Homeowners in the City of South Fulton can now benefit from a new city homestead exemption created to prevent significant increases in property taxes from year to year.
Approved by voters in November, the exemption limits annual increases in property values to three percent based on the lowest determined base year value from prior tax years. That value will be identified annually by the Fulton County Tax Assessors Office.
“The exemption was created to prevent the burden of large tax increases by limiting how much property values can increase in a given year,” said Frank Milazi, the city’s chief financial officer and treasurer.
All homeowners within the city can claim the exemption. However, it applies only to primary residences. Secondary homes and investment properties are not eligible. Once granted, the exemption automatically renews each year if the homeowner continually occupies the property.
“The good news is that, in most cases, homeowners don’t need to do a thing.” Milazi said, explaining that no application is necessary for the city’s homestead exemption. “For those who have applied for and received Fulton County’s homestead exemption, the city’s exemption will be applied automatically.”
Homeowners who do not have the county’s exemption, including those who recently have purchased homes in the city, can apply for one using one of the following three options:
- Online – Create a Smart File at iassmartfile.fultoncountyga.gov and complete the application.
- Mail – Download an application at fultonassessor.org/exemptions (scroll to the bottom of the page) and mail it to the address included on the form.
- In person – Visit the Fulton County Tax Assessors Office at 235 Peachtree Street, NE, Suite 1100, Atlanta, GA 30303 or the South Fulton Service Center at 5600 Stonewall Tell Road, College Park, GA 30349.
To receive either the city or county exemption for 2020 property taxes, homeowners must apply for the county exemption by April 1. Applications received after that date will be applied to 2021 taxes. To learn more about either the city’s or the county’s homestead exemption, call the Fulton County Tax Assessors at (404) 612-6440.