General Tax Information

General Tax Information

Camden County residents who reside within St. Marys’ city limits are required to pay both county and city property taxes per Georgia law.

Property tax is an ad valorem tax, which means according to value.  All real estate and personal property are taxable unless the property has been exempted by law.  (O.C.G.A. 48-5-3)  Real property is land and generally anything that is erected, growing or affixed to the land.  Personal property is everything that can be owned that is not real estate. Personal property typically consists of inventory and fixtures used in conducting business, boats, aircraft, and motor vehicles.  Your household property is not normally taxable.  Real property is taxable in the county where the land is located, and personal property is taxable in the county where the owner maintains a permanent legal residence unless otherwise provided by law. 

The Board of Assessor and their staff have the responsibility of determining the value of property in Camden County.  Specific questions regarding your assessment should be directed to the Camden County Tax Assessor's Office at (912) 576-3241. The tax rate, or millage rate, is set annually by the St. Marys City Council and is based on the budgetary requirements of the city.  A tax rate of one mill represents a tax liability of $1 per $1,000 of assessed value.  Property tax dollars are used to pay for the support of services provided by the City of St. Marys.

Property taxes are mailed annually, generally sometime in September or October, to the owner of the property on January 1.  Taxes are charged against the property itself if the owner is not known.  If you purchased property during the year, taxes are customarily prorated at closing and the purchaser is responsible for the entire tax bill.  This should be explained to the purchaser by the closing attorney when the property was acquired.  You can refer back to your closing statement and/or contact your closing attorney for information regarding the proration of property taxes.

If a property’s value is under appeal, it will be billed at 85% of the new assessed value and is due by the due date stated on the bill.  Once the appeal has been resolved, you will be either refunded or billed for additional taxes due, depending on the outcome of your appeal.   

Homestead exemptions must be filed at the county office.  Once you have filed the exemption with the county, it will carry over for your city taxes as well. 

The City offers a Senior Exemption for ages 65 and above in the amount of $25,000 which is based on the total household income.  The resident must be 65 on January 1st of the tax year in order to receive the exemption.  An application must be filed at the City of St. Marys Property Tax Office before June 1st in order to verify qualification to receive the Senior Exemption.  Once you have completed the application process, you do not have to file every year unless there is a change in your household income.

If you have questions about your taxes or about any exemption, please contact Kim Dockery at (912) 510-4048 or Janice Beckham at (912) 510-4024 for more information.   Office hours are 8:00 A. M. to 5:00 P. M.