Property tax in Knox County, Tennessee
In Knox County, the property tax bill comes from the Knox 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 Knox County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Knox County, Tennessee is $1,367 a year, which is about 0.43% of the county's median home value of $320,900. 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 Knox County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Knox County Trustee. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Knox County Property 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.
Owners inside the City of Knoxville get a second, separate bill from the City of Knoxville Revenue Office for city tax. It is payable from October 1 and delinquent on March 1, the city takes 1% off real estate tax paid in full by the end of October, and city payments must not be sent to the county or county payments to the city. Knox County reappraised in 2026; the next reappraisal is scheduled for 2028. Online and phone payments run through the Trustee's software provider, which charges 2.5% for a credit card and $1.00 for an e-check. The Trustee also offers a monthly bank draft plan that pays the next tax bill in installments by December 31.
When are property taxes due in Knox County?
For the 2026 bill, Knox County has one due date: February 28, 2027. Bills for 2026 taxes become payable in October 2026, and February 28, 2027 is the last day to pay them without interest. February 28, 2027 is a Sunday. The county has not said 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. The Trustee takes payments online, by phone, by mail and at any of its six offices. Unpaid 2026 taxes become delinquent on March 1, 2027. State law then adds interest and penalty of 1.5% of the tax on March 1 and on the first day of each month after that (18% a year).
From Knox 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 Knox County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Knox County's average effective rate of 0.43% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $1,380 / year
Property tax in Knox County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $1,367 |
| Median home value | $320,900 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.43% |
| 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 Knox County compare in Tennessee?
Among Tennessee's 95 counties, Knox County has the 67th highest effective property-tax rate: 66 rank higher and 28 rank lower. That is on the lower side for Tennessee. Nationally, it ranks 2864th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Tennessee county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Knox County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Knox County's 131,117 owner-occupied homes, 10.6% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 24.9% pay at least $2,000, and 17.4% pay under $800. Another 3.3% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 22,792 | 17.4% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 49,798 | 38% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 21,460 | 16.4% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 18,807 | 14.3% |
| $3,000 or more | 13,923 | 10.6% |
| No property tax paid | 4,337 | 3.3% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,410 and owners without one pay $1,283. That is within 10% either way, so in Knox County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Knox County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $1,367 is about 1.4% of the median income of Knox County homeowner households, $96,101 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 65.2% of Knox 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 Knox County?
Yes. The median bill went from $1,201 in 2015-2019 to $1,367 in 2020-2024, a 13.8% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 75.2%, from $183,200 to $320,900. 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 Knox County
Knox County borders 8 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson County, TN | 0.54% | $1,289 | $239,400 |
| Roane County, TN | 0.53% | $1,223 | $232,900 |
| Grainger County, TN | 0.48% | $901 | $189,200 |
| Blount County, TN | 0.45% | $1,453 | $320,500 |
| Jefferson County, TN | 0.43% | $978 | $229,300 |
| Knox County, TN (this county) | 0.43% | $1,367 | $320,900 |
| Union County, TN | 0.37% | $752 | $204,000 |
| Loudon County, TN | 0.33% | $1,162 | $348,000 |
| Sevier County, TN | 0.28% | $824 | $299,000 |
How is a home assessed in Knox County?
Tennessee assesses homes at 25% of market value in every county, Knox County included. How Tennessee assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Knox 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 Knox County. Tennessee's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Tennessee programs, Knox County runs its own:
- Knox County Senior Property Tax Freeze: A local option Knox County adopted in 2007: homeowners 65 or older by December 31, 2026 whose combined 2025 income is no more than $63,470 can have the county tax on their home and up to five acres frozen at the amount owed in the year they qualify. If the tax goes down, the frozen amount goes down with it. Owners must reapply every year. Apply by April 5, 2027.
How to appeal your Knox County property assessment
In Knox County you appeal to the Knox County Board of Equalization. The deadline: Start with an informal review by the Property Assessor. Value appeals then go to the County Board of Equalization, which meets in the summer after assessment notices go out. For 2026, a reappraisal year, informal reviews have ended and the county's pages put the board's sessions in June 2026 (and July for owners who first filed an informal review), so the 2026 windows have closed. The next chance is when the board meets in June 2027. A county board decision can be appealed to the Tennessee State Board of Equalization by August 1 or within 45 days of the date the county board's notice was sent, whichever is later. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against state law, because Knox County does not restate them on its own pages.
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 Knox 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 Knox County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Knox 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.