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 property tax rates by city
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.
2025 rates by city and taxing area
| 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 |
Why rates differ inside the county
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.
The other Alachua County towns
The tax collector's final 2025 sheet covers all nine municipalities. Besides Gainesville, Newberry and Alachua in the table above, the totals were:
| Town | City rate | Total 2025 millage |
|---|---|---|
| Archer | 6.4322 | 25.5196 |
| Hawthorne | 6.4322 | 25.4177 |
| High Springs | 6.9900 | 22.5096 |
| LaCrosse | 6.5410 | 22.0606 |
| Micanopy | 5.2000 | 20.6177 |
| Waldo | 6.4000 | 25.3855 to 25.4874 |
Archer, Hawthorne and Waldo are the highest in the county because they pay the county sheriff MSTU of 3.5678 as well as their own city rate; the property appraiser marks them as "Law" cities. Micanopy, at 20.6177, is the lowest of the towns.
Gainesville's total millage over five years
| Tax year | Gainesville city rate | Gainesville total (code 36) |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 5.5000 | 22.0137 |
| 2022 | 5.5000 | 21.4793 |
| 2023 | 6.4297 | 22.1775 |
| 2024 | 6.4297 | Not published on the appraiser's site |
| 2025 | 6.7297 | 22.1474 |
Gainesville's own rate rose by more than a mill between 2022 and 2025, yet the total rose by only about two-thirds of a mill, because the county and library levies fell over the same period. The county general levy went from 7.6414 in 2023 to 7.6000 in 2025, and the library district from 1.0339 to 0.9374. For 2025 the city had proposed 6.8912 on the preliminary table before adopting 6.7297.
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.
The math, line by line
| 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 |
What the estimate leaves out
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.
Alachua County exemptions: where and how to file
The homestead exemption and the statewide exemptions for seniors, veterans and disabled owners are explained in our Florida property tax guide. In Alachua County you apply to the Alachua County Property Appraiser by March 1.
Where to file in Alachua County
You can book an appointment at the main office, 515 North Main Street, Suite 200, Gainesville ((352) 374-5230), or the Alachua office at 15010 NW 142 Terrace ((386) 418-6157). You can also mail the original application, or drop it in the green box outside the main Gainesville office. The appraiser also runs free workshops on reading the TRIM notice.
Senior exemptions by city
The Department of Revenue's 2025 municipal data records senior homestead exemptions against city taxes in Gainesville ($18.5 million of exempt value), Alachua, High Springs and Micanopy. It records none in Archer, Hawthorne, LaCrosse, Newberry or Waldo, so seniors there should not expect a city-level reduction.
Long-term resident seniors
The property appraiser's exemption page sets out the long-term resident senior exemption: you must already have homestead and the senior exemption, have lived in the home at least 25 years, have a market value under $250,000 and meet the income limit. Ask the appraiser which levies on your parcel have adopted it.
Save Our Homes and portability in Alachua County
Alachua County's taxable value rose about 46% between 2021 and 2025. A buyer is reassessed on the next January 1, so the seller's bill is not a guide. Portability uses form DR-501T, filed with the homestead application. See our Florida property tax guide for the rules.
Paying Alachua County property taxes
The Alachua County Tax Collector mails bills on or before November 1, and the full amount is due by March 31 with the standard 4% to 1% early payment discounts. If no bill arrives in November, call (352) 374-5236.
Installment plan dates
For 2026 taxes, installment applications had to be received by April 30, 2026, and your prior year's taxes must exceed $100. The first payment is due by June 30 at a 6% discount; missing it ends your eligibility for the year and you get a regular bill in November. The first two payments are a quarter of last year's tax each, and the last two split what remains of this year's.
Fees and offices
The tax collector's property tax page lists an eCheck fee of $1.00 per online transaction, a 2.5% convenience fee on credit cards and PayPal, and a minimum $2.50 fee on debit cards. Offices are at 12 SE 1st Street (downtown Gainesville), 5830 NW 34th Blvd and 3837 Windmeadows Blvd, all in Gainesville.
Charges that are not in the millage
Flat charges on the Alachua County bill
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.
How to check a parcel before you buy
Look up the parcel on the tax collector's site and open the most recent bill. Each non-ad valorem line shows the levying authority and the amount. Note any CDD debt assessment and ask the district whether it can be prepaid, and ask the seller whether any special assessment has been approved but not yet billed.
Fire, solid waste and help with the cost
The tax collector lists the non-ad valorem charges that appear on Alachua bills: mandatory refuse collection, rural collection center, solid waste management, paving, water extension, fire, stormwater and PACE assessments. The Department of Revenue's 2025-26 report puts the county government's total at $43.7 million, of which fire was $23.6 million and solid waste $13.1 million. The municipalities levied another $15.3 million, almost all of it for fire.
Owners whose family income is within the federal guidelines adopted by the county commission may be exempted from the refuse, rural collection center, solid waste, fire and stormwater assessments. Alachua County Social Services handles those requests at (352) 264-6750.
Appealing an Alachua County value
The property appraiser asks owners to talk to its staff first, since many differences are settled by reviewing the facts. If that does not resolve it, you file a petition with the value adjustment board at the Alachua County Clerk's office within 25 days of the TRIM notice mailing in August. The board can only decide whether a property is valued above or below market value, not the tax rate. The statewide procedure, fee cap and partial payment rule are in our Florida property tax guide.
Legislation and the 2026 ballot in Alachua County
Amendment 3 would raise the non-school homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 (our Florida property tax guide has the details). Alachua's high non-school rates mean the effect per dollar of exemption is larger than in most counties: at Gainesville's 2025 non-school rate of 15.8964, the extra $98,589 of exemption would be worth about $1,567 a year before any rate changes. That is also why local governments here have more revenue at stake.
Alachua County tax data: values, bills and budgets
Median property tax paid in Alachua County
The Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey puts the median real estate taxes paid by Alachua County homeowners at $3,035 a year, with a median owner-occupied home value of $329,000.
How taxable value has changed
Department of Revenue data puts Alachua County's total taxable value at $25.1 billion for 2025, up 7.6% from $23.3 billion in 2024 and from $17.2 billion in 2021. The tax collector's sheet notes that one mill of county tax now produces about $25.1 million. Gainesville's taxable value rose from $11.00 billion to $11.93 billion in the last year, and Newberry's from $786 million to $865 million.
Common questions
Why is Alachua County property tax so high?+
Alachua's 2025 totals were among the highest of the counties on this site: 22.1474 mills in most of Gainesville and above 25 mills in Archer, Hawthorne and Waldo. The county general levy alone is 7.6000 mills, the school total includes a voter-approved 1.0000 mill, and unincorporated areas and three towns pay a 3.5678 sheriff MSTU.
What is the property tax rate in High Springs?+
The 2025 total for High Springs was 22.5096 mills, including a city rate of 6.9900. That compares with 22.1474 in most of Gainesville and 21.3996 in Newberry. High Springs grants a senior exemption on city taxes, according to Department of Revenue data.
Can low-income owners get help with Alachua County assessments?+
Yes. Owners whose family income falls within federal guidelines adopted by the county commission may be exempted from the refuse collection, rural collection center, solid waste, fire and stormwater assessments. Contact Alachua County Social Services at (352) 264-6750. Vacant residential rentals can also get a refuse discount through the county's waste collection office.
When is the Alachua County installment plan deadline?+
Applications for the 2026 plan had to reach the Alachua County Tax Collector by April 30, 2026, and prior year taxes must exceed $100. The first installment is due June 30 with a 6% discount, then September 30 (4.5%), December 31 (3%) and March 31 (no discount).
Where do I file for homestead in Alachua County?+
File with the Alachua County Property Appraiser by March 1, by appointment at 515 North Main Street, Suite 200, Gainesville, or the Alachua office at 15010 NW 142 Terrace. You can also mail the original application or use the green drop box outside the Gainesville office.
What is the median property tax in Alachua County?+
The Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey puts the median real estate taxes paid by Alachua County homeowners at $3,035 a year, with a median home value of $329,000. Buyers usually pay more than the median because the Save Our Homes cap resets on a sale.
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 Statutes: section 197.162, discounts for early payment
- Florida Department of State: Proposed Constitutional Amendments for the General Election, November 3, 2026
- Florida Department of Revenue: Petitions to the Value Adjustment Board (PT-101)
- Florida Department of Revenue: Property Tax Benefits for Persons 65 or Older (PT-110)
- Alachua County Property Appraiser: 2021 final millage rate table
- Alachua County Property Appraiser: 2022 final millage rates table
- Alachua County Property Appraiser: Final 2023 millages
- Alachua County Property Appraiser: Preliminary 2025 millage rate table
- Alachua County Property Appraiser: 2025 final millage rates
- Alachua County Property Appraiser: Exemptions overview
- Alachua County Property Appraiser: FAQ
- Alachua County Tax Collector: Property taxes
- Alachua County Tax Collector: Office hours and locations
- Florida Department of Revenue: 2025 municipal report (data book)
- Florida Department of Revenue: 2025 taxable value by county (data book)
- Florida Department of Revenue: 2021 taxable value by county (data book)
- Florida Department of Revenue: Non-ad valorem assessments by county, FY 2025-26
- Florida Department of Revenue: Non-ad valorem assessments by municipality, FY 2025-26
- Census Reporter: Median real estate taxes paid (B25103), Alachua County, ACS 2024 1-year
- Census Reporter: Median value (B25077), Alachua County, ACS 2024 1-year