Barrow County's tax digest jumped 26% in one year. Learn current millage rates, exemptions, and how to appeal your assessment.
Barrow County Property Tax: Rates and How to Appeal (2026) Barrow County property tax is climbing fast, and the numbers explain why. The county's tax digest grew 26.35% in a single year — reaching $4.17 billion in 2023 — after jumping nearly 25% the year before that. With a population nearing 100,000 and a 3.41% annual growth rate, Barrow is one of metro Atlanta's fastest-growing exurban counties. The median tax bill now sits at $2,206 per year, with an effective rate of 0.85% — above the Georgia average of 0.77%. If your assessment notice arrived with a number that doesn't match reality, you have the legal right to challenge it. Georgia law gives you exactly 45 days to file a written appeal, and a successful one can freeze your new, lower value for three full years. A GO bond levy of 1.077 mills also retires in October 2026, delivering a built-in rate reduction for every homeowner. How Barrow County Property Tax Rates Work Georgia law requires all property to be assessed at 40% of its fair market value. Your county does not tax you on what your home is worth — it taxes you on 40% of that number, called the assessed value. If your county says your home is worth $400,000, your assessed value is $160,000. That $160,000 is what the millage rate applies to when calculating your tax bill. This ratio is set by state statute (O.C.G.A. 48-5-7) and applies uniformly across all 159 Georgia counties. What the millage rate means in Barrow County A mill is one dollar of tax per $1,000 of assessed value. The total you pay depends on where you live within the county: Jurisdiction Millage Rate --- --- County M&O (unincorporated, net) 4.232 mills County M&O (incorporated, net) 5.812 mills Fire District 2.940…