Property Taxes
Chatham county residents who reside within Savannah’s city limits are required to pay both county and city property taxes per Georgia law.
Tax on real property shall be based on the assessed value thereof as determined by the Chatham County Board of Tax Assessors. The City of Savannah receives a tax file from Chatham County twice a year before each of the tax billings for the year. The file contains the parcel number, market value, exemption codes and amounts, property type, name and address, legal description, base year value for the Stephens Day exemption, base year value with CPI (Consumer Price Index), and a code indicating jurisdiction (County or City). . Specific questions regarding your assessment should be directed to the Assessor’s Office at 912-652-7271. You can also e-mail the Assessors Office at boa@chathamcounty.org.
Taxes are billed against the assessed value of the property which is 40% of the market value.
Example: $75,000 (Fair Market Value of Property) x 40% = $30,000 (Assessed Value)
If a property’s value is under appeal, it will be billed at the greater of 85% of the new assessed value or 100% of last year’s assessed value. A property can have more than one tax rate associated with it. Real Property taxes are billed twice a year. For the first Real Property tax billing of the year, the tax amount is a percentage (usually 50%) of last year’s tax bill.
Delinquent Taxes
All taxes remaining unpaid after the City’s due date are subject to interest and penalties. (A one time five percent (5%) tax penalty is assessed and interest is applied at the rate of one percent (1%) per month no later than the 15th of each month.) Additional fees and cost accrue as collection action continues.
The city of Savannah’s Revenue Department follows legal procedures prescribed by the official code of Georgia provided in O.C.G.A Title 48, Revenue and Taxation, Chapter 3 “Tax Executions” and Chapter 4 “Tax Sales”. If required for collection, the city Marshal may assess and collect levy administration fees to include court filing fees, advertising fees, title research and abstract fees, and such other fees as provided for by state law and local ordinance. |
