JB PARCELTennessee Property Tax Calculator
Tennessee taxes a percentage of appraised value, not the whole thing, and the percentage depends on how the property is classified. Enter your county and city rates and get the annual bill.
Tennessee only for now. A state goes live here when we can cite its official rates, the same standard as "Where the numbers come from" below.
How this calculator works
Tennessee does not tax appraised value directly. It taxes an assessed value, which is a fixed percentage of appraised value set by state law based on how the property is classified. Residential and farm property is assessed at 25 percent. Commercial and industrial real property is assessed at 40 percent. Public utility property is 55 percent. Commercial and industrial tangible personal property is 30 percent, and other tangible personal property is 5 percent. Those ratios come from Tenn. Code Ann. 67-5-801 and the classifications in 67-5-501.
The tax rate is then expressed in dollars per $100 of assessed value. A $340,000 house is assessed at $85,000. At a combined county and city rate of $2.80 per $100, the bill is $85,000 divided by 100, times 2.80, which is $2,380.
Rates are local and they change every year. County commissions and city councils set them, and special school and fire districts add their own in some counties. This calculator will never guess them for you, because a hardcoded rate goes stale and a stale rate is worse than no rate. The Comptroller publishes the full table by county, city, and year, and the link is right on the county rate field.
One thing to plan for: a sale often prompts the assessor to look at the property, and counties reappraise on four, five, or six year cycles. The tax bill you find in public records is the previous owner's bill on the previous appraised value. If you are underwriting a purchase, assume your number will be higher than theirs.
Worked example: a home inside city limits
A $340,000 residence in a city with a county rate of $1.7500 and a city rate of $1.0500 per $100.
| Appraised value | $340,000 |
|---|---|
| Assessment ratio (residential) | 25% |
| Assessed value | $85,000 |
| County tax | $1,487.50 |
| City tax | $892.50 |
| Total annual tax | $2,380.00 |
| Monthly escrow | $198.33 |
| Effective rate on appraised value | 0.70% |
Now change the classification to commercial. The same $340,000 building is assessed at 40 percent instead of 25, which is $136,000, and the bill jumps to $3,808. That single classification difference is why a mixed-use property's tax treatment is worth confirming with the assessor before you buy.
Where the numbers come from
Assessment ratios come from Tennessee law: residential and farm 25 percent, commercial and industrial 40 percent, public utility 55 percent, commercial and industrial tangible personal property 30 percent, other tangible personal property 5 percent (Tenn. Code Ann. 67-5-501 and 67-5-801, as published in the Comptroller's Tax Aggregate Report of Tennessee). County, city, and special district rates are set locally and change every year, so this calculator takes them as inputs. Look yours up in the Comptroller property tax rate tables, which publish every jurisdiction by year. Appraised values come from your county assessor and are searchable on the JB PARCEL map.
Questions investors ask
What is the assessment ratio in Tennessee?
It depends on classification, and it is set by state law rather than by your county. Residential and farm property is assessed at 25 percent of appraised value. Commercial and industrial real property is 40 percent. Public utility property is 55 percent. Commercial and industrial tangible personal property is 30 percent, and other tangible personal property is 5 percent.
Why does this calculator not fill in my county's rate?
Because rates change every single year and there are hundreds of jurisdictions between counties, cities, and special districts. A hardcoded rate would be wrong within twelve months and you would have no way to know. The Comptroller publishes the current and historical tables by county and city, linked on the rate field, and entering it takes ten seconds and is always right.
How often does Tennessee reappraise property?
On a four, five, or six year cycle depending on the county, with the schedule set at the state level. Between reappraisals, values generally hold unless something changes on the property, such as new construction, a demolition, or a subdivision. State law also requires a certified tax rate adjustment after a reappraisal so the reappraisal itself does not automatically increase total revenue.
Can I appeal my assessment?
Yes. Start with an informal review at the county assessor's office, then appeal to the county board of equalization, which typically meets in June, and then to the State Board of Equalization if needed. The argument that works is comparable sales showing the appraised value is above market. Pull recent sales of similar nearby properties on the JB PARCEL map and bring them with you. Deadlines are firm, so check your county's schedule.
What is greenbelt?
Tennessee's Agricultural, Forest and Open Space Land Act lets qualifying land be assessed on its current use value instead of its market value, which can cut the tax bill dramatically on farm and timber ground. The catch is rollback taxes: if the land leaves the program, typically by being developed or subdivided, the county recaptures the difference for a set number of prior years. If you are buying enrolled land to develop, find out the rollback exposure before you close.
Do I pay both county and city property tax?
Only if the property is inside city limits, and then you pay both. Property in unincorporated county territory pays the county rate alone. That is why two otherwise identical Tennessee houses a mile apart can have very different tax bills, and it is worth checking the jurisdiction on any property you are underwriting.
Related calculators
Screening a real property? Pull its appraised value, assessed value, acreage, land use, and last recorded sale off the JB PARCEL parcel map and drop the real numbers into this calculator instead of guessing. Coverage runs across every county we carry.