Property tax in Hamilton County, Tennessee
In Hamilton County, the property tax bill comes from the Hamilton 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 Hamilton County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Hamilton County, Tennessee is $1,925 a year, which is about 0.62% of the county's median home value of $312,800. That effective rate is higher 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 Hamilton County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Hamilton County Trustee. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Hamilton 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.
The Trustee's bill also carries city tax for Collegedale, East Ridge, Lakesite, Red Bank, Ridgeside, Soddy-Daisy and Walden. Chattanooga owners get a second, separate city bill from the Chattanooga City Treasurer, and the City of Chattanooga runs its own tax freeze for older homeowners, which covers city tax only; Hamilton County has not adopted the freeze. One Tax Relief application, filed with either the county Trustee or the Chattanooga City Treasurer, covers both city and county taxes. Owners in other cities should check with their city hall. Online payments run through a processor (LexisNexis), which charges $1.50 per bill for an e-check, $5.00 per bill for a debit card and 2.39% for a credit card. Current-year bills can also be paid with the original bill at First Horizon Bank branches in the county.
When are property taxes due in Hamilton County?
For the 2026 bill, Hamilton County has one due date: February 28, 2027. Bills are mailed in late September and taxes are payable from October 1, 2026 through the last day of February 2027. Partial payments are accepted. A mailed payment must carry a postmark by the due date (office meter dates are not accepted); online payments count on the date of the transaction. February 28, 2027 is a Sunday. The county has not said whether it will open that weekend or whether a payment on Monday, March 1 counts as on time, and state law adds interest on March 1, so pay by Friday, February 26, 2027. County taxes become delinquent on March 1, 2027 and accrue interest of 1.5% a month (18% a year) from March 1, added on the first of each month.
From Hamilton 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 Hamilton County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Hamilton County's average effective rate of 0.62% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $1,939 / year
Property tax in Hamilton County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $1,925 |
| Median home value | $312,800 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.62% |
| 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 Hamilton County compare in Tennessee?
Among Tennessee's 95 counties, Hamilton County has the 6th highest effective property-tax rate: 5 rank higher and 89 rank lower. That places it among the most heavily taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 2197th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Tennessee county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Hamilton County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Hamilton County's 98,531 owner-occupied homes, 23.3% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 45.4% pay at least $2,000, and 8.5% pay under $800. Another 3.9% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 8,394 | 8.5% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 24,644 | 25% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 16,823 | 17.1% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 21,821 | 22.1% |
| $3,000 or more | 22,981 | 23.3% |
| No property tax paid | 3,868 | 3.9% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,916 and owners without one pay $1,940. That is within 10% either way, so in Hamilton County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Hamilton County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $1,925 is about 2% of the median income of Hamilton County homeowner households, $98,560 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 63.9% of Hamilton 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 Hamilton County?
Yes. The median bill went from $1,585 in 2015-2019 to $1,925 in 2020-2024, a 21.5% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 72.9%, from $180,900 to $312,800. 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 Hamilton County
Hamilton County borders 10 counties, 4 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walker County, GA | 0.75% | $1,479 | $197,100 |
| Catoosa County, GA | 0.65% | $1,566 | $240,900 |
| Whitfield County, GA | 0.64% | $1,391 | $218,000 |
| Hamilton County, TN (this county) | 0.62% | $1,925 | $312,800 |
| Dade County, GA | 0.57% | $1,133 | $198,500 |
| Bradley County, TN | 0.45% | $1,187 | $261,900 |
| Sequatchie County, TN | 0.45% | $1,051 | $232,600 |
| Marion County, TN | 0.43% | $833 | $195,200 |
| Rhea County, TN | 0.43% | $894 | $206,000 |
| Meigs County, TN | 0.39% | $693 | $180,000 |
| Bledsoe County, TN | 0.36% | $688 | $189,400 |
How is a home assessed in Hamilton County?
Tennessee assesses homes at 25% of market value in every county, Hamilton County included. How Tennessee assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County. Tennessee's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Tennessee programs, Hamilton County runs its own:
- Hamilton County match of state Tax Relief: A county-funded addition to the state's Tax Relief program: Hamilton County pays a matching credit from its own money for homeowners who qualify for the state credit (low-income homeowners 65 or older or disabled, and 100% disabled veterans or their surviving spouses); apply by appointment at the Trustee's Bonny Oaks office, (423) 209-7799.
How to appeal your Hamilton County property assessment
In Hamilton County you appeal to the Hamilton County Board of Equalization. The deadline: Start with an informal review by the Assessor of Property; the 2026 informal review period has closed. The deadline to appeal to the County Board of Equalization for 2026 was June 5, 2026, so that window has also closed; call the Assessor's office at (423) 209-7300 for an appeal form, and bring evidence, because appeals without it may be rejected. 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 date the board's notice was sent, 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Hamilton 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.