Property tax in Franklin County, Kentucky

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Franklin County, Kentucky is $1,716 a year, which is about 0.79% of the county's median home value of $216,600. That effective rate is higher than the typical Kentucky county (0.68%) 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.

Estimate the property tax on a home in Franklin County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Franklin County's average effective rate of 0.79% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.

Home market value

Estimated property tax: $1,711 / year

Property tax in Franklin County at a glance

Franklin County, Kentucky property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$1,716
Median home value	$216,600
Effective tax rate	0.79%
Typical Kentucky county rate	0.68%
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 Franklin County compare in Kentucky?

Among Kentucky's 120 counties, Franklin County has the 27th highest effective property-tax rate: 26 rank higher and 93 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Kentucky. Nationally, it ranks 1603rd of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Kentucky county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Franklin County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Franklin County's 14,646 owner-occupied homes, 18% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 37.6% pay at least $2,000, and 15.6% pay under $800. Another 5.4% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Franklin County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	2,287	15.6%
$800 to $1,499	3,570	24.4%
$1,500 to $1,999	2,488	17%
$2,000 to $2,999	2,875	19.6%
$3,000 or more	2,641	18%
No property tax paid	785	5.4%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,918 and owners without one pay $1,368. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.

How does the Franklin County property tax bill compare with local incomes?

The median property tax bill of $1,716 is about 2% of the median income of Franklin County homeowner households, $86,105 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 64.5% of Franklin 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 Franklin County?

Yes. The median bill went from $1,366 in 2015-2019 to $1,716 in 2020-2024, a 25.6% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 51.6%, from $142,900 to $216,600. 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 Franklin County

Franklin County borders 6 counties.

Franklin County and its neighbors, highest effective rate first (Census ACS 2020-2024)
County	Effective rate	Median bill	Median home value
Henry County, KY	0.81%	$1,611	$197,900
Franklin County, KY (this county)	0.79%	$1,716	$216,600
Shelby County, KY	0.77%	$2,339	$304,800
Anderson County, KY	0.75%	$1,697	$225,100
Owen County, KY	0.72%	$1,220	$168,700
Woodford County, KY	0.7%	$2,108	$299,700
Scott County, KY	0.66%	$1,908	$288,500

How is a home assessed in Franklin County?

Kentucky assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Franklin County included. How Kentucky assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Franklin County?

Only for older and disabled owners. Kentucky's homestead exemption is age and disability based; an owner-occupant under 65 who is not totally disabled gets none. That is the Kentucky rule, and it applies in Franklin County. Kentucky's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Franklin County?

One annual payment to the county sheriff, due by December 31. Pay by November 1 for a 2% discount, then face value through December 31. A 5% penalty applies in January and 10% plus a sheriff's fee after January 31. Unpaid bills move to the county clerk on April 15 and become a lien against the property.

That is the Kentucky rule. Franklin County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How to appeal your Franklin County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the County PVA conference, then the local Board of Assessment Appeals, then the Kentucky Board of Tax Appeals. The filing deadline is typically one working day after the tax roll inspection period closes, normally the third Tuesday in May. That is the Kentucky rule; Franklin County sets the exact dates and forms. The Kentucky appeal process step by step.

Kentucky rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Kentucky page.

Work out your own numbers

Sources

Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Franklin County, Kentucky: 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.