Understanding Millage Rates and Their Impact on Your Fulton County Property Taxes

Millage rates are a crucial component in determining your annual property tax bill in Fulton County, Georgia. Understanding what they are and how they are applied is essential for every property owner.

The image depicts a detailed infographic about millage rates and property taxes in Fulton County At the top bold text reads Understanding Millage Rates against a soft blue background Below a simplified diagram illustrates the calculation process feat-3

What is a Millage Rate?

A millage rate is the amount per $1,000 of a property's assessed value used to calculate property taxes. One "mil" represents $1 in tax for every $1,000 of assessed value.

How Millage Rates are Set in Fulton County

Multiple entities set millage rates in Fulton County:

Fulton County Board of Commissioners: Sets the millage rate for county-wide services.
Fulton County Board of Education (School System): Sets the millage rate to fund public schools.
City Governments: Individual cities within Fulton County—such as Atlanta, Alpharetta, Roswell, and others—set their own millage rates for city services. Millage rates can vary significantly between cities and unincorporated areas.

Calculating Your Property Tax Bill

Your property tax bill is calculated as follows:

Determine Fair Market Value
This is the estimated price your property would sell for, as determined by the Fulton County Board of Assessors.
Calculate Assessed Value
Georgia law requires residential properties to be assessed at 40% of fair market value.
Assessed Value = Fair Market Value × 0.40
Subtract Exemptions
If you qualify for exemptions (such as the homestead exemption), these are subtracted from the assessed value.
Taxable Value = Assessed Value – Exemptions
Determine Total Millage Rate
The total millage rate is the sum of the county, school board, and city millage rates. Millage rates are expressed in mills (per $1,000), so convert to decimal form by dividing by 1,000.
Total Millage Rate (decimal) = (County Millage + School Millage + City Millage) / 1,000
Calculate Property Tax
Property Tax = Taxable Value × Total Millage Rate (decimal)

Example Calculation

Fair Market Value: $500,000
Basic Homestead Exemption: $30,000
County Millage Rate: 8.87 mills
School Millage Rate: 18.50 mills
City Millage Rate: 7.00 mills

Calculation:
Assessed Value = $500,000 × 0.40 = $200,000
Taxable Value = $200,000 – $30,000 = $170,000
Total Millage Rate = 8.87 + 18.50 + 7.00 = 34.37 mills
Total Millage Rate (decimal) = 34.37 / 1,000 = 0.03437
Property Tax = $170,000 × 0.03437 = $5,842.90

Note: These millage rates are examples and change annually.

Important Notes About Millage Rates

Millage rates change annually, based on local government budget needs.
Different cities within Fulton County may have very different millage rates.
Millage rates fund public services like schools, roads, police, and parks.
An increase in millage rates raises property taxes even if your property value stays the same.
Growth in the tax digest (total taxable property value) can influence whether millage rates increase, decrease, or stay stable.

Staying Informed

Your Annual Assessment Notice shows the previous year’s millage rates but check current rates separately.
Check the websites of Fulton County, the Fulton County School System, and your city government for the latest millage rate information and public hearing notices.
Local news outlets often report on millage rate changes during budget season.