Property Taxes in Orlando
Property taxes in the Orlando area are set by a layered combination of Orange County, city (where applicable), and Orange County Public Schools millage -- the school levy is the single largest piece of most bills. Unincorporated Orange County runs a combined rate around 16.2 mills, while property inside the city of Orlando runs higher (around 18.1 mills) because the city's own 6.65-mill levy stacks on top of the county and school rates.
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Learn moreMillage Rates: Unincorporated County vs. City of Orlando
The combined millage rate in most unincorporated Orange County runs approximately 16.2 mills (roughly $1,620 per $100,000 of taxable value), per property-tax research aggregators reviewed August 2026. Inside the City of Orlando, the combined rate runs higher, around 18.1 mills, because the city's own millage (6.65 mills, unchanged for the 13th consecutive year as of the sources reviewed) stacks on top of the county and school-district levies -- and a few special taxing districts within the county run into the 19s. A property's specific municipal status changes its tax bill materially even at an identical assessed value.
The School Levy Is the Largest Single Piece
Orange County Public Schools' millage (cited in the range of roughly 6.5-7.4 mills depending on the specific levy components -- operating, capital outlay, and the voter-approved capital surtax) is the single largest component of a typical Orange County property tax bill, larger than either the county's or the city's general-fund millage alone. This is consistent with how Florida structures local property taxation generally -- school funding is usually the largest line item on any Florida property tax bill.
Homestead Exemption Mechanics
Florida's standard homestead exemption reduces a primary residence's assessed value by up to $50,000 (the first $25,000 applies to all property taxes including school levies; an additional $25,000 applies only to non-school levies, and only to the assessed value between $50,000 and $75,000). A further, inflation-indexed exemption tier on the non-school portion is also adjusted annually -- one property-tax guide reviewed this session (in the Tampa/Hillsborough context, applying statewide) cited a 2026 figure of $51,411, up from $50,722 in 2025, though this specific dollar figure comes from a single secondary source rather than a primary Florida DOR release confirmed independently for Orange County this pass; verify the current exact figure against the Florida Department of Revenue or the Orange County Property Appraiser before relying on it.
How the Save Our Homes Cap Works
Once a property carries a homestead exemption, Florida's Save Our Homes (SOH) amendment caps annual increases to its assessed value (not market value) at the lower of 3% or the change in the Consumer Price Index -- regardless of how much the home's actual market value rises in a given year. Over a decade or more in a metro like Orlando that has seen substantial home-price appreciation, this can create a large gap between a long-term homesteaded owner's assessed value and the home's true market value.
Portability and the Orange County Tax Estimator
If you already own a homesteaded property in Florida and are relocating to Orlando from elsewhere in the state, Save Our Homes portability lets you transfer some or all of the accumulated dollar gap between your old home's assessed and market value to your new Orlando homestead, up to $500,000 of that benefit -- generally requiring the new homestead be established by January 1 of the third year after leaving the prior one, with a March 1 portability application deadline. This does not apply to buyers moving to Orlando from out of state. For an address-specific projection, the Orange County Property Appraiser's office (ocpafl.org) offers a tax estimator that applies current millage rates and exemptions.
Key takeaways
- Unincorporated Orange County runs a combined millage around 16.2 mills; inside the City of Orlando the combined rate runs higher, around 18.1 mills, due to the city's added 6.65-mill levy.
- Orange County Public Schools' millage (~6.5-7.4 mills) is the single largest component of most local property tax bills, consistent with Florida's general structure.
- Standard homestead exemption reduces assessed value by up to $50,000, plus a separate inflation-indexed non-school exemption tier -- confirm the current exact figure with the Orange County Property Appraiser.
- Save Our Homes caps annual assessed-value growth at the lower of 3% or CPI for homesteaded owners, which can create a large gap between a longtime owner's bill and a new buyer's for an identical home.
- Save Our Homes portability (up to $500,000 of accumulated benefit) applies only to buyers moving within Florida; use the Orange County Property Appraiser's tax estimator (ocpafl.org) for an address-specific projection.
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