(a) Whenever the assessor receives a written request for separate assessment of a community apartment project, a stock cooperative, or a limited equity housing cooperative as defined in Section 11003.2, 11003.4, or 11004 of the Business and Professions Code, or any other similarly organized housing cooperative, the assessor shall, on the first lien date which occurs more than 60 days following the request, and on each lien date thereafter, separately assess the individual interests described in subdivision (b) held by the owners of the project or shareholders of the corporation if the conditions specified in subdivision (c) have been met. Whenever a community apartment project or cooperative housing corporation is separately assessed, it shall continue to be separately assessed in subsequent fiscal years and once a request for separate assessment is made, it is binding on all future owners and occupants of the project or corporation.

(b) For community apartment projects, and similarly organized projects, the interest that is to be separately assessed pursuant to subdivision (a) is the value of the right of exclusive occupancy in a portion of the real property coupled with an undivided interest in the land. For cooperative housing corporations, limited equity housing cooperatives and similarly organized cooperatives, the interest that is to be separately assessed is the value of the right of exclusive occupancy which is transferable only concurrently with the transfer of the share or shares of stock in the corporation held by the person having such right of occupancy, together with an interest in appurtenant common areas.

(c) Except as provided in subdivision (a), a separate assessment of any interest described in subdivision (b) may not be made by the assessor unless:

(1) The person making the request certifies that the owners or shareholders have been notified and the request for separate assessment has been approved in the manner provided in the organizational documents of the organization involved for approval of matters affecting the affairs of the organization generally; and

(2) A diagrammatic floor plan of the improvements and a survey plot map of the land showing the location of the improvements on the land, prepared in the form required by Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 66425) of Division 2 of Title 7 of the Government Code, has been recorded with the county recorder and filed with the assessor.

(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a separate valuation to divide any existing residential structure into a subdivision, as defined in Section 66424 of the Government Code, shall not be made until a subdivision final map or parcel map, as described in Sections 66434 and 66445, respectively, of the Government Code has been recorded as required by law. If the requirement for a parcel map is waived pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 66428 of the Government Code, then the assessor shall not assign any parcel numbers or prepare a separate assessment or separate valuation, unless the applicant provides a copy of the finding made by the legislative body or advisory agency, as required by that subdivision.

(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2605 and regardless of whether the board of supervisors has adopted a resolution in accordance with Section 2700, the tax on interests in a cooperative housing corporation or a limited-equity housing corporation separately assessed pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be entered on the secured roll and may be paid in two installments as provided in Chapter 2.1 (commencing with Section 2700) of Part 5. However, if:

(1) The tax on the separately assessed interest is unpaid when any installment of taxes on the secured roll becomes delinquent, the tax collector may use the procedures applicable to the collection of delinquent taxes on the unsecured roll; and

(2) The tax on the separately assessed interest remains unpaid at the time set for the declaration of default for delinquent taxes, the tax on the separately assessed interest, together with any penalties and costs which may have accrued thereon while on the secured roll, shall be transferred to the unsecured roll.

(e) The tax on an individual interest in a community apartment project, separately assessed pursuant to subdivision (a), shall be a lien solely on that interest and shall be entered on and be subject to all provisions of law applicable to taxes on the secured roll.

(f) The assessor shall provide to the principal office of each community apartment project and cooperative housing corporation within the taxing jurisdiction, at the time and in the manner as he or she deems appropriate, adequate notice of the provisions of this section and other pertinent information relative to the implementation thereof.

(g) The assessor may charge a fee for the initial cost of separately assessing a project or corporation which may be collected on the tax bill.

(Amended by Stats. 2005, Ch. 281, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2006.)