The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners intends to opt out of the statewide adjusted base year ad valorem homestead exemption for Gwinnett County, Georgia. All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearing on this matter to be held at the Gwinnett Justice & Administration Center Auditorium, 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville, Georgia on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at 6:30pm. Times and places of additional public hearings on this matter are at the Gwinnett Justice & Administration Center Auditorium, 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville, Georgia on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at 2:30pm and on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at 11:00am. Gwinnett County is proposing to opt out of the statewide homestead exemption because it has an existing local homestead exemption that protects homeowners from tax increases due to increased property market values. Beginning in 2001, the Value Offset Exemption (VOE) has automatically been applied when a homestead exemption is granted to a Gwinnett County homeowner. The VOE holds the assessed value of a homestead property constant for the county government portion of the tax bill, even if there is an increase in property value. Unlike the statewide homestead exemption, the VOE holds the assessed value constant and is not adjusted annually for inflation.

Gwinnett County is considering opting out of the new Statewide Adjusted Base Year Homestead Exemption introduced in House Bill 581 and is hosting public hearings for residents to share feedback.

Gwinnett County Government is one of the few local governments in the state of Georgia that already offers a better tax exemption for homeowners than the one introduced in House Bill 581. The County’s existing Value Offset Exemption — in place since 2001 — offers better protection against rising property values and keeps County government taxes lower for homeowners.

By opting out of the statewide exemption, Gwinnett County can avoid unnecessary administrative costs — ultimately benefiting our taxpayers.

Gwinnett County Government’s existing VOE is applied when a homestead exemption is granted to a Gwinnett County homeowner. The VOE freezes the assessed property value at the base year valuation.

With Gwinnett County government’s existing VOE, the homeowner's County government taxes are based on the frozen base year valuation, even as property values continue to rise. This is why most property tax increases seen by Gwinnett homeowners in recent years have been due to increases in school and city taxes, which have risen as property market values have increased.

Unlike the existing County Government VOE, the base value of the home is adjusted annually for inflation under the new Statewide Adjusted Base Year Homestead Exemption, making it subject to increases.

The benefit of the existing County Government VOE can be seen in the savings that homeowners receive.

The first example below is a property in the city of Suwanee with a market value of $420,300 in 2021 that grew to $746,500 by 2024. The homeowner’s County tax stayed at $1,254.71 all four years based on the 2013 base assessed value, which was frozen by the VOE when the homeowner was granted a homestead exemption. The VOE saved this homeowner $5,691.11 over four years.

In another example of a home in unincorporated Auburn, the property’s fair market value increased from $225,500 in 2021 to $407,500 by the 2024 tax year. The homeowner’s County taxes remained stable at $1,066.83 each year based on the frozen base assessed value from 2017. The VOE saved the homeowner $3,116.76 in County taxes over four years.

The first public hearing was held Tuesday, January 28 at 6:30pm. The next two will be held at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center auditorium for residents to learn more and share comments:

• Tuesday, February 4 at 2:30pm
• Tuesday, February 18 at 11:00am

Cities and schools will host their own public hearings if they intend to opt out of the new Statewide Adjusted Base Year Homestead Exemption.

The Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center is located at 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville.