Hamilton County Assessor of Property Marty Haynes announced Friday his office, in conjunction with the Comptroller of the State of Tennessee, has completed the 2021 countywide reappraisal of property values, which occurs every four years as required by state law. The Assessor has officially released the new lower certified property tax rates for all local governments in Hamilton County.
Under Tennessee law, the Hamilton County Commission and local municipalities are now required to accept the new lower certified property tax rate to maintain the same tax revenues prior to the reassessment. Local governments may vote to increase the property tax rate to generate additional tax revenue.
“Following the conclusion of the 2021 Property Value Reappraisal, my office followed state law and submitted a new, lower certified property tax rate for all local governing bodies in Hamilton County,” said Mr. Haynes. “A property value reappraisal must be revenue neutral for local governments – meaning local governments cannot use the reappraisal process to generate additional tax revenues unless it relates to new construction.”
Upon receiving the new certified tax rate, the governing body must accept the new lower tax rate, as required by law. If local governments require additional property tax revenue, their city council or commission must publicly vote to increase the property tax rate.
"The decision to raise and lower property taxes is a decision made solely by the local governing body – not the Assessor of Property,” said Mr. Haynes. “The Assessor’s Office is solely responsible for property values and setting new values based on recent property sales.”
These are the new certified tax rates for Hamilton County and its municipal governments that were submitted on July 14
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2020 Tax Rate
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2021 Certified Tax Rate
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HAMILTON COUNTY
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2.7652
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2.2373
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CHATTANOOGA
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2.2770
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1.8529
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COLLEGEDALE
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1.6500
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1.3897
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EAST RIDGE
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1.3381
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0.9929
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LAKESITE
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0.2350
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0.2007
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LOOKOUT MTN.
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2.0900
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1.7881
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RED BANK
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1.3900
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0.9923
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RIDGESIDE
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2.7310
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2.0517
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SIGNAL MTN.
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1.8866
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1.6412
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SODDY DAISY
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1.3524
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1.1159
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WALDEN
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0.6053
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0.5315
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The overall increase of the final property values countywide was 25 percent higher than in 2017, which is unprecedented since reappraisals began in 1989. In all, the Assessor’s Office handled 15,000 calls and emails from property owners about their new property assessment.
Mr. Haynes said, “I especially want to thank all of the employees in the Assessor’s Office for their hard work, tireless efforts and dedication to completing the reassessments done accurately and on schedule. No part of this reassessment was easy, but the professionalism and commitment to service my employees showed throughout this process is a testament to why this office is considered one of the best Assessor of Property Offices in the state.”
The next Property Value Reappraisal is scheduled for January 1, 2025.