How to Find BIR Zonal Values for a Davao City Property

Every agent needs to check the BIR zonal value before finalizing a selling price — it's the tax floor for Capital Gains Tax and Documentary Stamp Tax, and it's often different from what a seller expects to get. Here's how to actually find it for a Davao property.

What a zonal value is

The zonal value is the BIR's own per-square-meter valuation of land in a given area, used as the tax base whenever it's higher than the selling price or the assessor's fair market value. It has nothing to do with what a buyer is willing to pay — it's purely a tax reference figure, revised periodically by the BIR.

Davao City's two Revenue District Offices

Davao City is split across two RDOs for zonal value purposes:

• RDO 113A (West Davao City) — covers roughly 113 barangays
• RDO 113B (East Davao City) — covers roughly 57 barangays, including Agdao

Knowing which RDO a barangay falls under matters because you'll file CGT/DST returns and eventually the eCAR application with that specific RDO.

How to actually look it up

1. Go to the BIR zonal values page and find the schedule for Davao City, Davao del Sur.
2. Locate the specific barangay and street/subdivision — zonal values are set per classification (residential, commercial, agricultural) and can vary block by block within the same barangay.
3. If the online schedule is unclear or you can't find the exact street, visit the RDO covering that barangay directly — front desk staff can confirm the applicable value.
4. Cross-check against the current published range: citywide residential zonal values in Davao span roughly ₱360 to ₱105,500 per sqm, with a citywide median around ₱5,000/sqm — so the exact barangay and classification matters enormously.

Why this changes your pricing conversation with sellers

If a seller wants to list at ₱4,000,000 but the zonal value for that lot works out to ₱4,800,000, the BIR will tax the sale based on ₱4,800,000 regardless of the agreed price — meaning actual transfer costs (6% CGT + 1.5% DST + local transfer tax) will be higher than the seller assumed. Pulling the zonal value before setting the asking price avoids an unpleasant surprise at closing.

A caveat

Zonal values get revised periodically and published tables aren't always current for every barangay. When in doubt, confirm directly with the RDO before quoting a figure to a client — an outdated number can throw off a closing timeline.