco.
  • Facilitate more timely reassessments for changes in ownership and new construction.
  • Secure $4.1 billion in revenue and your data through a modern technology platform that is secure and resilient.

Funded in partnership with the Committee on Information Technology (COIT) as a major technological infrastructure investment, SMART is one part of a joint project between the three departments that manage the City's property tax functions:

  • the Office of the Assessor-Recorder,
  • the Treasurer & Tax Collector
  • and the Office of the Controller.

The first phase of the SMART Project in the Office of the Assessor-Recorder included the launch of our business personal property online portal, a tool now used by business owners to access their assessment information and file annual statements.

Community portal

SMART fundamentally changes the way you can work with our Office with an online community portal. Through the community portal you can:

  • Access your property assessment information and property characteristics. Previously you had to contact our Office or come into our front lobby to see detailed information.
  • File for common exemptions, exclusions and report new construction. Previously you had to fill out hard copy information and submit it to our Office via email, mail or in-person.
  • Track our Office's progress on addressing your case including exemptions and assessments.
  • Change your mailing address and contact information.

A first look at our community portal is below.

Photo of new system for managing records assessments and transactions public community portal. Image shows property information for City Hall and a map.

Citywide impacts

SMART is replacing an aging legacy system that has been in place for more than 20 years. You can see our old legacy system pictured below with a black screen and green font. This system is so outdated that it doesn't support the use of a computer mouse, meaning that staff and the public have to use keystrokes to navigate through it.

Creating efficiencies

With SMART, our staff will be able to do our work faster.

This is because our Office's old legacy system does not provide the ability to adapt and meet modern needs. This means that Assessor-Recorder staff have had to complete manual and time-consuming processes when inputting your assessment data into the system, slowing us down in doing our job. And, assessing your property requires collaboration between different divisions in our office and the SMART system provides one platform that all of our teams can work in.

Better coordination with other city departments

Our old system doesn't allow effective data sharing with other City departments.

SMART integrates directly with the Treasurer & Tax Collector and Controller's systems, improving data integrity between our offices and making coordination easier and quicker.

SMART also integrates with the Department of Building Inspection's permit system to provide real time information on construction permits, allowing us to assess new construction quicker.

It also facilitates a more streamlined parcel management process, allowing us to work better with the Department of Public Works in splitting parcels and creating new assessment parcel numbers. These are vital steps in the development process here in San Francisco to build new housing and projects that contribute to our economic and cultural vitality.

Photo of outdated assessment system with black screen and green font as an example of system the office is updating