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Assessment and Special Tax Bonds and Land Secured Financing

Infrastructure finance has always been, and continues to be, at the core of Orrick's public finance practice.

Our Special Tax and Assessment Financing Group focuses on infrastructure financing techniques that primarily use land-secured revenues (i.e. assessments or special taxes levied on benefited property) to pay for public improvements. The principal financing techniques used in infrastructure finance are:

  • Special Assessment Bonds
  • Mello-Roos/Community Facilities District (CFD) Special Tax Bonds
  • Joint Powers Authority Financings
  • Integrated Financing Districts
  • Charter City Proceedings
  • Marks-Roos Pooled Financings 

Attorneys in Orrick’s Special Tax and Assessment Financing Group have worked on more than 525 financings for cities, counties, school districts, joint powers authorities and other special districts in California, Nevada and Hawaii aggregating more than $22 billion in principal amount of bonds since 1985.

  • We have been involved in various projects financed with special assessments, Mello-Roos or Marks-Roos bonds such as:

    • streets, sidewalks, curbs and gutters
    • landscaping, lighting and utility undergrounding
    • school sites and facilities, including portable classrooms
    • infrastructure for shopping centers, business parks and industrial parks
    • public parking
    • bridges and highway interchanges
    • storm drainage
    • wastewater collection systems, treatment and disposal facilities
    • water supply, storage, treatment and distribution facilities
    • parks and recreation facilities, including acquisition of open space
    • light rail
    • seismic safety improvements
    • flood control improvements
    • wetlands replacement and protection
    • freeway interchanges