Frequently Asked Questions

• Appraise all real and personal property
• Process exemption applications
• Process property appealsMaintain records of property ownership
• Maintain property tax maps
• Prepare real and personal property tax digest annually

• Calculate and print tax bills
• Collect taxes
• Distribute revenues to the County, School Boards and Municipalities
• Process motor vehicle tag applications & renewals

Fair market or appraised value is the amount a willing seller would sell and a willing buyer would purchase a property in an arm’s length bona fide transaction.

Assessed value is 40% of the fair market value.

The Board of Commissioners, Atlanta & Fulton County School Boards, and city governing authorities set the millage rates.

You can apply for homestead exemption year round. However, you must apply by April 1st for the exemption to be effective for the current year. Applications received after April 1st will be processed for the following year.

If you are the owner and reside at the property on January 1st, you qualify for Homestead Exemption that year.  The property must be your primary residence.

No. Once granted Homestead exemption, you do not have to reapply again unless there is an ownership change on the deed to the property or if you move to a different location that you claim as your primary residence.

If you reach an age where you may qualify for senior exemptions, you must file for those exemptions, as they are not applied automatically.

You must also apply for disability and other special exemptions.

The amount of savings vary depending on the annual tax rates (millage rates) set by the county and city governing authorities and school boards.  The savings also vary depending on applicable property exemption caps/freezes.

The Tax Commissioner’s office can provide more information on tax savings.

No. It is illegal to have more than one Homestead Exemption in this state or any other state. You can only receive an exemption on the home you consider your primary residence.

There are two classifications of tangible property, real and personal. Real property can be defined as land and permanent improvements to the land, such as buildings. Personal property is defined as anything movable in nature, such as furniture, equipment and inventory.

Georgia Code 48-5-3 provides that all property is subject to taxation unless specifically exempted. Personal property is subject to taxation just as real property. Because of its movable nature, it is challenging to track the condition and the amount of personal property owned by a company or business, as this may change dramatically from one year to another. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the property owner to complete the required forms to supply the information needed for the Assessors to determine the property’s fair market value.

If you operate a business or own assets used in a business, you should complete the Business Personal Property Return. If you own a boat and motor, you should complete the Marine Personal Property Return. If you own an airplane, you should complete the Aircraft Personal Property Return. These forms are available at www.fultonassessor.org on the Forms and Documents page. Forms are mailed to business owners who owned personal property the previous year, as well as to new business owners who began business during the previous year.

The deadline to file all personal property returns is April 1st of each year. The Board of Assessors cannot grant extensions or relieve penalties. Therefore, it is very important for property owners to file in a timely manner.

Freeport exemption is an exemption on inventory of Georgia manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors. The exemption must be applied annually by April 1 www.fultonassessor.org on the Forms and Documents page to receive maximum exemption. Applications are also accepted until June 1st but with reduced exemption granted. Forms are available here.

No. The assessment notice is not a bill. Although Georgia law requires that the assessment notice give an estimated tax amount, its primary purpose is to advise of your property’s appraised value as established by the Board of Assessors. Do not send payments until you receive a tax bill from the Tax Commissioner.

State law requires that counties use the previous year’s millage rates to estimate taxes on the assessment notice. Any change in millage rates by a taxing authority could create a change in your property tax bill. An increase or decrease in your property value could also create a change in your tax bill, even if the millage rates stay the same.

No. You cannot appeal your property taxes. You can appeal your property value within 45 days of any assessment notice.

You can appeal property values to the Board of Assessors and the appeal must be in writing or via online appeal filing. Our online filing system is called SmartFile and can be accessed on the Online Services page.

If you wish to file an appeal manually, an appeal form is available on the Appeals page of this website.

Property data can be found on the Board of Assessors website at www.fultonassessor.org on the Property Records page