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- 2.0M Residents
- $390B County GDP
- $196,749 GDP per Capita
Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County, the heart of Silicon Valley, has about 1.9 million residents and the highest GDP per capita of any large county in the United States. The county seat and largest city is San Jose; other major centers include Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Cupertino. The economy is dominated by Apple, Google, NVIDIA, Intel, and a vast tech ecosystem, plus Stanford University and a strong life-sciences cluster.
Property in Santa Clara
What every owner, heir, and investor should know.
Owning a home in Santa Clara.
Santa Clara County is one of the most expensive housing markets in the country, with single-family medians often exceeding $2M in core Silicon Valley cities. The Assessor administers Prop 13 base values, Prop 19 transfers, and standard homeowners' exemption. Property tax bills run high in absolute dollars; supplemental assessments and Prop 8 declines should be monitored carefully.
Investing in Santa Clara.
The county is a tier-one investor market with the most durable rental demand in California, but extremely thin yields and long underwriting horizons. Multifamily and BMR (below-market-rate) rules vary by city; San Jose has its own Apartment Rent Ordinance with annual rent caps and just-cause eviction. Investors should also account for the San Jose Cash for Keys ordinance and required tenant relocation fees.
After a Santa Clara foreclosure or tax deed sale.
Non-judicial trustee sales are typically held at the front entrance of the Superior Courthouse on North 1st Street in San Jose or as specified in the Notice of Trustee Sale. The Department of Tax and Collections conducts an annual online tax-defaulted property auction through Bid4Assets, typically in spring. Inventory is small relative to other counties given the county's strong market.
Courts and records in Santa Clara.
The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara operates the Downtown Superior Courthouse, Hall of Justice, Family Justice Center, and several branch courts. The Clerk-Recorder maintains official records, deeds, vital records, and FBN filings, with online search via the clerkrecorder.org portal. The Office of Property Assessment Information offers free deed and ownership lookups for residents.