Feel a bit overwhelmed trying to understand how property taxes work in Fulton County? You aren’t alone; property taxes are definitely a confusing subject! However, it’s important to understand tax rates by county, city, and school district before buying a house because it plays a major role in the Atlanta cost of living.
This Fulton County property tax guide covers everything you want to know from the property tax rate in Fulton County, GA to calculating school, county, and city property taxes.
Fulton County Property Taxes
To understand property taxes in Fulton County, GA, it helps to first understand how property taxes work in Georgia.
Under Georgia law, all real property is taxable unless it is exempted. Property taxes are charged on January 1 with property tax returns filed between January 1 and April 1. Property taxes are due by November 15 (October 31 in Atlanta). Unlike some states, Georgia does not provide a refund for partial-year residents. If you owned the property on January 1, you are responsible for the entire year’s property taxes, even if the property is sold the next day.
If taxes are not collected, a tax levy can be placed on the property. It can eventually be sold if the tax remains unpaid.
Georgia property is assessed at 40% of its fair market value, or the amount a buyer would pay and a seller would accept for the property. All real estate is assessed at the county level by the county’s Board of Tax Assessors. There are special assessment programs and exemptions that can reduce a property’s assessed value. The Georgia State Revenue Commissioner has the duty of reviewing each county’s digests to make sure property is assessed fairly.
Georgia law requires all property to be returned and assessed at its fair market value each year.
When you receive your tax bill, you will see a fair market value for your home and the property’s assessed value. If you do not agree with your assessed value, you have the right to file an appeal.
There are two departments involved in property taxes in Fulton County, GA:
- The Fulton County Board of Assessors is responsible for appraising property.
- The Fulton County Tax Commissioner is responsible for collecting taxes.
Here is a more in-depth look at the roles of each department.
Fulton County Board of Assessors
The Board of Assessors is responsible for:
- Appraising property
- Processing tax exemption applications and appeals
- Maintaining property tax maps and ownership records
- Preparing the annual property tax digest
Fulton County Tax Commissioner
The Fulton County Tax Commissioner is Dr. Arthur E. Ferdinand who has been elected to the position for more than 20 years. Ferdinand earns about $490,000 in his role, up from a $70,000 salary he earned in 1997. His county salary is $161,000 but he has agreements with four cities and pending contracts with two other cities, according to an AJC investigation. County tax commissioners in Georgia can legally contract with cities to collect their taxes for them and charge a fee for the service.
The Tax Commissioner is the property tax collector for Fulton County. His role includes:
- Calculating and preparing tax bills
- Collecting taxes
- Processing vehicle tag applications
- Distributing tax funds to Fulton County, county school boards, the City of Atlanta, and other municipalities in the county.
Your property taxes are used to support city and county services and school districts. The Fulton County General Fund, or the portion that goes to the county, supports county-wide services like behavioral health, arts, senior services, libraries, elections, and the county justice system.
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Fulton County Property Tax Search
You can view property tax records, property assessments, and more online. This is useful for checking or paying your property tax bill or even checking tax history before buying a house.
You can start by clicking here for the Fulton County property tax records search. Next, choose how you want to search for tax information:
- Parcel search
- Owner search
- Address search
- Map search
- Advanced search (search by criteria like acreage or sales price)
The property tax search can show you information like:
- Subdivision
- Neighborhood code
- Acreage
- Tax district
- Appraised value
- Assessed value
- Appraisal and assessment history
- Appeals and appeals history
- Owner and address
- Parcel number
- Tax exemptions
- Sales history
- City and county tax bills
- City and county tax credits
- Tax penalties and interest
Fulton County Property Tax Rates
How much are property taxes in Fulton County? How do they compare to the state and rest of the U.S.? The county has one of the highest effective property tax rates in Georgia and the entire country.
The Fulton County effective property tax rate is 1.16%. A 2020 Tax Foundation analysis found the average Fulton County resident pays $2,901 in property taxes every year, the highest among all Georgia counties.
By comparison, homeowners in Cobb County cities pay a property tax rate of 0.86%. Cherokee County has an 0.87% effective tax rate. Forsythe County, just outside Atlanta, has an effective tax rate of 0.83%, the lowest in Metro Atlanta.
The Georgia average property tax rate is 0.87%. The average Georgia resident pays $1,771 in annual property taxes.
The national average property tax bill is $2,471.
How Are Property Taxes Calculated?
There is a simple formula to calculate property taxes in Fulton County. Here is how to calculate Fulton County property taxes for your county, school, and city tax bill.
(Property Value x Assessed Rate) – Exemptions) x Property Tax Rate = Property Tax Bill
If a home has a fair market value of $100,000, its assessed value is $40,000 based on the 40% assessed rate. This assessed value is used to calculate county property taxes.
Note: taxes are calculated using your Fulton County, school, and city tax or millage rate.
Next, subtract your exemptions. The basic Fulton County homestead exemption of $30,000 is available if you own your home.
The $40,000 assessed value minus the exemption gives you a taxable value of $10,000 in this example. This is then multiplied by the Fulton County millage rate (9.330) then divided by 1,000 to give you your county property tax bill. That would give you a county property tax bill of $93.30 on the $10,000 property tax assessed value.
2021 Millage Rates in Fulton County (Property Tax Rates)
You can use these millage rates in the formula above to calculate your property tax bill. You will use the county millage rate if you own a home in Fulton County, but you will need to use the correct school and city millage rate. Be aware that homestead exemptions can be different for county, city, and school taxes!
- Fulton County millage rate: 9.330 mills (rollback from 9.776 in 2020)
- Fulton County Board of Education millage rate: 17.590 mills (lowest school tax rate in metro Atlanta)
- City of Atlanta millage rate: 7.85 mills (no property tax increase in the last ten years)
- Atlanta Public Schools millage rate: 20.74 mills
- City of Sandy Springs millage rate: 4.731 mills
- City of Roswell millage rate: 4.718 mills
Some Fulton County cities like Atlanta and Sandy Springs have property taxes billed alongside Fulton County taxes. Other incorporated cities like Roswell and Alpharetta collect their own city taxes.
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Fulton County Property Tax Payments
Georgia property taxes are due by December 20 although some counties have earlier deadlines and some require two installments.
Fulton County property tax due dates are:
- November 15 for Fulton County property taxes
- October 31 for City of Atlanta property taxes
There are tax penalties and interest if your payment is not received by the due date. The late fee is 5% of the outstanding amount every 120 days after the due date up to 20% of the original tax due. Interest is also added at a monthly rate of 1/12 percent of the bank prime loan rate plus 3%.
Pay Fulton County Property Taxes Online
You can pay online at FultonCountyTaxes.org. Select a property type and either the parcel ID, account number, or street address. You will then have the option to pay with credit card or e-check. There is a convenience fee to pay by card but no online fee for e-check payments.
Where to Pay in Person
You can pay your property tax bill at the Fulton County Tax Commissioner’s office using a credit or debit card. The following offices accept property tax payments:
- Main Office downtown
- South Service Center
- Greenbriar Mall Center
- North Service Center
- Alpharetta Service Center
You can see all office locations here.
Additional Fulton County Property Tax Information
Here is additional information about property taxes in Fulton County, GA including how to appeal your property assessment and office locations.
You can appeal your property tax assessment within 45 days of the postmark date on your annual assessment notice. Your property tax appeal will be reviewed by the Board of the Assessors. If the board decides not to change your assessment, your appeal will be sent to the Board of Equalization. This is a citizen panel of property owners appointed by the Grand Jury of Fulton County to hear appeals on value, taxability, special assessments, and homestead exemptions.
A hearing will be scheduled before the Board of Equalization. You will receive notice for the scheduled hearing which is held at 141 Pryor Street, Suite 5001 at the Fulton County Government Building. You may appear before the board, authorize a representative in your absence, or appear with your representative. During the hearing, you can submit documentation to support your appeal including appraisals, photos of the interior or exterior of your home, documentation of the purchase price or sales price, and comparable property sales.
The decision the Board of Equalization reaches can be appealed by the property owner or the County Board of Tax Assessors. A notice of appeal must be filed within 30 days from the postmark date on the mailed decision. Your appeal will be submitted to the Superior Court and must be filed with the Board of Tax Assessors.
Fulton County Board of the Assessors Office Locations
The following is property tax office contact information for the Board of Assessors. You can reach the BOE by phone at (404) 612-6440.
- Main Office – Peachtree Center, North Tower –235 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1100, Atlanta, GA 30303
- Fulton County Government Center, 141 Pryor Street, SW, Suite 1018, Atlanta, GA 30303
- North Fulton Customer Service Center, 7741 Roswell Road NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30350
- Customer Service Center at Maxwell Road, 11575 Maxwell Road, Alpharetta, GA 30009
- South Fulton Service Center, 5600 Stonewall Tell Road, College Park, GA 30349
Fulton County Tax Commissioner Office Locations
You can pay Fulton County, GA property taxes at the following locations. You can reach the Tax Commissioner’s Office by phone at (404) 613-6100.
- Customer Service Center at Maxwell Road, 11575 Maxwell Road, Alpharetta, GA 30009
- Greenbriar Mall Service Center, 2841 Greenbriar Parkway, Suite 106, Atlanta, GA 30331
- Fulton County Government Center, 141 Pryor Street, SW, Suite 1113, Atlanta, GA 30303
- North Fulton Customer Service Center, 7741 Roswell Road NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30350
- South Fulton Service Center, 5600 Stonewall Tell Road, College Park, GA 30349
Fulton County Property Tax Exemptions
Fulton County homeowners may qualify for a homestead exemption that acts as tax relief. After the assessed value of your home is determined, your county, city, and school homestead exemptions are deducted from the assessed value. Taxes are then calculated based on the millage rate.
There are several homestead exemptions:
- Basic homestead exemption
- Senior homestead exemption
- Exemption for low income homeowners
- Exemption for disabled homeowners
- Exemption for surviving spouses of public safety officers and military members killed in the line of duty
- Disability exemption for disabled veterans and surviving spouses
Once you are granted a homestead exemption, it will renew automatically every year as long as you occupy your home. The only exception is the Low Income exemption that must be renewed every two years.
You may be eligible for different exemptions for city, school, and Fulton County taxes.
The following are examples of homestead exemptions:
- Basic homestead exemption for Fulton County: $30,000
- Atlanta Schools basic homestead exemption: $50,000 (after the first $10,000 in assessed value)
- Fulton Schools basic homestead exemption: $2,000 (plus a 3% Floating Homestead exemption)
- City of Atlanta basic homestead exemption: $30,000 (plus 2.6% Floating Homestead)
- City of Sandy Springs basic homestead exemption: $15,000 (plus CPI exemption)
- City of Alpharetta basic homestead exemption: $45,000 (plus 3% Floating Homestead exemption)
There are also specific homestead exemptions that offer property tax relief for seniors in Fulton County.
- At age 62 with Georgia taxable income less than $10,000, a $10,000 Statewide School Exemption of $10,000 is available
- At age 65, the basic county homestead exemption increases from $30,000 to $50,000
- At age 65 with federal gross adjusted income below $39,000, a Fulton County Value Freeze exemption is available
- Low income seniors 65 and older can qualify for a 50% exemption
At age 70, seniors with adjusted gross income of $75,552 or less can qualify for a 100% property tax exemption.
You can see the complete guide to 202 Fulton County property tax exemptions here.
Fulton County Property Tax FAQ
What is the tax rate in Fulton County?
The Fulton County tax rate is 9.330 mills based on a 40% assessment rate. There is also a city and school tax. The Fulton County Board of Education millage rate is 17.590 mills. In Atlanta, you will pay an Atlanta Public Schools tax rate of 20.74 mills and a City of Atlanta tax rate of 7.85 mills.
When are Fulton County property taxes due?
Fulton County property taxes are due November 15. Property taxes in the City of Atlanta are due earlier on October 31.
Can I look up my Fulton County property taxes online?
You can use this Fulton County property tax search to check your tax history, taxes due, assessments, exemptions, and more.
How do I pay my property taxes in Fulton County?
You can pay Fulton County property taxes online at FultonCountyTaxes.org or at a Tax Commissioner’s office.
Fulton County property taxes may be high, but you’ll enjoy a great quality of life, excellent amenities, and great schools in exchange. Are you buying a house in the Atlanta area? Count on Wirks Moving & Storage for an easy moving day! Call our friendly movers today for your free estimate.
