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HomeMilitary and Veterans CodeDiv. 6Ch. 1Art. 3§ 1218 County Bond Tax Levy

§ 1218 County Bond Tax Levy

Military and Veterans Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 1218 County Bond Tax Levy

This law says the county has to collect enough yearly tax to pay the interest on its bonds and a share of the bond principal, using a simple division formula for the principal part.

Key Takeaways

  • •The yearly tax must be enough to pay both interest and a share of the principal.
  • •Principal share is calculated by dividing the total unpaid bond amount by the years left.
  • •All money collected goes only to the bond retirement fund until the bonds are fully paid.

Example

The county issues $10 million of bonds that will be paid off over 10 years.

Each year the county must collect tax that covers the yearly interest (5% of $10 million = $500,000) plus a slice of the principal ($10 million ÷ 10 = $1 million). So the tax must be at least $1.5 million each year until the bonds are fully paid.

How to Calculate

Annual principal payment = (Total outstanding bond amount) ÷ (Number of years remaining on the bonds)

  1. Find the total amount of bonds that still haven’t been paid off.
  2. Find how many years are left until the bonds must be completely paid.
  3. Divide the total bond amount by the number of years left. That gives the principal amount that must be collected each year.
  4. Add the yearly interest (bond amount × interest rate) to the principal amount to get the total tax needed for the year.

County has $10,000,000 of bonds, 5 years left, interest rate 5% per year.

Result: Principal portion = $10,000,000 ÷ 5 = $2,000,000; Interest = $10,000,000 × 0.05 = $500,000; Total tax needed = $2,500,000 for the year.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 1218 County Bond Tax Levy

The board of supervisors at the time of making the levy of taxes for county purposes shall levy a tax for that year upon the taxable property in the district for the interest and redemption of district bonds. Such tax shall not be less than sufficient to pay the interest of the bonds for that year and the portion of the principal due or to become due during the year, and in any event shall be sufficient to raise annually for the first half of the term of the bonds the sum necessary to pay the interest thereon; and during the balance of the term, sufficient to pay the annual interest and to pay annually a proportion of the principal of the bonds equal to a sum produced by taking the whole amount of the bonds outstanding and dividing it by the number of years the bonds then have to run. All money so collected shall be paid into the county treasury to the credit of the district bond retirement fund and be used for the payment of the principal and interest on the bonds and for no other purpose until all bonded indebtedness of the district has been paid in full. The principal and interest on bonds shall be paid by the county treasurer upon the warrant of the county auditor out of the district bond retirement fund if that fund has sufficient moneys and otherwise out of any other funds of the district. The county auditor shall cancel and retain such bonds and coupons when he draws his warrants on the treasurer in favor of the owners thereof. (Enacted by Stats. 1935, Ch. 389.)

Last verified: January 11, 2026

Key Terms

board of supervisorslevy of taxesdistrict bondsdistrict bond retirement fundbonded indebtedness

Related Statutes

  • § 1202 District Bond Payment Estimates
  • § 1203 Memorial District Bond Tax
  • § 1214 Bond Issue Election Certification
  • § 1215 Memorial District Bond Issuance
  • § 1216 District Bond Issuance Rules

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Military and Veterans Code. Section 1218.
View Official Source