Property Taxes in Savannah
Property tax in Chatham County runs through at least four overlapping layers -- county, city (or none, if unincorporated), school district, and the Chatham Area Transit Authority -- and carries a genuinely important local wrinkle: a 25-year-old county homestead exemption was judged strong enough that Savannah, Chatham County, and the local school board all chose to opt OUT of Georgia's brand-new 2024 statewide floating homestead exemption rather than adopt it.
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Learn moreOverlapping Taxing Entities, Including a Real 2026 Increase
A Chatham County property owner typically pays into several layers at once: the county's general Maintenance & Operations levy, a Special Service District (SSD) tax, the Chatham Area Transit Authority (CAT) tax, and either City of Savannah taxes (if inside city limits) or a different municipality's, plus the Savannah-Chatham County school district's levy. Chatham County's own FY2026 notice disclosed real, current increases across several of these: General M&O taxes up 3.24%, SSD taxes up 3.67%, and CAT taxes up 3.30% -- a documented current increase, not a hypothetical one.
Effective Rate: One Cited Figure, Not Independently Corroborated
One source cites Chatham County's median effective property tax rate at 1.06%, above the national median of roughly 1.02% -- consistent with the figure the base Savannah record already disclosed as uncorroborated by a second independent source. This session did not find a second, independent figure to confirm or contradict it; treat 1.06% as directional rather than a settled number, and confirm a specific parcel's current combined rate against the Chatham County Board of Assessors directly.
The Stephens-Day Homestead Exemption: A Real, 25-Year-Old Local Benefit
Chatham County's Stephens-Day homestead exemption, in place for roughly 25 years, freezes the taxable value of an owner-occupied home near its purchase-year fair market value (plus the value of any documented improvements) for as long as the same owner holds the property -- functionally similar in spirit to Texas's appraisal cap covered in the Houston stack, but structured as a value freeze rather than a capped annual growth rate. Applications must be filed with the Chatham County Board of Assessors by April 1.
Why Chatham County Opted Out of Georgia's New Statewide Exemption
Georgia voters approved a new statewide floating homestead exemption (House Bill 581) in November 2024, effective January 1, 2025, which caps the growth of a homestead's taxable value at the rate of inflation (CPI) each year -- unless the local county, city, or school district opted out by March 1, 2025. The City of Savannah, Chatham County, and the Savannah-Chatham County school board each voted to opt out, citing the existing Stephens-Day exemption as already providing comparable or stronger protection. This is a real, disclosed local decision worth knowing before assuming the statewide exemption automatically applies here -- and it may not stay optional indefinitely: a 2026 state law (Senate Bill 33, the HOME Act) is set to make the inflation cap mandatory statewide starting in 2027, ending local opt-outs going forward.
Additional Exemptions
Beyond Stephens-Day, Chatham County offers further exemptions tied to age, income, and disabled-veteran status, layered on top of the base homestead exemption -- contact the Chatham County Board of Assessors directly for current eligibility and amounts, since this session did not independently verify the specific dollar figures for each category.
Key takeaways
- A Chatham County property owner typically pays into four-plus overlapping entities: county general M&O, a Special Service District tax, the Chatham Area Transit Authority tax, and city (or none) plus school district levies -- Chatham County's FY2026 notice disclosed real increases across several of these (M&O +3.24%, SSD +3.67%, CAT +3.30%).
- Chatham County's median effective property tax rate is cited at 1.06%, but this figure was not independently corroborated by a second source this session -- confirm a specific parcel's rate with the Board of Assessors.
- Chatham County's 25-year-old Stephens-Day homestead exemption freezes a homestead's taxable value near its purchase-year level -- file by April 1 after closing.
- The City of Savannah, Chatham County, and the local school board all opted OUT of Georgia's new 2024 statewide floating homestead exemption (HB 581), judging Stephens-Day to already provide comparable or stronger protection -- don't assume the statewide exemption applies here.
- A 2026 state law (SB 33, the HOME Act) is set to make the statewide inflation cap mandatory everywhere starting in 2027, ending local opt-outs -- Chatham County's current opt-out status may not be permanent.
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