Property tax in Bradley County, Tennessee
In Bradley County, the property tax bill comes from the Bradley County Trustee. The 2026 bill is due February 28, 2027. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Bradley County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Bradley County, Tennessee is $1,187 a year, which is about 0.45% of the county's median home value of $261,900. That effective rate is lower than the typical Tennessee county (0.47%) 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 Bradley County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Bradley County Trustee. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Bradley County Assessor of Property, 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.
If you live inside the City of Cleveland, the city bills its own property tax separately, payable to the Cleveland City Clerk, so you get two bills. Inside the City of Charleston, the city's rate is combined with the county rate on the county bill. Properties outside city limits also pay a fire service district tax that is added to the county rate on the county bill. Online and phone payments (833-591-7276) run through the county's payment processor and must be for the full amount due.
When are property taxes due in Bradley County?
For the 2026 bill, Bradley County has one due date: February 28, 2027. 2026 tax notices are expected to be mailed about October 1, 2026, and are payable on receipt through the last day of February 2027. The Trustee's page prints the due date as February 27, 2027, but state law and the county's own FAQ make the deadline the last day of February, and interest is not added until March 1. February 27 is a Saturday and February 28 a Sunday, and the office is open only Monday through Friday (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Fridays until 5 p.m.). The county has not said whether a payment on Monday, March 1 counts as on time, so pay by Friday, February 26, 2027. Mailed payments count by postmark, but if the Post Office does not postmark it in time the payment is dated when it arrives and treated as late; online payments count on the date of the transaction. Partial payments are accepted by mail or in the office, not online, as long as the bill is paid in full by the February deadline. Sign-up for the county's partial payment plan for 2027 taxes runs from October 1, 2026 to February 5, 2027. 2026 taxes unpaid after February become delinquent on March 1, 2027. Interest of 1.5% a month (18% a year) is added on March 1 and on the first of each month after that, set by state law (Tenn. Code Ann. 67-5-2010).
From Bradley 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 Bradley County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Bradley County's average effective rate of 0.45% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $1,179 / year
Property tax in Bradley County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $1,187 |
| Median home value | $261,900 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.45% |
| Typical Tennessee county rate | 0.47% |
| 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 Bradley County compare in Tennessee?
Among Tennessee's 95 counties, Bradley County has the 56th highest effective property-tax rate: 55 rank higher and 39 rank lower. That is near the middle for Tennessee. Nationally, it ranks 2802nd of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Tennessee county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Bradley County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Bradley County's 28,650 owner-occupied homes, 5.6% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 18.7% pay at least $2,000, and 24.6% pay under $800. Another 4.9% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 7,058 | 24.6% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 10,671 | 37.2% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 4,159 | 14.5% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 3,746 | 13.1% |
| $3,000 or more | 1,600 | 5.6% |
| No property tax paid | 1,416 | 4.9% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,254 and owners without one pay $1,086. 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 Bradley County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $1,187 is about 1.5% of the median income of Bradley County homeowner households, $81,095 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 67.3% of Bradley 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 Bradley County?
Yes. The median bill went from $956 in 2015-2019 to $1,187 in 2020-2024, a 24.2% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 62.7%, from $161,000 to $261,900. 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 Bradley County
Bradley County borders 6 counties, 2 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murray County, GA | 0.68% | $1,225 | $180,700 |
| Whitfield County, GA | 0.64% | $1,391 | $218,000 |
| Hamilton County, TN | 0.62% | $1,925 | $312,800 |
| Polk County, TN | 0.5% | $856 | $169,900 |
| Bradley County, TN (this county) | 0.45% | $1,187 | $261,900 |
| Meigs County, TN | 0.39% | $693 | $180,000 |
| McMinn County, TN | 0.35% | $748 | $211,800 |
How is a home assessed in Bradley County?
Tennessee assesses homes at 25% of market value in every county, Bradley County included. How Tennessee assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Bradley County?
No. Tennessee has no general homestead exemption; relief comes through the state Tax Relief program and the local-option Tax Freeze. That is the Tennessee rule, and it applies in Bradley County. Tennessee's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Tennessee programs, Bradley County runs its own:
- Bradley County Tax Freeze Program: Adopted by the Bradley County Commission in August 2007: homeowners 65 or older by December 31, 2026 whose combined 2025 income (applicant, spouse, and all owners) is $42,340 or less can freeze the county tax on their primary residence at the amount for the year they first qualify, as long as they stay eligible and make no improvements. It does not cover City of Cleveland taxes, since the city has not adopted the freeze. All property taxes must be paid and current before applying at the Trustee's office. Apply by April 5, 2027.
How to appeal your Bradley County property assessment
In Bradley County you appeal to the Bradley County Board of Equalization. The deadline: The board begins meeting June 1 each year. For 2026 it met from June 1, and the last day to schedule an appointment was June 17, 2026. Owners whose appraisal changed are mailed a notice beginning May 20. To appeal you must appear before the board in person or through an agent with your written authorization, or the assessment becomes final. Schedule through the Assessor of Property's office at 423-728-7125. A county board decision can be appealed to the Tennessee State Board of Equalization by August 1 of the tax year or within 45 days of the county board's notice, whichever is later. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Tennessee's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Tennessee rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Tennessee 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 Bradley 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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Tennessee income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Tennessee actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Bradley County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Bradley County, Tennessee: 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.