RATE BREAKDOWN
Orange County Sales Tax Rate, Broken Down
| Component | Rate |
|---|---|
| California statewide base rate | 7.25% |
| District taxes in Orange County | 0.5% |
| Total Orange County sales tax | 7.75% |
2026 ORANGE COUNTY SALES TAX
Orange County Sales Tax 2026
Orange County sales tax is 7.750% across most of the county — the lowest combined rate of any large urban county in Southern California, and a full two points below neighbouring Los Angeles. But that headline figure only holds in 27 of the county's 34 cities. Seven have added district taxes of their own, and four of those reach 9.250%.
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Sales tax due
Orange County, CA · 7.75%
TOTAL WITH TAX$107.75$7.75 of sales tax
Price 92.8%Sales tax 7.2%
Price before tax$100.00
Sales tax at 7.75%+$7.75
Total$107.75
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Sales tax is charged on the delivery address, not the billing address, and some goods are exempt or taxed differently. See the methodology and source list.
The calculator starts at the 7.750% county baseline. If your delivery address is in Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Westminster or Los Alamitos, change it to 9.250% — the gap is 1.500%, which is $15 on a $1,000 purchase.
CDTFA ratesEffective July 1, 2026Free to Use
CA SALES TAX
The 1.5-Point Spread Inside One County
Orange County is an unusually clear illustration of why a county-level sales tax figure can mislead. The county baseline — the rate in unincorporated areas and in most cities — is 7.750%, which is California's 7.250% statewide base plus a single 0.500% countywide district tax.
Four cities charge 9.250%: Los Alamitos, Santa Ana, Seal Beach and Westminster. Three more — Buena Park, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, La Habra, La Palma, Placentia and Stanton — sit at 8.750%. Everything else is at the baseline.
Each of those higher rates is a district tax the city's own voters approved. None of them apply outside the city limits, so two shops a mile apart can legitimately charge rates that differ by a point and a half.
CA SALES TAX
Which Orange County Sales Tax Rate Applies to You
The rate follows the address where the buyer takes delivery. For an in-store purchase that is the store; for a delivery or an online order it is the shipping address.
ZIP codes are not a reliable guide, because California district taxes follow city and special-district boundaries that ZIP codes cross freely. An address with a Santa Ana mailing address is not necessarily inside the City of Santa Ana. Use the table below, and when a purchase is large enough for the difference to matter, confirm the address against the CDTFA's own lookup.
CITY BY CITY
Orange County Sales Tax by City
| City | Sales tax rate |
|---|---|
| Los Alamitos | 9.25% |
| Santa Ana | 9.25% |
| Seal Beach | 9.25% |
| Westminster | 9.25% |
| Buena Park | 8.75% |
| Fountain Valley | 8.75% |
| Garden Grove | 8.75% |
| La Habra | 8.75% |
| La Palma | 8.75% |
| Placentia | 8.75% |
| Stanton | 8.75% |
| Aliso Viejo | 7.75% |
| Anaheim | 7.75% |
| Brea | 7.75% |
| Costa Mesa | 7.75% |
| Cypress | 7.75% |
| Dana Point | 7.75% |
| Fullerton | 7.75% |
| Huntington Beach | 7.75% |
| Irvine | 7.75% |
| Laguna Beach | 7.75% |
| Laguna Hills | 7.75% |
| Laguna Niguel | 7.75% |
| Laguna Woods | 7.75% |
| Lake Forest | 7.75% |
| Mission Viejo | 7.75% |
| Newport Beach | 7.75% |
| Orange | 7.75% |
| Rancho Santa Margarita | 7.75% |
| San Clemente | 7.75% |
| San Juan Capistrano | 7.75% |
| Tustin | 7.75% |
| Villa Park | 7.75% |
| Yorba Linda | 7.75% |
TAXABLE OR NOT
What Orange County Sales Tax Applies To
What is taxed is set by California and does not vary between Orange County cities — only the rate does. The common exemptions:
- Unprepared groceries are exempt anywhere in the county
- Prescription medicines are exempt; over-the-counter medicines generally are not
- Restaurant meals and hot prepared food are taxable at whichever city rate applies
- Services are not subject to California sales tax
- Vehicles follow the buyer's registration address — which, inside Orange County, may be a different city rate from the dealer's
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Orange County Sales Tax Questions
What is the sales tax rate in Orange County?+
The Orange County baseline is 7.750%, which applies in unincorporated areas and in most of its 34 cities. Seven cities charge more: four are at 9.250% and the rest at 8.750%. The table above lists every city.
Which Orange County city has the highest sales tax?+
Four cities tie at 9.250% — Los Alamitos, Santa Ana, Seal Beach and Westminster. That is 1.500% above the county baseline, so a $1,000 purchase costs $15 more in tax there than in Irvine or Anaheim.
Why is Orange County lower than Los Angeles County?+
Both start from the same 7.250% California base. Orange County has added only a 0.500% countywide district tax, while Los Angeles County's district taxes total 2.500%. The difference is entirely down to which measures voters in each county have approved.
How much is sales tax on $100 in Orange County?+
$7.75 at the 7.750% baseline, for a total of $107.75. In a 9.250% city such as Santa Ana it is $9.25, and in an 8.750% city such as Garden Grove it is $8.75.
Can I use a ZIP code to find the right Orange County rate?+
Not reliably. District taxes follow city boundaries, and ZIP codes cross those boundaries — a Santa Ana mailing address is not proof of being inside the City of Santa Ana. Use the city, and for a large purchase confirm the street address with the CDTFA's rate lookup.
Does the Orange County rate apply to online orders?+
The rate for the delivery city applies. An order shipped to Westminster is taxed at 9.250% and one shipped to Irvine at 7.750%, whatever the seller's location.
RATE SOURCE
Where These Rates Come From
Every rate in the table above is the CDTFA's published figure for that city. District taxes are revised quarterly and Orange County cities have added them one at a time over several election cycles, so a rate list from a previous year is likely to be missing at least one change. California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rates, effective July 1, 2026.
Disclaimer: Treat the table above as a guide rather than a filing source. Seven Orange County cities charge above the baseline shown here, so check the delivery city against the CDTFA before filing a return.
Reviewed by: Paycheck Calculator Editorial Team
Rate table effective: July 1, 2026
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