Gwinnett County homeowners have an 82.2% property tax appeal win rate, nearly double the national average. Learn how to file a PT-311A before the 45-day deadline, gather comparable sales evidence, and present your case at a Board of Equalization hearing.
# Gwinnett County Property Tax Appeal: 2026 Guide (82% Win Rate)
Gwinnett County homeowners filed over 13,500 property tax appeals in a single year — and 82.2% of them won a reduction. That win rate is nearly double the national average, yet fewer than 5% of homeowners in the county actually file. If your Gwinnett County property tax assessment went up this year, you have strong odds of getting it lowered. This guide walks you through the entire Gwinnett County property tax appeal process, from reading your assessment notice to presenting evidence at a hearing.
Every property in Gwinnett County is assessed as of January 1 each year. The Gwinnett County Board of Tax Assessors determines your home’s fair market value (FMV) based on recent sales of similar properties, property characteristics, and market conditions.
Georgia law requires all property to be assessed at 40% of fair market value. This means a home the county values at $400,000 has an assessed value of $160,000. Your property tax bill is calculated by multiplying that assessed value by the local millage rate.
For unincorporated Gwinnett County, the combined millage rate is 34.86 mills, which breaks down across county government, schools, fire/EMS, recreation, and police services. At that rate, every $10,000 of assessed value adds about $349 to your annual tax bill.
Homestead exemptions reduce the taxable amount. Gwinnett County offers exemptions at the state, county, school, and recreation levels that can lower your bill by several hundred dollars. See the county-by-county exemptions comparison to understand how Gwinnett stacks up, and apply through the Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner’s office if you haven’t already.
Your assessment is too high if the county’s estimated fair market value exceeds what your home would actually sell for. Here are signs to watch for:
The Gwinnett County Tax Assessors’ website lets you look up your property record and compare your assessed value against recent sales. Start there.
The Gwinnett County Board of Tax Assessors typically mails Annual Notices of Assessment in May each year. The exact date varies, but the notice itself prints the mailing date in the upper right corner — that date is what starts your appeal clock.
Your notice shows three key numbers:
If your fair market value increased, compare it against actual sale prices of similar homes in your area. A gap between the county’s number and real market data is the foundation of a successful appeal.
You have exactly 45 days from the date printed on your assessment notice to file an appeal. This deadline is set by Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 48-5-311) and is strictly enforced. There are no extensions.
Since Gwinnett County notices typically go out in May, the appeal deadline usually falls in late June or early July. Mark your calendar the day your notice arrives — waiting until the last week creates unnecessary risk.
You can file your appeal three ways:
The Gwinnett County Board of Tax Assessors accepts appeals through their online property appeals portal. This is the fastest method and gives you an immediate confirmation.
Download the PT-311A form from the Gwinnett County forms page or the Georgia Department of Revenue. Mail the completed form to:
Gwinnett County Assessors’ Office ATT: Appeals 75 Langley Drive Lawrenceville, GA 30046
Send it by certified mail or a trackable method so you have proof of delivery before the deadline.
Deliver your completed PT-311A to the Assessors’ Office on the first floor of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center at 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville. A drop box outside the office is available if you arrive outside business hours.
The PT-311A asks for your property information, the county’s assessed value, and the value you believe is correct. You do not need to submit your full evidence package with the form — the form itself is just the formal notice that you are appealing. You will present your evidence later at the hearing.
That said, stating a specific value (rather than leaving it blank) signals to the Board of Assessors that you’ve done your homework. Base your requested value on comparable sales data.
After you file your PT-311A, the Gwinnett County Board of Tax Assessors reviews your appeal internally. They may:
Many appeals are resolved at this stage. If the assessor’s office offers you a reduction and you accept, the appeal ends. If their offer doesn’t go far enough, or if they make no adjustment, your appeal moves to the next step.
The Board of Equalization (BOE) is an independent panel of trained Gwinnett County citizens — not employees of the Assessors’ Office. The BOE conducts a quasi-judicial hearing where you present your case for a lower value.
Gwinnett County offers BOE hearings both in person and via WebEx video conference, giving you flexibility in how you attend.
At the hearing, you will:
The BOE then issues a written decision. If they reduce your value, the reduction takes effect for the current tax year. If they uphold the original value, you still have options to continue the appeal.
While your appeal is pending, you still receive a tax bill. Under Georgia law, that temporary bill is calculated at the lower of 85% of the current year’s assessment or 100% of the prior year’s assessment. If you win a reduction, you’ll receive a refund or credit for the difference.
The strongest evidence is comparable sales data — recent sales of similar properties that support a lower fair market value for your home. Here’s what to focus on:
Find 3-5 homes that sold within the past 12 months, are within 1-2 miles of your property, and share similar characteristics: square footage within 20%, same general age, similar lot size, and comparable condition. The closer the match, the more persuasive the evidence.
Focus on sales that closed below your county-assessed FMV. If four comparable homes sold for $350,000-$370,000 but the county values your similar home at $420,000, that gap tells a clear story.
Document anything that reduces your home’s value compared to what the county record shows: roof age, HVAC condition, foundation issues, outdated kitchens or bathrooms, or any needed repairs. Bring photos and, if possible, contractor estimates.
Check your property record card for mistakes. Common errors include:
A single data error can inflate your assessed value by tens of thousands of dollars. Correcting it is often the easiest win.
Your personal financial situation, complaints about tax rates, or arguments about how your taxes are spent. The BOE only considers whether the county’s market value estimate is accurate. Stay focused on that question.
The most common and most preventable mistake. Once the deadline passes, you cannot appeal that year’s assessment regardless of how strong your case is.
Statewide data shows that 17% of appellants who are scheduled for a Board of Equalization hearing fail to appear, resulting in an automatic dismissal. Show up. If you can’t attend in person, use Gwinnett County’s WebEx option.
A 2,000-square-foot ranch in Suwanee is not comparable to a 3,500-square-foot two-story in Peachtree Corners. The BOE panel will dismiss comparables that differ significantly in size, age, style, or location.
Your appeal is about one thing: whether the county’s estimate of your home’s fair market value is too high. Arguments about millage rates, government spending, or how much you can afford are outside the BOE’s scope.
Submitting a PT-311A and hoping for the best is not a strategy. The assessor’s office has data supporting their value. You need data supporting yours.
If the BOE decision doesn’t satisfy you, Gwinnett County offers additional options:
You can request a Settlement Conference with the Tax Assessors’ Office within 30 days of the BOE decision. Submit a completed Appeal Continuance Form by email to Assessors_Continuance@GwinnettCounty.com or by mail to the Assessors’ Office. This is an informal negotiation where you and the assessor’s office try to reach an agreed-upon value.
If the Settlement Conference doesn’t resolve your appeal, you have 20 days to certify your appeal to the Gwinnett County Clerk of Courts. A filing fee applies. Superior Court appeals are more formal proceedings and some homeowners choose to hire an attorney at this stage.
Under Georgia law, you may also elect to have your appeal heard by a hearing officer or through nonbinding arbitration instead of the BOE. These elections must be made at the time of filing your initial appeal on the PT-311A form.
One of the most valuable outcomes of a successful Georgia property tax appeal is the O.C.G.A. § 48-5-299(c) assessment freeze. When you win a reduction, your assessed value is frozen at the reduced level for three years — even if property values rise around you.
Here’s what that looks like for a Gwinnett County home:
The freeze acts as a multiplier: your savings grow each year because you’re protected from the rising assessments your neighbors face.
Two important notes about the freeze after HB 581 (effective 2025):
Gwinnett County’s appeal outcomes are unusually favorable for homeowners:
The 82.2% win rate significantly exceeds national norms. And that figure includes homeowners who filed on their own. You don’t need to hire a professional to win. For a full breakdown of these numbers, including how Gwinnett compares to other Georgia counties, see our analysis of 20,229 Gwinnett County appeals. For the full underlying dataset and outcome breakdown, see the Gwinnett County 2025 appeal data.
Gwinnett County is the second most active county in Georgia for property tax appeals, behind only Fulton County. With the median home value at $380,900 and assessed values climbing steadily, more homeowners are recognizing the value of challenging their assessments. Still, the vast majority of Gwinnett homeowners don't appeal at all. Our protest vs non-protest analysis shows that 49% of Gwinnett homes are overvalued, yet fewer than 5% of homeowners file an appeal each year.
The Gwinnett County property tax appeal process favors homeowners who show up prepared. With an 82.2% win rate, the odds are strongly in your favor — but only if you file within the 45-day deadline and bring comparable sales evidence to support your case. Start by reviewing your assessment notice, checking your property record for errors, and researching what similar homes in your area have actually sold for. That research is the foundation of every successful appeal.