External Website www.qpublic.net/clarke Administration 706-613-3140 Chief Appraiser George Hanson, Jr. Office Location/Mailing Address Athens-Clarke County Courthouse Suite 280 325 E. Washington St. Athens, GA 30601 Location Map

The Board of Tax Assessor's office handles handles Freeport exemptions and business personal property tax returns. Business personal property includes furniture, fixtures, equipment, supplies and inventory of a business. It also includes boats and aircrafts. The Tax Commissioner's office handles homestead exemptions and property tax returns for real property. Real property is land and generally anything that is erected or affixed to the land.

Freeport exemptions in Athens-Clarke County allow 100% of the inventory of qualified manufacturers under certain conditions to be exempt from taxation. Freeport exemptions and personal property tax returns must be filed with the Board of Tax Assessors by March 1 [March 3 in 2009 due to the weekend and snow] to receive the full exemption. However, partial exemption can be rewarded if the application is submitted before June 1. The Tax Assessors office is located in the Athens-Clarke County Courthouse, 325 E. Washington Street, Suite 280.

For more information regarding homestead exemptions or property tax returns, please contact the Tax Commissioner's office at 706-613-3120 or visit www.athensclarkecounty.com/tc. A more detailed explanation of homesteads and Freeport may be obtained from the external web site of the Board of Tax Assessors office at www.qpublic.net/clarke.

The Tax Assessors Office is responsible for the appraisal of approximately 40,200 parcels of real estate, 5,217 parcels of personal property, and 2,000 manufactured homes on an annual basis. To insure equalization between similar properties, the county is divided into 499 residential neighborhoods and 96 commercial neighborhoods so sales can be analyzed on an annual basis.

Once a neighborhood’s assessment falls below 38% (95% of market sales) those neighborhoods are updated to approximately 40% (100% of market sales). Should a neighborhood go for some time without any sales, the appraisers know other neighborhoods with similar characteristics that can be used to update those areas in order to keep them equalized with similar properties.

All property values must be approved by the three-member Board of Tax Assessors prior to any change in value in order to ensure the tax digest is in compliance with state statutes. The Athens-Clarke County Assessors Office can answer any questions concerning appraisals and can share the information used to value property.

Citizens can contact the Athens-Clarke County Assessors Office at 706-613-3140 with any questions concerning property values. Their web site at www.qpublic.net/ga/clarke also allows visitors to review information on all real estate parcels in Athens-Clarke County. Anyone who has not recently verified the information concerning their property is encouraged to visit the Web site and make sure it is correct.

Tax Assessors Mission and Goals

• Appraise all property located in Clarke County at its fair market value to ensure that taxpayers pay no more than their fair share of property taxes.
• Achieve fair and equitable valuations of all properties within state mandated specifications.
• Reduce the number of Board of Equalization hearings needed yearly by achieving administrative agreements on valuations for inquiries to change of assessment notices.
• Produce a statutorily acceptable digest by May 18.