Property owners in Franklin, Tennessee pay two property tax bills each year. The City of Franklin charges $0.296 per $100 of assessed value, and Williamson County charges $1.30 per $100 of assessed value for 2025.1City of Franklin, TN. Property Tax2Williamson County, TN – Official Site. Property Tax Rates Both bills come due in the fall, both go delinquent on March 1, and both are collected through a single office: the Williamson County Trustee.
How Your Bill Is Calculated
Tennessee does not tax the full market value of your home. The Williamson County Property Assessor sets an appraised value that reflects likely sale price, and the state constitution then reduces that figure to a taxable “assessed value.” Residential property and farms are assessed at 25 percent of appraised value. Commercial and industrial property, which includes residential buildings with two or more rental units, is assessed at 40 percent.3FindLaw. Tennessee Constitution Art. II, 28 – Revenue
From there the math is simple: multiply assessed value by the tax rate, then divide by 100.4Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury. How to Calculate Your Tax Bill A home appraised at $600,000 has an assessed value of $150,000. The city portion comes to $444, the county portion to $1,950, and the combined bill to about $2,394. If your property falls inside the Franklin Special School District or carries any other special levy, the real total will run higher than those two line items alone.
The City of Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen sets the municipal rate every year, and the Williamson County Board of Commissioners sets the county rate separately. Both can change annually, so confirm the current figures on each government’s website before relying on last year’s number.
When and How to Pay
Tax bills are mailed in the fall and become due and payable on the first Monday of October. They are delinquent on March 1 of the following year.1City of Franklin, TN. Property Tax The Trustee treats the last day of February as the deadline; for the 2025 tax year, that was February 28, 2026.5Williamson County. 2025 Property Taxes Are Due by February 28, 2026 Pay by the end of February and you avoid any penalty.
The Williamson County Trustee collects both the city and county taxes, so you don’t need to send separate payments to two agencies.2Williamson County, TN – Official Site. Property Tax Rates You can pay:
- Online at williamsonpropertytax.com, by credit card or electronic check
- By phone, with the same payment options
- By mail to the Trustee’s office at 1320 W. Main St., Suite 203, Franklin, TN 37064 (USPS postmark counts)
- In person at the Williamson County Administrative Complex, or in the outside drop box after hours
If a Mortgage Servicer Pays for You
Most homeowners with a mortgage have taxes paid out of escrow. Federal rules require your servicer to make the payment before any penalty deadline.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 1024.17 Escrow Accounts Check the Trustee’s records each year anyway. If the payment doesn’t post, the lien attaches to your property regardless of who was supposed to send the money.
What Happens If You Pay Late
Starting March 1, unpaid taxes accrue interest at 1.5 percent per month, added on the first day of each new month.7University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service. Interest – Delinquent Taxes That works out to 18 percent per year, higher than most credit cards. No official has the authority to waive or reduce it.
Unpaid taxes also create a lien against the property that outranks nearly every other claim. If the delinquency continues, the taxing authority can file suit in chancery court and have the property sold to satisfy the debt. After a tax sale, the former owner has up to 12 months to redeem the property by paying everything owed, including interest, court costs, and any improvements the purchaser made. Years of unpaid taxes is the most direct route to losing real estate in Tennessee.
Appealing Your Assessment
Williamson County reappraised all property in 2025 on its state-required four-year cycle, so current bills reflect updated values.8Williamson County, TN – Official Site. Purpose of a Reappraisal If your new appraised value looks higher than what the home would actually sell for, you can challenge it.
The assessor’s number is presumed correct, and you carry the burden of proving otherwise. Useful evidence includes recent sales of truly comparable homes nearby at lower prices, or factual errors in the property record such as wrong square footage, wrong bathroom count, or an unaddressed condition problem. Arguments about the size of your percentage increase, the services you receive, or affordability are not relevant to an appeal. The only question is market value.
Appeals begin at the Williamson County Board of Equalization, which meets in a limited window, typically in summer.9Justia Law. Tennessee Code 67-5-1412 – Appeal of County or Other Local Board Action Watch for any notice of value change from the Assessor, since that starts the clock. If you lose at the local level, you can appeal to the Tennessee State Board of Equalization. That filing must be in before August 1 of the tax year, or within 45 days of the local board’s decision, whichever is later.10University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service. Appeal to the State Board of Equalization
One procedural trap: you still have to pay your taxes (at minimum, the undisputed portion) before they go delinquent while the appeal is pending. The State Board will dismiss an appeal on a property with unpaid delinquent taxes.10University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service. Appeal to the State Board of Equalization
Relief for Seniors, Disabled Homeowners, and Veterans
Tennessee runs two separate programs that can lower what qualifying homeowners actually pay. You can apply for both through the Williamson County Trustee’s office.
Tax Relief
The state reimburses a portion of property taxes paid by low-income homeowners age 65 or older, disabled homeowners, and disabled veteran homeowners or their surviving spouses.11Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury. Property Tax Relief The home has to be your primary residence, and household income has to fall under an annually adjusted limit. The deadline to apply is 35 days after the tax bill’s due date, and the taxes must already be paid by that point.
Tax Freeze
The Tax Freeze locks the amount of your tax bill at a base-year level, so later increases in appraised value or in the tax rate don’t push it up. It’s available to homeowners 65 or older who meet an income limit.12Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury. Property Tax Freeze The Comptroller sets the limit for each county every year, starting from a base of $60,000 adjusted by the Social Security cost-of-living increase. Williamson County has adopted the freeze for county taxes.1City of Franklin, TN. Property Tax The freeze only applies to the taxes of a government that has opted in, so ask both the city and county which portions of your bill qualify. Reapply every year.
Deducting Property Tax on Your Federal Return
If you itemize, property taxes paid on your Franklin home are deductible as part of the state and local tax (SALT) category, which also captures state income or sales taxes. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed in July 2025, the SALT cap rose to roughly $40,000 for most filers (about half that for married couples filing separately), indexed for inflation and phased down at higher incomes. Only the ad valorem tax itself qualifies; service fees and special assessments on the bill don’t. For most Franklin homeowners the combined city and county bill alone sits well below the cap, though other state and local taxes could narrow the gap.