HB 581 isn't a blanket tax freeze—find out if your Georgia homestead actually qualifies for the new floating exemption.
Does Georgia's New HB 581 Property Tax Cap Apply to Your Home? Georgia homeowners keep hearing about a "new property tax cap," but HB 581 is not a one-size-fits-all freeze. It created a statewide floating homestead exemption that can limit how much your taxable assessed value rises, but only if your home qualifies and the specific taxing authority on your bill did not opt out. Quick answer HB 581 probably applies to your home if four things are true: The property is your primary residence. You qualify for and filed for homestead. The county, city, and school district portions of your bill did not opt out, or they have their own qualifying base-year exemption in place. You are not assuming the previous owner's protection carries over to you. If any one of those breaks, the answer may be only partly yes—or no. HB 581 applies by taxing authority, so one part of your bill can be protected while another part is not. What HB 581 actually does HB 581 created a statewide floating homestead exemption. The law says the exemption equals the amount by which your current year assessed value exceeds your previous adjusted base-year assessed value. In plain language, it is meant to limit inflation-driven assessment growth on a qualifying homestead. It is not a promise that your entire tax bill will stay flat. For homeowners who first qualified in tax year 2025, the base year was the home's 2024 assessed value. Starting with the 2026 digest year, the Georgia Department of Revenue began publishing the annual inflation index used in the calculation, and the published index for 2026 is 2.7%. When HB 581 likely applies to your home To receive Georgia homestead benefits for the current tax year, you generally must have owned the home on January 1…