At a glance
| 2025 millage, Gainesville (St. Johns water district) | 22.1474 |
|---|---|
| 2025 millage, Gainesville (Suwannee water district) | 22.2493 |
| 2025 millage, unincorporated | 18.9855 to 19.0874 |
| 2025 school millage | 6.2510 |
| Homestead deadline | March 1 |
Alachua County millage rates for 2025
One mill is $1 per $1,000 of taxable value. These are the Alachua County Tax Collector's final 2025 tax roll millage rates, taken from Form DR-422 as of October 9, 2025.
| Taxing area | School millage | Non-school millage | Total 2025 millage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gainesville (code 36, St. Johns water district) | 6.2510 | 15.8964 | 22.1474 |
| Gainesville (code 37, Suwannee water district) | 6.2510 | 15.9983 | 22.2493 |
| Unincorporated (St. Johns) | 6.2510 | 12.7345 | 18.9855 |
| Unincorporated (Suwannee) | 6.2510 | 12.8364 | 19.0874 |
| Newberry | 6.2510 | 15.1486 | 21.3996 |
| City of Alachua | 6.2510 | 15.5186 | 21.7696 |
Every area pays the county general levy (7.6000), the library district (0.9374), the Children's Trust (0.4500) and a water management district. The school total of 6.2510 includes a voter-approved 1.0000 mill levy on top of the required, discretionary and capital rates.
Gainesville adds its city rate of 6.7297. Unincorporated parcels pay a sheriff MSTU of 3.5678 instead of a city rate, which is why they come in about 3 mills lower. Among nearby towns, Newberry (city rate 5.8800) and Alachua (6.2500) are both lower than Gainesville.
Proposed 2026 rates were printed on the August 2026 TRIM notice, and the property appraiser posted a preliminary 2026 millage table.
Worked example: tax on a typical Alachua County home
This example uses Zillow's typical home value for Alachua County in August 2026, $304,012, and the 2025 City of Gainesville millage of 22.1474. It assumes the property appraiser's assessed value equals that figure, which is a simplification: the just value on a tax roll is set as of January 1 and often differs from a sale price. The formula is taxable value × millage ÷ 1,000, worked out separately for school and non-school levies because the second homestead exemption does not apply to school taxes.
| Line | Homesteaded | Not homesteaded |
|---|---|---|
| Assessed value | $304,012 | $304,012 |
| School taxable value | $304,012 − $25,000 = $279,012 | $304,012 |
| School tax | $279,012 × 6.2510 ÷ 1,000 = $1,744 | $304,012 × 22.1474 ÷ 1,000 = $6,733 (all levies) |
| Non-school taxable value | $304,012 − $50,722 = $253,290 | $304,012 |
| Non-school tax | $253,290 × 15.8964 ÷ 1,000 = $4,026 | Included above |
| Estimated ad valorem tax | $5,770 | $6,733 |
| If paid in November (4% discount) | $5,539 | $6,464 |
On these assumptions the homestead exemption is worth about $963 a year on a home at this value. Treat both figures as estimates only. Your actual bill depends on the appraiser's value, your exact taxing district, any other exemptions and the rates adopted for the year. Non-ad valorem assessments such as solid waste, stormwater, fire or CDD charges are billed on top and are not included here.
For a fuller budget, see the Gainesville cost of living guide.
How to file for the Alachua County homestead exemption
File with the Alachua County Property Appraiser. Forms and filing instructions are on the appraiser's exemption forms page. The deadline is March 1, and you must own the home and live in it as your permanent residence on January 1. Buy and move in during 2026, and you would file by March 1, 2027. Missing the deadline generally waives the exemption for that year.
The first $25,000 of assessed value is exempt from all taxes, including school taxes. A second exemption covers assessed value between $50,000 and $75,000 for non-school taxes only, and now rises with inflation: it was $25,722 for 2025 and is $26,411 for 2026, so the full exemption is up to $50,722 and $51,411. The appraiser may ask for your Florida driver license, vehicle registration and voter registration at the new address. If you are leaving another Florida homestead, file the portability form (DR-501T) with your application.
Save Our Homes cap, portability and the 10% cap
Once a home is homesteaded, its assessed value can rise no more than 3% a year or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. The cap was 2.9% for 2025 and is 2.7% for 2026. It limits the value, not the bill, so higher millage or new assessments can still raise what you pay.
The cap does not pass to a buyer. The home is reassessed at just value on the January 1 after a sale, so ask for the parcel's just value rather than relying on the seller's bill. Portability moves up to $500,000 of the benefit to a new Florida homestead established within three years of January 1 of the year you left the old one.
Second homes and rentals have a 10% annual cap on assessed value for non-school levies, and no cap on school levies. It resets on a sale.
When bills arrive and how the discounts work
The Alachua County Tax Collector mails bills after the roll is certified. Its 2025 millage sheet is dated October 9, 2025. Taxes are due from November 1, and Florida law sets the early payment discounts: 4% in November, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February. March is full price, and unpaid taxes become delinquent on April 1 (or 60 days after the bill is mailed, if later).
Taxes are normally prorated between buyer and seller at closing. Our guide to Florida closing costs explains how that shows up on the settlement statement.
Charges that are not in the millage
The tax collector's sheet notes that refuse collection outside a city is billed as a non-ad valorem assessment, at a flat rate per unit rather than millage. Water extension, paving and other special assessments also appear on some parcels, usually charged per front foot.
If a home is in a community development district, its assessment is billed the same way. Before you buy, ask for the last tax bill and check each non-ad valorem line.
What Amendment 3 on the November 2026 ballot would change
Amendment 3 on the November 3, 2026 ballot would raise the non-school homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, then index it to inflation. It would also cut the non-homestead assessment cap from 10% to 5% and set up a process for counties and cities to raise the exemption further. School taxes would keep the $25,000 exemption. It needs at least 60% of the vote and would take effect January 1, 2027. People who were not Florida residents on December 31, 2026 would get the larger exemption only from their fifth year of exemption.
As a rough illustration, raising the non-school exemption from $51,411 to $150,000 adds $98,589 of exemption. At the 2025 City of Gainesville non-school rate of 15.8964, that is about $1,567 a year. It is not a forecast, because rates and fees would change.
Common questions
What is the property tax rate in Alachua County?+
For 2025, the total millage for City of Gainesville was 22.1474, which works out to about $22.15 per $1,000 of taxable value. Unincorporated Alachua County was 18.9855 to 19.0874, and nearby Newberry was 21.3996. Your exact rate depends on the taxing district shown on your TRIM notice or tax bill, and non-ad valorem assessments are added separately.
When is the Alachua County homestead exemption deadline?+
The deadline is March 1. You must own the home and make it your permanent residence by January 1 of the tax year, then file with the Alachua County Property Appraiser. A home bought and occupied in 2026 would be filed for by March 1, 2027. Missing the deadline generally means losing the exemption for that year.
How much does homestead save on a typical Alachua County home?+
Using Zillow's August 2026 typical value of $304,012 and 2025 City of Gainesville rates, the estimated bill is about $5,770 with homestead and $6,733 without, a difference of about $963. This assumes assessed value equals that figure and excludes non-ad valorem assessments.
Sources
- Alachua County Tax Collector: Final 2025 tax roll millage rates
- Alachua County Property Appraiser: 2026 preliminary millage rate table
- Alachua County Property Appraiser: Forms (exemptions)
- Florida Department of Revenue: Property Tax Information for Homestead Exemption (PT-113)
- Florida Department of Revenue: Additional Homestead Exemption Adjustment (revised January 2026)
- Florida Department of Revenue: Save Our Homes annual increase table (revised January 2026)
- Florida Department of Revenue: Save Our Homes Assessment Limitation and Portability Transfer (PT-112)
- Palm Beach County Property Appraiser: Assessment caps (10% non-homestead cap)
- Florida Statutes: section 197.162, discounts for early payment
- Florida Statutes: section 197.333, when taxes are due and delinquent
- Florida Department of State: Proposed Constitutional Amendments for the General Election, November 3, 2026
- Tax Foundation: Florida Property Tax Proposal, 2026 details and analysis