Verified July 2026 · By Oleg Kachko · Reviewed for accuracy against primary state and county sources
Alachua County property tax costs the typical homeowner about $2,773 a year, on a median home value of $288,800 – an effective rate of about 0.99%. That is below the national average annual bill of $4,271. This page shows you where that number comes from, who actually sets it, the deadline to challenge it, and the exemptions you may be leaving on the table.
Alachua County property tax at a Glance
- Effective property tax rate: 0.99%
- Median annual bill: $2,773
- Median home value: $288,800
- Who assesses your home: Alachua County Property Appraiser
- Appeal deadline: no single fixed date – see below
On this page
Alachua County property tax: the real numbers
Property tax is the most local tax there is. Two homes of the same value in different counties – sometimes in different towns of the same county – can carry very different bills, because the rate is the sum of every overlapping district that taxes you: the county, the town or city, the school district, and often fire, library or water districts on top. So the alachua county property tax figure below is an average across the whole county – your own bill depends on which districts you sit inside.
| Figure | Alachua County | National |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual property tax bill | $2,773 | $4,271 |
| Effective property tax rate | 0.99% | about 0.90% |
| Median home value | $288,800 | – |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (5-year), the same dataset the Tax Foundation uses. The effective rate is total real-estate taxes paid divided by total owner-occupied home value – so it reflects what people actually pay, not the headline millage rate.
Who actually sets your alachua county property tax value
Your assessed value is set by Alachua County Property Appraiser. That office does not set your tax rate – the county board, your city, and your school district each set their own, and your bill is the sum. So the assessor can only be argued with about one thing: what your home is worth. That is exactly what an appeal is.
How often your alachua county property tax value is reassessed:
County property appraisers value property at just (market) value each year as of January 1. Save Our Homes caps a homestead’s assessed-value growth at 3% or CPI (whichever is lower); you can transfer up to $500,000 of that benefit to a new Florida home (‘portability’).
How to appeal your alachua county property tax assessment
⚠ The deadline — miss it and you usually wait a full year
Florida runs on the TRIM notice, NOT a fixed calendar date. Your ‘Notice of Proposed Property Taxes’ (TRIM) is mailed in mid-to-late AUGUST. You then have exactly 25 DAYS from the mailing date to file a petition with the Alachua County Value Adjustment Board (VAB) (Fla. Stat. 194.011). THE EXACT DEADLINE IS PRINTED ON YOUR TRIM NOTICE – it differs by county and by year, so read the notice and do not rely on a generic date.
Call the Alachua County Property Appraiser FIRST: an informal conference is free and often fixes the value without a petition. There is normally a $15 VAB filing fee.
Almost every alachua county property tax appeal comes down to one claim: the assessor thinks my home is worth more than it really is. Everything below is about proving that.
Do this first, before you file anything: ask for your property record card and read it. A surprising share of assessments are simply wrong on the facts – the wrong square footage, a bathroom you do not have, a finished basement that is bare concrete, a garage that was torn down. Factual errors are the easiest appeals to win, because there is nothing to argue about.
Then build the one thing that actually wins appeals: comparable sales. Find three to five homes near you, as similar as you can get on size, age, and condition, that sold recently for less than your assessed value. Not listings – sales. Not Zillow estimates – recorded sales. Boards ignore opinions and respond to comps.
A successful alachua county property tax appeal does not change your tax rate – it lowers the value the rate is applied to, which lowers the bill for as long as the new value stands.
Appeals are heard by the Alachua County Value Adjustment Board (VAB). In most places there is a free, informal step first – a conversation or a paper review with the assessor – and it resolves a large share of cases without a hearing. Take it. It costs you nothing and it is the fastest way to win.
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One honest warning: an appeal reviews your value, and a review can go up as well as down. That is uncommon when you bring real comparable sales, and it is exactly why you check your comps before you file.
Where to go: Alachua County Property Appraiser.
Alachua County property tax exemptions you may qualify for
This is where most homeowners quietly overpay their alachua county property tax. Exemptions are almost never applied automatically – you have to claim them, and many people simply never do. It is worth ten minutes of your time to check.
Florida’s big break is the HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION: $25,000 off assessed value for all taxes, plus a further $25,000 on value between $50,000-$75,000 (this second slice does NOT apply to school taxes). On top of that, SAVE OUR HOMES caps annual assessed-value increases at 3% or CPI, whichever is lower – and PORTABILITY lets you carry up to $500,000 of that accumulated cap to your next Florida home.
IMPORTANT: the extra SENIOR (65+) exemption is a LOCAL OPTION – each county and city decides whether to offer it and at what amount, so it genuinely varies. Homestead applications are due MARCH 1. Confirm with the Alachua County Property Appraiser.
Homestead: Homestead Exemption (F.S. 196.031): up to $50,000 off assessed value for an owner-occupied primary residence – the first $25,000 applies to all taxes (including school), the second $25,000 (on value from $50,000-$75,000) applies to non-school taxes. It also unlocks the Save Our Homes cap. File with the county property appraiser by March 1; auto-renews.
Senior / over-65: Additional Senior Exemption (F.S. 196.075) – a LOCAL-OPTION exemption of up to $50,000 more for owners 65+ with income under the yearly limit, only in counties/cities that adopted it (non-school taxes). A second version fully exempts long-term (25+ year) senior residents whose home’s just value was under $250,000 when they first qualified. Apply with the county property appraiser.
Veteran: Disabled veterans get a $5,000 exemption for a 10%+ service-connected disability, and a FULL exemption (F.S. 196.081) for a 100% permanent & total service-connected disability (and surviving spouses). Veterans 65+ with a combat-related disability get a discount equal to their disability percentage. File with the county property appraiser by March 1.
Disability: A $500 exemption for total/permanent disability or blindness, a full exemption for quadriplegics, and (income-limited) full exemptions for other total & permanent disabilities. First responders totally & permanently disabled in the line of duty are fully exempt. File with the county property appraiser.
Common questions about alachua county property tax
Why did my alachua county property tax bill go up when I did nothing to the house?
Two different things can raise a bill: your assessed value went up, or a taxing district raised its rate. They are separate, and only the first one can be appealed. Your notice will show which changed.
Is it worth appealing my alachua county property tax?
Ask one question: would a similar home near mine sell for less than the value the assessor has put on mine? If yes, you have a case, it is usually free to file, and in many places the informal review settles it without a hearing.
Do I need to hire someone to appeal?
No. The informal review and the local board are built for ordinary homeowners to use themselves, and there is normally no fee. Appeal services exist and can be worth it for some people, but you are not required to use one and you should never be told you are.
How is my alachua county property tax bill actually calculated?
Your assessed value is multiplied by the combined rate of every district that taxes you, then any exemptions you have claimed are subtracted. That is why two neighbours can pay different amounts on identical homes – one of them claimed an exemption the other never did.
More on Florida property tax
- Florida property tax rates — how Alachua County compares with every other county in the state.
- How to win your Florida property tax appeal — the evidence that works and what to say at the hearing.
- Florida property tax exemptions — who qualifies, how much each one saves, and how to apply.
- Florida property tax due dates — when the bill is due and what happens if you are late.
- Property tax by state — every state, side by side.
The bottom line on alachua county property tax
Do two things this week. First, pull your property record card and check the facts – square footage, rooms, condition. Second, check whether you are claiming every exemption you are entitled to, because most people are not. If your alachua county property tax value looks higher than what a similar home nearby would actually sell for, you have grounds to appeal – and the only thing that can stop you is the deadline above.
Where our alachua county property tax figures come from
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey — the rate, median bill and median value on this page.
- Tax Foundation, Property Taxes by State and County — the same dataset and method.
- Alachua County Property Appraiser — the office that can confirm your value, your exemptions and your deadline.
- Florida Dept of Revenue (floridarevenue.com); F.S. ch. 196; county property appraiser sites
Informational only. Know Property Tax is not a government agency, not a county assessor, and not a tax-appeal service, and this is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Property tax rates, median bills, exemption amounts, and deadlines change every year, and every property is different. Any figure shown here is illustrative. Confirm your rate, your exemptions, and above all your appeal deadline with the office named on this page before you act.
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