Athens-Clarke County Real Estate & Personal Property 2022 Tax Bills Due Oct. 20

Staff Report

Tuesday, October 18th, 2022

Athens-Clarke County 2022 tax bills for real estate and personal property were mailed in August and are due on or before October 20, 2022.

Every property owner and business owner in Athens-Clarke County should have received a property tax statement and is urged to contact the Tax Commissioner’s Office for assistance if a tax bill has not been received. Under Georgia law, bills are mailed to the last known address. Failure to receive a bill as a result of a move or change of address will not exempt a taxpayer from late fees. 

If a taxpayer purchased property during the calendar year 2022 and assumed the responsibility of paying taxes on the acquired property, they should contact the Tax Commissioner's Office immediately for instructions. Current Georgia law mandates that late fees will be added to any bill not paid by the specified deadline. The Tax Commissioner's Office is available to assist property owners with questions about payments.

If contacting the office during normal business hours is not convenient, most questions can be answered and tax bill information can be obtained from the Tax Commissioner's Office website at www.accgov.com/tc. Access to tax bill and property ownership information is available by selecting the “Pay Online” buttons on the the webpage. This system allows citizens to search records based on name, map number, address, or bill number. The system also allows for queries from previous years and historical information. Payment information is kept current throughout the day.

For 2022, individuals or business owners can also drop off payments in a secure drop box outside of the Tag Office at 3025 Lexington Road. No postage is necessary, but payments should have “property tax” written on the outside of the envelope. The Tax Commissioner's Office only accepts check, cashier’s checks, or money orders at the drop box. Cash is not accepted. Payments for property taxes can only be dropped off and cannot be processed at the Tag Office, so individuals should not wait in line.

Individuals or business owners who receive a tax bill for property they no longer own should also contact the Tax Commissioner’s office for instructions on how to protect themselves from appearing delinquent. Staff can provide instructions on how to have liability removed from the record as provided by law.

State law requires the January 1 owner, also known as the legal owner, to be notified of the tax liability regardless of subsequent transfer of ownership. Even if the property has been sold, the Tax Commissioner is still required under the law to send tax bills and delinquent notices to the “legal owner." The Tax Commissioner does notify a new owner of the tax liability if the tax liability has been properly transferred.

The Tax Commissioner’s Office can be contacted at 706-613-3120 and is located in the Athens-Clarke County Courthouse at 325 East Washington Street, Room 250. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 PM. Additional information is available at the Tax Commissioner’s website at www.accgov.com/tc.