Chatham County Property Tax & the Stephens-Day Exemption

This is the county for Savannah proper, Pooler, Port Wentworth, and the Skidaway/Landings area. Chatham’s signature feature is the Stephens-Day homestead exemption — one of the strongest tax-stabilizing tools in Georgia, and one of the most misunderstood.

The basics

Same Georgia mechanics as everywhere: assessed value is 40% of fair market value, and separate county, school, and city millage rates apply after exemptions. Chatham’s general county maintenance & operations rate was 10.518 mills in 2025, with additional levies (school, transit, and a special service district for unincorporated areas) layered on. The City of Savannah’s 2025 millage was about 11.749; Pooler, Port Wentworth, and other municipalities each set their own.

Stephens-Day: how the freeze works

Stephens-Day is a floating homestead exemption for owner-occupied primary residences. When you qualify, your home’s taxable value is effectively frozen at the base year. As market values rise over the years, your taxable value — and your bill — stay anchored. In a fast-appreciating market like Savannah’s, that protection is worth real money over a decade.

Trap #1 — it resets when you buy. The previous owner’s frozen low value does not transfer to you. When ownership changes, the base resets — typically to your purchase-era value. So a long-time neighbor’s tiny tax bill tells you nothing about yours. Never budget from the seller’s tax bill.

Trap #2 — it doesn’t cover school taxes. The Stephens-Day freeze applies to county and most municipal taxes, but the school-district portion is carved out and can still rise. (A 2026 ballot measure, the Chatham County Schools’ Tax Relief Act, would extend the freeze to schools — check whether it has passed and taken effect.)

The HB 581 wrinkle most sites get wrong

Georgia’s 2025 “Save Our Homes Act” (HB 581) created a statewide floating homestead cap tied to inflation — but local governments could opt out for 2026–2029, and Chatham County and its school district opted out. So in Chatham, you generally rely on the pre-existing Stephens-Day program, which survives the opt-out, rather than the new statewide cap. Don’t assume the HB 581 inflation cap protects a Chatham home; it likely doesn’t.

Filing and seniors

File for homestead (and Stephens-Day) between January 1 and April 1 in the year you want it to apply — it is not automatic. Chatham also offers senior exemptions; homeowners 65+ may qualify for a local exemption (commonly cited around $50,000) on county, city, and school taxes, sometimes with income limits. Confirm the current programs and thresholds with the Chatham County Board of Assessors.

For 55+ buyers specifically: if you’re buying an age-targeted villa in Pooler (e.g., inside Savannah Quarters), you’re in Chatham — so Stephens-Day applies, but resets to your purchase. If you’re buying at Del Webb Heartwood, you’re in Bryan County and Stephens-Day is irrelevant. That single fact can flip a cost comparison. See Richmond Hill vs. Pooler.

Sources: Chatham County Government 2025 millage notice (general M&O 10.518 mills); WSAV/Georgia legislature on Stephens-Day and HB 782; Georgia HB 581 and Chatham opt-out reporting; coastal Georgia exemption summaries. Verify current millage, exemption amounts, and ballot outcomes with the Chatham County Board of Assessors. General information, not tax advice.

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