(The Center Square) — According to statistics from the Department of Revenue, Greene County in the Black Belt has Alabama’s highest property tax rates.
Municipalities, school districts and counties all can levy ad valorem taxes, expressed in mills, with one mill equaling $1 per each $1,000 of assessed value.
In September 2022 rankings, the Tax Foundation ranked Alabama 49th among the states for its property taxes as a percentage of the home’s value. Hawaii is No. 50. The states with the highest effective rates were New Jersey, Illinois and New Hampshire.
Greene County hits taxpayers with a charge of 27 mills for the county alone. Those living in Eutaw, the county seat, would have to pay 11 mills for the county school district and 17.5 mills for the city itself, leaving a resident paying a total of 55.5 mills.
For a house with an assessed value of $200,000, that would add up to more than $1,100 per year in property taxes.
The lowest county levies are in Coosa and Shelby counties at 7.5 mills, followed by Elmore County at 8.5 mills and Baldwin, Cullman and Talladega counties at 9.5 mills apiece.
Next highest is Perry County at 25.5 mills, followed by Lowndes County (23.5 mills), Chilton County (22.5 mills) and Chambers (22.3 mills).
Among the state’s most populated counties, Mobile is the highest at 20.5 mills. Neighboring Baldwin across Mobile Bay hits property owners with a rate of 9.5 mills.
Madison County’s (Huntsville) rates are dependent on whether a property owner resides outside a municipality (14 mills) or inside (11 mills).
Lee (Auburn and Opelika) and Jefferson (Birmingham) counties both charge a rate of 13.5 mills.
Montgomery County has a similar setup, with those outside of a municipality paying 12.5 mills and those inside city limits paying 7.5 mills. Tuscaloosa County charges a rate of 10.5 mills.
