If you close on a Roswell home this fall, the property tax figure on your settlement statement rests on two things that won't carry over to you. The first is the seller's exemptions, which freeze value growth for the person on the deed and end when the deed changes. The second is Fulton County's 2026 bill, which went out as a temporary bill based on last year's millage rates. City of Roswell bills are going out now, so this is when buyers and sellers start comparing numbers that don't match.
Three governments, three sets of rules
Three taxing authorities each set their own millage and apply their own exemptions. The City of Roswell says city taxes are about 16.3 percent of a typical resident's total bill. Fulton County Schools accounts for about 56.2 percent and Fulton County for about 27.6 percent.
Where each layer stood heading into the end of October 2026:
| Layer | Share of a typical bill | 2026 rate status | Growth limit for homesteaded owners |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Roswell | About 16.3% | 5.232 mills, adopted Sept. 28, 2026 | City floating exemption, inflation or 3%, whichever is less |
| Fulton County | About 27.6% | 8.87 mills general fund, set Oct. 7, 2026 | County freeze, CPI or 3%, whichever is less |
| Fulton County Schools | About 56.2% | 18.080 mills proposed, hearing Oct. 22, 2026 | Basic $2,000 school exemption; Appen Media reported a CPI-or-3% cap |
In the last column, each layer's protection is tied to a particular owner's history with the property. That's why the seller's bill tells a buyer so little.
The freeze belongs to the owner, and the owner is leaving
Roswell's Floating Homestead Exemption set a 2019 taxable value from the lowest value in 2016, 2017 or 2018 plus 4.23 percent. Since then, increases have been held to inflation or 3 percent, whichever is less. The city also says its homestead exemptions renew each year "until a change in ownership occurs."
That means a seller who has homesteaded the same Roswell house since before 2019 has seen the city portion of the bill grow at a capped pace for years. A buyer doesn't inherit that capped path.
Fulton County works the same way through a separate mechanism. The county's 2025 Homestead Exemption Guide describes its CPI freeze, created by Senate Bill 610 in 2004. The freeze sets a base taxable value equal to "the value of the property in the year prior to the homestead application" and limits annual increases to the lesser of CPI or 3 percent. The same guide says that if the names on the deed change, the occupant on the deed "will need to re-apply." A new owner's application starts a new base year.
State law changed recently in a way that affects buyers too. Georgia's fair market value statute used to make the most recent arm's-length sale price the maximum value for the next tax year. HB 581 removed that rule for tax years starting January 1, 2025 or later, according to the current code text on Justia. Fulton County's Board of Commissioners also voted on January 8, 2025 to opt into HB 581's statewide floating exemption. The county said assessors would automatically apply whichever floating exemption, state or local, benefits the owner more. Georgia's Department of Revenue says counties review values against sales data each year.
The slice no homestead exemption touches
The city portion of the bill has another feature that changes how a buyer should read it. Roswell's 5.232 mills has two parts. Maintenance and operations is 4.049 mills, the same as 2025, and the city says that's its lowest level in 18 years. Debt service is 1.183 mills, up 0.283 mills from 0.900 in 2025.
Roswell's homestead exemptions, other than the disabled veteran exemption, apply only to the general fund millage. The debt service portion is charged on assessed value with no homestead exemption applied, whether you've owned for one year or twenty.
Roswell's own example on the city's 2026 tax rate announcement shows the scale:
- A home with a fair market value of $575,000 is assessed at 40 percent, or $230,000.
- At 5.232 mills, that's about $1,203 owed to the City of Roswell before homestead exemptions.
- About $272 of that goes to the voter-approved Bond Program.
The city says the debt service increase "is a direct result of the second bond tranche issued in April 2025," which was $93.4 million. A first issuance of $86.2 million was approved in May 2023. Voters approved the Bond Program in 2022 to fund parks, trails, sidewalks, police and fire facilities, and the downtown public parking deck that opened in May 2026. For a buyer, this is the one city line item that moves on its own schedule, apart from both the operating rate and any exemption.
Fulton's 2026 bill was built on last year's rates
The seller's bill is an imperfect guide in any year. In 2026 it's also temporary.
Fulton County mailed 2026 tax bills on August 15, due October 15 for the county and for jurisdictions other than the City of Atlanta. The county's August 14 notice calls them "temporary bills based on valuations in the preliminary 2026 Tax Digest and each taxing jurisdiction's 2025 millage rate." The Superior Court of Fulton County authorized that approach on August 4 because the 2026 digest was going to reach the Georgia Department of Revenue late. Rates can't be set until the state certifies the digest. The county says that once rates are set, "a refund or revised tax bill will be issued only as needed." The notice gives no date for either.
The final rates are now coming in, and they don't all match 2025:
- Fulton County set its 2026 general fund rate at 8.87 mills at its October 7 meeting.
- Fulton County Schools went into the fall with a rate of 17.08 mills and proposed 18.080. The district's notice calls 18.080 a tentative increase, 0.541 mills above the rollback rate of 17.539, and scheduled another hearing for October 22, 2026 at 6 p.m. The rate the board adopts at or after that hearing will feed into any revised bill.
- City of Roswell adopted 5.232 mills on September 28. Roswell said owners should receive city bills before the end of October, due 60 days after billing and no later than December 31, 2026.
The school district makes up the largest share of a Roswell bill, and its proposed rate is a full mill above the rate behind the temporary bills. So the temporary county bill is the part most likely to change.
What that does to the number at closing
The Georgia Department of Revenue says property tax is assessed against whoever owns the property on January 1. At closing, the buyer and seller split the year's taxes. Atlanta-area law firm Sherman & Phalen explains the usual approach: the seller's share is estimated, often from the prior year's bill, and credited to the buyer, who later pays the full bill. If the actual amount turns out materially different, the parties may need to work together to adjust it.
For a Roswell closing between now and year-end, that estimate depends on four things:
- A Fulton County figure calculated at 2025 rates, with a revised bill or refund possible later
- A school rate that was still tentative going into the October 22 hearing
- A city bill that may or may not have been issued when the settlement statement was prepared
- A seller's exemptions, which reduce the bill in ways the buyer won't qualify for until filing their own
That makes the proration line one of the softer numbers on the settlement statement this year. Sellers should keep proof of what they paid on the temporary county bill. Buyers should know that the bill they'll eventually receive under their own name could look different from either the temporary bill or the seller's history.
This post is general information, not tax or legal advice. Confirm how these rules apply to your property with the Fulton County Board of Assessors, the City of Roswell, or your closing attorney.
The filing calendar for a fall or winter buyer
Timing matters as much as the rates. If you close in November or December 2026, you'll own the home on January 1, 2027, and the sequence looks like this:
- January 1, 2027. You must own and occupy the home as your permanent residence on this date to qualify for 2027 exemptions, under both Fulton County and City of Roswell rules.
- By April 1, 2027. File your Fulton County homestead application. The county's homestead deadline notice says anyone who bought in the past year must apply. The guide says applications can be filed online through the SmartFile portal at fultonassessor.org.
- Automatically, once the county homestead is approved. Roswell's Floating Homestead Exemption applies to residents with a Fulton County homestead exemption in place, with no separate city filing.
- January 1 through June 1, 2027. Apply directly with the City of Roswell for any other city exemption you qualify for, such as the two senior exemptions or the disabled veteran exemption. Applications go to City Hall, Suite G-20, or by email.
Buyers who closed during 2026 and didn't own the home on January 1, 2026 fall into the group Fulton County's June 2026 assessment notice addresses directly: they can apply for the 2027 tax year.
Quick answers
Will my Roswell tax bill match what the seller paid? Expect it to differ. The seller's city and county exemptions froze value growth for them, those exemptions renew only until ownership changes, and your own base starts from your application.
Does the City of Roswell's homestead exemption reduce the bond portion? No. Roswell's exemptions, except the disabled veteran exemption, apply only to the 4.049-mill operating rate, not the 1.183-mill debt service rate.
Why might I get a second Fulton County bill for 2026? The August 2026 county bills used 2025 millage rates under a court order. Fulton County has said it will issue revised bills or refunds as needed once final rates are set.
Who pays a revised bill after closing? Look at your purchase contract and ask your closing attorney. The usual Georgia practice is for buyer and seller to adjust between themselves once the actual bill is known.
Tax proration is one of the details that comes up on every Roswell closing this season, and it's worth handling before the settlement statement is drafted. If you're thinking about selling, Anet Granger can go over your current exemptions, what you paid on the temporary county bill, and how that should show up in your net proceeds. Get your free home valuation to start.
