Oglethorpe County; school district ad valorem tax; provide homestead exemption

School tax relief for Oglethorpe seniors

The law creates a senior homeowner tax break, subject to approval by a majority of voters in Oglethorpe County. It requires a county-paid referendum no later than November 4, 2025. With voter approval, the exemption starts with tax years beginning January 1, 2026. Without approval, or without the required election, the exemption does not start; the act is repealed 365 days after the election date. Homeowners must live in the Oglethorpe County School District and be 67 or older by January 1 of their application year. Their qualifying home and land can include no more than one-half contiguous acre. The exemption removes assessed value above a base-year value from school taxes for education, but not school bond repayment taxes. The base year is the year before the current owner first receives the exemption, including final values from assessment appeals. Savings depend on the value increase and school tax rate, not a fixed dollar amount. Improvements and land added after January 1 of the base year remain taxable. Removing property adjusts the base value and exemption; selling or transferring the home resets the base year for the new owner. State, county, municipal, and independent school district taxes remain unchanged. This exemption replaces, rather than adds to, another homestead exemption for the same school education taxes. Homeowners or their agents must apply to the county tax commissioner, who supplies forms and checks eligibility. Approval renews automatically without yearly applications while homeowners remain eligible and occupy the home; they must report when eligibility ends.