Property Taxes in The Villages
Because The Villages spans Sumter, Marion, and Lake counties, there is no single property tax rate for the community -- three separate county property appraisers, three separate millage schedules, and, on top of all of them, the CDD bond and maintenance assessments unique to this development. Disclosing that clearly matters more here than almost anywhere else in Florida.
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Learn moreSumter County: the core of The Villages
Sumter County held its general fund millage flat at 4.89 mills for FY 2025-26, per Sumter County's own reporting. Sumter County's total combined millage (county, school, and other countywide levies) runs around 12.28 mills for 2025, of which roughly 5.16 mills fund schools -- producing an effective rate near 1.09% after the standard $50,000 homestead exemption, per county-level tax analysis (tax-rates.org / movewithmomentum.com estimates). Most of The Villages' original, longest-developed sections sit in Sumter County.
Marion County: the northern portion
Marion County's Board of County Commissioners set its tentative countywide general fund millage at 4.29 mills for FY 2025-26, unchanged for a fourth consecutive year. Marion County's total combined millage for 2025 runs around 12.08 mills, of which roughly 6.55 mills fund schools. These rates apply to Villages sections that fall within Marion County's boundary, north of the Sumter County core.
Lake County: the eastern/southeastern portion
Lake County's base county millage for FY 2025-26 is 6.0 mills, with a general fund component around 5.0254 mills (down slightly from 5.0364 the prior year). Total effective rates in Lake County, after combining all applicable taxing authorities, typically run roughly 0.98%-1.5%+ depending on the specific special districts serving a given parcel. Villages sections extending into Lake County fall under this schedule instead of Sumter's or Marion's.
The takeaway: confirm your specific parcel, not a community-wide average
Because three different counties, each with its own millage schedule and school district, cover different parts of The Villages, quoting one property tax rate for "The Villages" would be misleading. Look up your specific parcel on the relevant county property appraiser's site (Sumter, Marion, or Lake) before budgeting -- and remember that the CDD bond and maintenance assessment described in the moving and buying-a-home topics are non-ad valorem charges added on top of, not included in, these ad valorem millage rates.
Homestead exemption and Save Our Homes apply the same way across all three counties
Florida's homestead exemption ($51,411 combined for 2026: a fixed $25,000 slice for all levies including schools, plus a second inflation-adjusted $26,411 slice for non-school levies) and the Save Our Homes assessed-value growth cap (2.7% for 2026) apply uniformly under state law regardless of which of the three counties your Villages home sits in. New buyers should budget their first year's bill off the purchase-price assessment, not a longtime owner's capped assessed value.
Key takeaways
- The Villages spans three counties with three different millage schedules -- there is no single 'Villages property tax rate.'
- Sumter County: 4.89 mills general fund (FY2025-26, flat), ~12.28 total mills for 2025, ~1.09% effective rate after standard homestead exemption.
- Marion County: 4.29 mills general fund (FY2025-26, flat for a 4th year), ~12.08 total mills for 2025.
- Lake County: 6.0 mills base county millage (FY2025-26), ~5.0254 general fund mills; total effective rates roughly 0.98%-1.5%+ depending on special districts.
- CDD bond and maintenance assessments are separate, non-ad valorem charges layered on top of whichever county millage applies -- confirm your specific parcel with the correct county property appraiser.
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