The city of Locust Grove is accepting homestead exemption applications through April 1. As of March 24, fewer than 700 homeowners had applied. The city estimates about 2,500 homeowners are eligible.
All city homeowners must submit an application to qualify for the homestead exemption. Even if you already receive the county’s exemption, you must apply with Locust Grove as well.
This article is being provided free as a public service announcement to Locust Grove residents. Consider subscribing to access all of our news articles! Information about the county, Stockbridge and Hampton homestead exemptions are in this article.
Locust Grove Homestead Exemption
Locust Grove homeowners can take advantage of a 100% homestead exemption. The city’s voters approved it in 2022. This exemption will reduce a homeowner’s city property tax bill to $0. The city has not had a property tax in past years; however, their 2025 budget forecasts adding a property tax.
Many homeowners already receive an exemption on county and school board taxes. They must apply again to receive the city’s exemption. The state of Georgia requires homeowners to apply separately for county and city exemptions.
The good news for homeowners who already receive the county exemption is that the city’s form is quick. It takes only a few minutes to complete. The application is on the city website – LINK HERE. Please note there are two separate forms in the PDF. The last page, EZ form, is for homeowners who have the county’s exemption. The other form is for homeowners who don’t already receive a homestead exemption.
Applications can be turned into Locust Grove City Hall. Residents can also mail them to Locust Grove, P.O. Box 900, Locust Grove, GA 30248. All homeowners must submit their application in-person or mail their application, with postmark, by April 1. Applications received after April 1 will not apply to the 2025 tax bill. This is a statewide requirement; the city has no flexibility in this deadline.
City Estimated Millage Rate – How Much in Taxes?
Locust Grove’s budget for 2025 assumes there will be a property tax this fall. The city has adopted an estimated rollback millage rate of 4.087 mills. This is an estimate of the maximum millage rate the city could adopt. The actual millage rate will be determined in July.
For simplicity, the following calculations will use a 4.000 millage rate. If the city adopts a millage rate of 4 mills, then this means property owners will pay $4 per $1,000 in assessed property value. Georgia uses 40% of the property’s appraised value to become the assessed value. Therefore, a property valued at $250,000 would have an assessed value of $100,000. This property would pay $400 in city taxes in this example. A property valued at $500,000 would pay $800, and so forth.
Locust Grove homeowners can be fully-exempt from any city tax by applying for the homestead exemption. Locust Grove is very unique, possibly the only city in Georgia, to offer its homeowners a 100% exemption. As of March 24, fewer than 1/3 of eligible homeowners have applied for the exemption. Please join us in telling your neighbors and sharing the message about this exemption!
Featured image shows Locust Grove City Hall. Clayton Carte photo.
