The sales tax in Riverside County starts at 7.75% in unincorporated areas and runs higher inside most cities, where voter-approved district taxes typically bring the combined rate to 8.75%. A few cities, including Palm Springs and Cathedral City, charge 9.25%. What you actually pay depends on where the sale takes place, not where you live.1California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California Sales and Use Tax Rates by County and City
How the 7.75% County Rate Is Built
Every California sales tax rate begins with the statewide minimum of 7.25%. That floor combines several state-level taxes with a 1.25% local allocation required by the Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Tax Law, which routes a share of revenue back to cities and counties.2California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. History of Statewide Sales and Use Tax Rates
On top of that floor, Riverside County voters approved a half-cent (0.50%) sales tax known as Measure A. First passed in 1988 and renewed in 2002, Measure A is administered by the Riverside County Transportation Commission and funds highway improvements, local street maintenance, Metrolink service, and other transportation projects.3Riverside County Transportation Commission. Measure A: Local Tax Dollars at Work – Riverside County Add that half cent to the state floor and you get 7.75%, the rate that applies in unincorporated county territory where no additional city taxes are layered on.1California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California Sales and Use Tax Rates by County and City
What You Pay Inside a City
Most incorporated cities in Riverside County have passed their own district taxes, which usually fund municipal services, public safety, or transportation and require voter approval. As of April 1, 2026, the majority share a combined rate of 8.75%. That group includes the City of Riverside, Corona, Hemet, Indio, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Palm Desert, and Temecula.1California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California Sales and Use Tax Rates by County and City
Two cities sit higher. Cathedral City and Palm Springs both charge 9.25%, a full 1.50% above the county base, because of additional voter-approved measures.1California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California Sales and Use Tax Rates by County and City A large purchase in Palm Springs carries noticeably more tax than the same purchase a few miles away in unincorporated county land.
When Rates Change
District tax rates are not fixed forever. New ones typically take effect on January 1 or April 1, so if you are planning a vehicle purchase, a major appliance order, or any other transaction where tax matters, check the current figure against the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) rate lookup before you buy.4California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rate Information
What Is and Isn’t Taxed
California sales tax applies to tangible personal property, meaning physical items you can see, weigh, measure, or touch.5California Legislative Information. California Revenue and Taxation Code 6016 Clothes, electronics, furniture, appliances, and vehicles all fall inside that definition. Services generally do not. A mechanic’s labor charge to repair your car, for example, is not subject to sales tax.
Several common purchases are specifically exempt even though they are tangible goods:
- Groceries bought for home consumption, including produce, meat, dairy, cereal, and bread. Hot prepared food, food sold with utensils for eating on-site, and restaurant meals remain taxable.6California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Revenue and Taxation Code Section 6359
- Prescription medicine dispensed by a pharmacist under the order of a licensed physician, dentist, or podiatrist.7California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Revenue and Taxation Code Section 6369
- Products delivered entirely over the internet, such as e-books, downloaded software, mobile apps, and digital music, as long as no physical storage medium changes hands. If the seller also provides a flash drive or printed copy, the whole sale becomes taxable.8California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Internet Sales – Nontaxable Sales
Online and Out-of-State Purchases
When you buy from an out-of-state seller that does not collect California sales tax, you owe use tax at the same rate that would apply to a sale at your location. The use tax rate matches your combined Riverside County rate, so an item shipped to a Palm Springs address carries 9.25%, and one shipped to Temecula carries 8.75%.9California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Internet Auction Sales and Purchases (Publication 177) – Use Tax on Out-of-State Purchases
For most consumer goods, you can report and pay use tax on your California state income tax return. Vehicles, vessels, trailers, mobile homes, and aircraft are different: those must be reported directly to the CDTFA rather than through your tax return.10Franchise Tax Board. Use Tax
Private-party vehicle sales get special handling. Buy a car from someone who is not a licensed dealer and the DMV collects use tax before it will register the vehicle or transfer title. You cannot register until the tax is paid or you present a clearance form from the CDTFA.11California Department of Motor Vehicles. Transactions Subject to Use Tax One narrow exception applies to out-of-state private sellers: if the seller made fewer than three sales in the prior 12 months, the purchase qualifies as an occasional sale and no use tax is due.9California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Internet Auction Sales and Purchases (Publication 177) – Use Tax on Out-of-State Purchases
Working Out the Tax on a Purchase
To estimate tax on a purchase, multiply the price by the decimal form of the local rate. A $100 item sold in the City of Riverside at 8.75% carries $8.75 in tax. The same item in unincorporated county territory at 7.75% carries $7.75. In Palm Springs at 9.25%, it carries $9.25.12California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Sales and Use Tax in California For big-ticket items the gap between jurisdictions can run into real money, which is why the location of the sale, not the buyer’s home address, is the figure to confirm.