Property Taxes in Savannah, GA
Most tax estimates you see on a listing are wrong for Georgia. Not a little wrong, structurally wrong, because Zillow and Redfin don't account for our 40 percent assessment ratio or our exemptions. So before you make an offer, let me show you how the math really works here, with real bills for each town. Let's start with the system.
How Georgia Assesses Your Home
Georgia taxes 40 percent of your home's fair market value, not the whole thing. Here's the chain:
FMV × 40% = assessed value → minus exemptions = taxable value → × millage ÷ 1,000 = your annual bill.
Every homeowner who lives in their home gets the standard $2,000 homestead exemption off that assessed value, but you have to apply for it, it isn't automatic. The deadline is April 1 of the tax year at the Chatham County Tax Assessor's office. Small exemption, but it's the doorway to the bigger protections below.
2025 Millage Rates by Taxing Authority
| Taxing authority | Millage | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| County M&O | 10.518 | All Chatham County |
| SCCPSS (schools) | 17.331 | All Chatham County |
| Special Service District | 6.502 | All Chatham County |
| Transit | 0.940 | All Chatham County |
| County base total | 35.291 | |
| City of Savannah | 11.749 | Savannah city limits |
| City of Pooler | 4.197 | Pooler city limits |
| Tybee Island | 3.542 | Tybee Island |
| Town of Thunderbolt | 5.100 | Thunderbolt |
(Sources: Chatham County Tax Commissioner; City of Savannah, 2025. Note: the SSD jumped 2.138 mills, nearly 49 percent, in 2025.)
The Same House, Four Different Bills
Let's run a $329,830 home (Savannah's median) with the standard $2,000 homestead exemption. Math: $329,830 × 40% = $131,932 assessed, minus $2,000 = $129,932 taxable.
| Where | Total mills | Annual tax | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Savannah | 47.040 | ~$6,114 | ~1.85% |
| Pooler | 39.488 | ~$5,130 | ~1.56% |
| Tybee Island | 38.833 | ~$5,044 | ~1.53% |
| Thunderbolt | 40.391 | ~$5,247 | ~1.59% |
Same house, up to a thousand dollars a year apart depending on which side of a city line it sits on. Worth factoring into your budget before you fall for an address. (Illustrative, using 2025 published rates; actual bills vary with final assessed value and exemptions claimed.)
Why City Residents Pay More (the "Double Tax" Thing)
If you live inside Savannah city limits, you pay the city's 11.749 mills on top of the full 35.291 county base. People call it double taxation. It's really just two layers, but it's why that City of Savannah home costs roughly $980 to $1,000 more a year than the identical home in Pooler. Worth knowing before you fall for an address.
Stephens-Day: The Freeze That Matters
This is the one. The Stephens-Day exemption freezes the county M&O taxable value at what it was the year you bought and claimed homestead. Your home can appreciate for years and your county M&O base stays put at your purchase price. In a rising market, that protection is worth real money over time. The catch: it freezes the county portion, not the school millage. Still, it's one of the strongest tax protections in Georgia.
You claim it by filing for homestead at the Chatham County Tax Assessor's office (222 W. Oglethorpe Ave.) by April 1 of the tax year. Once approved, it carries forward automatically.
HB 581 and Why Chatham Opted Out
HB 581, the Save Our Homes Act, took effect January 1, 2025. It creates a statewide floating homestead exemption that caps annual assessed-value increases at CPI (2.7 percent for 2026). Sounds great, but Chatham County, the City of Savannah, SCCPSS, and the City of Pooler all formally opted out before the March 1, 2025 deadline. They kept Stephens-Day, which protects most local homeowners better than HB 581 would. So for Chatham County, Stephens-Day is still the operative protection. (Source: savannahga.gov/4079/HB-581-and-Homestead-Exemptions)
Senior Exemptions
| Exemption | Age | Income limit | Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior School Tax Exemption | 62+ | under $25,000/yr | Reduces or eliminates the school tax portion |
| Special Chatham Senior Exemption | 65+ | under $10,000/yr (SS/pension excluded up to $64,488) | $30,000 off assessed value across county, school, SSD, transit |
(Source: Chatham County 2025 Property Tax Brochure)
How to Appeal Your Assessment
If your assessment looks high, you have 45 days from the date on your Annual Assessment Notice to file. The most common route is the Board of Equalization, a free, informal hearing where you bring evidence (recent comparable sales, an appraisal, photos of condition issues). The assessor carries the burden to prove value, but you need to give them something that contradicts it. File at the Chatham County Board of Assessors, 222 W. Oglethorpe Ave.
FAQ
What is the property tax rate in Savannah?
City residents pay about 47.040 combined mills. On a $329,830 home with the standard homestead exemption, that is roughly $6,114 a year. Pooler runs about $5,130 on the same home; Tybee about $5,044.
How does Stephens-Day work?
It freezes your county M&O taxable value at your purchase-year value. As your home appreciates, the county base stays frozen. It does not freeze the school portion.
Does HB 581 apply here?
Not in the way it does statewide. Chatham County, Savannah, SCCPSS, and Pooler opted out to keep Stephens-Day, which protects most owners better.
Do Savannah residents pay double taxes?
City residents pay city millage plus all county millage. Folks in unincorporated county or other towns skip the city layer. The gap is about $980 to $1,000 a year on a median home.
How is my home assessed?
At 40 percent of fair market value, set annually by the county Assessor and mailed each spring.
Are Tybee taxes lower than Savannahs?
Yes, about $1,070 a year lower on a median home. But Tybee homes usually carry higher flood insurance and sit mostly in FEMA AE or VE zones, so look at the whole carrying cost.
When are taxes due?
Bills typically mail in fall and are due November 15, with interest after.
What is the SSD?
The Special Service District millage funds services in the urbanized parts of the county. It is 6.502 mills in 2025, up nearly 49 percent from the prior year.
Heads-up on new construction
Your first full tax bill on new construction is usually much higher than the partial-year estimate you saw at closing. Budget for it.
A Note From Me
The number that trips up the most buyers is the gap between a listing's old tax bill and what you'll actually owe after a fresh assessment and your own exemptions. Send me an address you're weighing and I'll run the real number for you, factoring in Stephens-Day and your purchase price, so you're budgeting off something accurate instead of an old bill.
Thinking about making a move?
A simple conversation, with no expectations, is where we start. Tell me where you are in the process and I’ll help you think through what comes next. Whether you’re relocating for work, retiring to the coast, or still deciding whether Savannah is the place, I’m happy to talk it through.
