"This year it is higher than the current rate because taxable value (as reported by Fulton County) fell, mostly due to increase in floating homestead exemptions." That line is a footnote in the City of Roswell's 2026 millage explainer on Roswell Connections, the city's own news site. The footnote explains why the rate that would simply hold city revenue flat came out higher than last year's rate.
That one sentence also explains why a seller's property tax figure tells a Roswell buyer very little. The exemptions that keep a longtime owner's taxable value low end when the house sells. The same exemptions also shrink the citywide tax base, so the rate needed to raise the same revenue goes up. A new owner gets the higher rate and loses the capped value.
The number on the listing belongs to the seller
Start with the moment a home changes hands. The City of Roswell's property tax page says its homestead exemptions "renew automatically each year until a change in ownership occurs." Georgia's statewide floating homestead exemption, created by HB 581, works the same way. It does not carry over to the next owner. Each new owner's base is the assessed value from the year just before the exemption is first granted to them.
Fulton County's homestead exemption guide says an exemption renews automatically only while the same owner keeps living in the home. A change to the names on the deed requires a new application. The timing adds one more gap. The Georgia Department of Revenue says that to claim a homestead exemption for a given year, you generally must have owned the property on January 1 and applied by April 1. Fulton County's June 2026 assessment notice puts it plainly: owners who did not own their home on January 1 may apply for a 2027 exemption.
So a buyer who closes in Roswell this fall takes over a 2026 bill that reflects the seller's exemptions. The buyer's own position starts in 2027, from a new base.
Three caps on one bill
A Roswell tax bill goes to three taxing bodies, and each one has its own version of a floating cap. That is the main reason the gap between a longtime owner and a new owner can be wide.
| Taxing body | Approximate share of a Roswell bill | Tax year 2026 rate | Floating homestead cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton County Schools | 56.2% | 18.08 mills, tentative | District's own exemption capped at CPI or 3%; opted out of HB 581 |
| Fulton County | 27.6% | 8.87 mills, General Fund | County freeze capped at the lesser of CPI or 3%; also opted into HB 581 |
| City of Roswell | 16.3% | 5.232 mills | City floating exemption capped at the lesser of inflation or 3%; HB 581 also applies |
Here are the details behind each row. Roswell's city exemption is granted automatically to residents who hold a Fulton County homestead exemption. It limits yearly growth in taxable value to inflation or 3%, whichever is less. The Fulton County Commission voted unanimously on January 8, 2025, to opt into HB 581. The county applies whichever floating exemption benefits the owner more. The county's own freeze is based on the property's value in the year before the owner applied for homestead.
Fulton County Schools filed to opt out of HB 581, and the Georgia Secretary of State's register shows the filing received February 24, 2025. When the district made that decision, Appen Media reported that a district presentation described an existing school exemption capped at 3% or CPI. The presentation said the two "will perform identically until inflation goes over 3 percent."
The school share makes up more than half of a Roswell bill. When that portion is capped for one owner and starts fresh for another, the difference shows up in dollars.
The caps shrink the base, and the base sets the rate
The footnote from the lede is the second half of the story. Each year a Georgia taxing body calculates a rollback rate, the rate that would bring in the same revenue as the year before. When more of the city's assessed value sits behind floating exemptions, there is less taxable value left. Collecting the same revenue then takes a higher rate.
Roswell's own example shows how this played out in 2026. A $575,000 home has an assessed value of $230,000 at Georgia's 40% ratio, so each mill costs about $230 before exemptions.
- 2025 rate, 4.949 mills: about $1,138 in city tax
- 2026 rollback rate, 5.288 mills: about $1,216
- Adopted 2026 rate, 5.232 mills: about $1,203
The adopted rate is slightly below the rollback rate and still higher than last year's. That is how the exemptions move the tax load. A longtime owner whose taxable value grows by 3% or less a year barely notices the higher rate. A new owner, whose taxable value starts from a current assessment, pays that higher rate on the full assessed value.
Getting to 5.232 took most of September. The city's explainer shows the mayor's proposal advertised on September 3, 2026, at a maximum of 7.732 mills. Council voted 4-2 on September 14 to move a tentative 5.9 mills forward. Finance Director Adam Novotney presented at the state-required public hearing on September 21, and Council adopted 5.232 mills on September 28. When the city first proposed the increase, Mayor Mary Robichaux told Roswell Connections, "We didn't come to the decision to raise taxes lightly."
The part of the city rate no exemption touches
Within the city bill, the cap covers only part of the rate. Roswell says its homestead exemptions, other than the disabled veteran exemption, "apply to the General Fund Millage Rate only."
In 2026, the General Fund part held steady while the other part went up. The maintenance and operations rate stayed at 4.049 mills, which Roswell Connections describes as its lowest level in 18 years. Debt service went from 0.900 to 1.183 mills. The increase is tied to the $93.4 million second bond tranche approved in April 2025, which followed an $86.2 million issuance approved in May 2023. The city says the debt service rate "is not determined by City Council."
That bond program pays for projects a Roswell buyer will use, including parks, trails, sidewalks, police and fire facilities, and the downtown public parking deck that opened in May 2026. On the $575,000 example, about $272 of the roughly $1,203 city bill goes to the bond program. Under the city's own description, the city exemptions apply only to the General Fund rate, not to that debt-service share.
The school rate is still being set
The largest share of the bill is the one still in motion. The Fulton County Board of Education tentatively adopted 18.08 mills for 2026, a full mill above last year's 17.08. Rough Draft Atlanta reported that this is the first time in seven years the district has sought to raise its rate. The proposed rate sits 0.541 mills above the 17.54-mill rollback rate, which Georgia law treats as a 3.08% tax increase. Rough Draft estimated about $90 more a year in school tax on a $425,000 home. The final hearing is scheduled for Thursday, October 22, at 6 p.m. at the South Learning Center, 4025 Flat Shoals Road in Union City.
The county held its line this year. The Board of Commissioners voted October 7 to keep the General Fund rate at 8.87 mills for a fifth straight year. The county's September notice still classified that as a tax increase, because the rollback rate was 8.822 mills. All three bodies on a Roswell bill set 2026 rates at or above the levels their shrinking taxable bases would suggest. A homesteaded longtime owner has caps on all three. A buyer has none until the following year's exemption is granted.
Questions buyers ask about Roswell taxes
Do Roswell seniors get additional school exemptions? Yes. A March 2026 Fulton County notice describes new school-tax exemptions. Qualifying homeowners age 65 and older can exempt 25% of assessed value, and those age 70 and older can exempt 50%. Owners must have held a school-district homestead exemption in at least five of the last six years. Because of that five-year requirement, a new buyer would not qualify right away.
Does a buyer need to apply separately with the City of Roswell? The city's floating exemption is granted automatically to residents who hold a Fulton County homestead exemption. The city's senior and disabled veteran exemptions have their own applications, accepted January 1 through June 1.
When does an owner see what the county thinks the home is worth? Fulton County mailed 2026 assessment notices and posted them online on June 19, 2026. The city notes that mortgage lenders adjust escrow after the tax bill is issued.
This post is general information about how Roswell and Fulton County property taxes are structured, not tax, legal or financial advice. Please confirm your own exemptions and estimated bill with the Fulton County Board of Assessors, the City of Roswell, or your tax professional.
When we help clients compare Roswell homes, we estimate what the property tax bill will be once the home is theirs, alongside the seller's current bill. If you are weighing a Roswell purchase and want to see that estimate before you make an offer, the Barnes Young Team is glad to go through it with you. Schedule a consultation to discuss your next move.
