Property tax in Madison County, Alabama
In Madison County, the property tax bill comes from the Madison County Tax Collector. The Tax Year 2026 bill is due December 31, 2026. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Madison County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Madison County, Alabama is $1,185 a year, which is about 0.4% of the county's median home value of $299,200. That effective rate is higher than the typical Alabama county (0.32%) and lower than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Who sends the property tax bill in Madison County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Madison County Tax Collector. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Madison County Tax Assessor, which is who to ask if the value looks wrong. For how to look up and pay the bill, go to the county's own payment information.
Madison County splits the job between two elected offices: the Tax Assessor values the property and handles exemptions, and the Tax Collector sends the bill and takes payment. City property taxes for Huntsville, Madison, Triana, New Hope, Gurley and Owens Cross Roads are part of the rate on the county bill, not a separate city bill. The bill goes to whoever owned the property on October 1 of the previous year. To keep a Circuit Court appeal alive, you must pay the taxes due at the prior year's assessment before they become delinquent, or post a bond for double the tax. From April 1 the office takes only cash or certified funds for real estate taxes, not personal checks or cards. Card payments carry a 2.75% fee plus $0.30, and electronic checks a $1.50 fee, all kept by the payment processor.
When are property taxes due in Madison County?
For the Tax Year 2026 (payable October 1 through December 31, 2026) bill, Madison County has one due date: December 31, 2026. Taxes become due October 1 and can be paid without penalty through December 31, which falls on a Thursday in 2026. The county mails a courtesy notice by October 1, but Alabama law does not require a bill before taxes are delinquent, so a missing notice does not extend the deadline. Pay in person by December 31, or make sure a mailed payment is postmarked by December 31. Taxes unpaid after December 31 are delinquent. The county adds a $5.00 late fee and interest of 1% a month on the base amount, plus probate and advertising fees. Delinquent notices are mailed after January 1, final notices in the first week of February, and unpaid taxes go to the county's online tax lien sale in the first week of May.
From Madison County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. If a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the county's own rules on the next business day apply.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Madison County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Madison County's average effective rate of 0.4% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $1,197 / year
Property tax in Madison County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $1,185 |
| Median home value | $299,200 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.4% |
| Typical Alabama county rate | 0.32% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Madison County compare in Alabama?
Among Alabama's 67 counties, Madison County has the 14th highest effective property-tax rate: 13 rank higher and 53 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Alabama. Nationally, it ranks 2920th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Alabama county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Madison County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Madison County's 112,734 owner-occupied homes, 8.2% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 21.1% pay at least $2,000, and 30% pay under $800. Another 9.6% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 33,801 | 30% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 30,402 | 27% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 13,998 | 12.4% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 14,490 | 12.9% |
| $3,000 or more | 9,257 | 8.2% |
| No property tax paid | 10,786 | 9.6% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,225 and owners without one pay $1,109. That is within 10% either way, so in Madison County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Madison County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $1,185 is about 1.1% of the median income of Madison County homeowner households, $106,801 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 68.3% of Madison County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Madison County?
Yes. The median bill went from $853 in 2015-2019 to $1,185 in 2020-2024, a 38.9% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 60.8%, from $186,100 to $299,200. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.
Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.
Property tax in counties next to Madison County
Madison County borders 6 counties, 2 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, TN | 0.53% | $1,246 | $236,900 |
| Lincoln County, TN | 0.45% | $1,038 | $229,700 |
| Madison County, AL (this county) | 0.4% | $1,185 | $299,200 |
| Marshall County, AL | 0.36% | $733 | $201,500 |
| Morgan County, AL | 0.34% | $718 | $212,000 |
| Limestone County, AL | 0.32% | $900 | $281,000 |
| Jackson County, AL | 0.3% | $480 | $159,500 |
How is a home assessed in Madison County?
Alabama assesses homes at 10% of market value in every county, Madison County included. How Alabama assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Madison County?
Yes. Alabama exempts $4,000 of assessed value from the state portion of the tax and $2,000 from county tax (not school taxes). Apply with the county tax assessing official between October 1 and December 31. That is the Alabama rule, and it applies in Madison County. Alabama's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Madison County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the Alabama ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Madison County property assessment
In Madison County you appeal to the Madison County Board of Equalization. The deadline: A written protest must be filed with the secretary of the Board of Equalization within 30 calendar days of the date the second of two weekly newspaper notices is published announcing that the year's values have been set; values are usually set in March or April. The deadline counts from that newspaper notice. A Board decision can be appealed to Circuit Court within 30 calendar days of the date of the notice the Board mails you with its decision. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Alabama's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Alabama rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Alabama page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Madison County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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Alabama income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Alabama actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Madison County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Madison County, Alabama: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.