Need to pay your property taxes? Here’s how to navigate the system.

The deadline to pay property tax bills is fast approaching, and waiting until the last minute is not advised, the city tax assessor collector said.

Homeowners receive their property tax bills in October when they are due, but the deadline to pay that bill without accruing penalties is Jan. 31. Penalties are assessed beginning Feb. 1.

“Come see us now because the last week in January, we have Disneyland lines. Our lobby is full … the first floor is full. There have been years that we even have people lined up around Kansas (Street) toward Texas (Avenue),” city Tax Assessor Collector Maria Pasillas said.

The city handles about 440,000 taxpayer accounts – about 140,000 of them homeowners with a mortgage. Last October, the tax office billed about $1.6 billion in property taxes for several entities, including the city, county, hospital district, community college, school districts and more.