Tennessee has no state income tax, so property tax is the number that decides what a home really costs to own here — and the number that differs most between Nashville and its suburbs. This page shows how a bill is computed, what every county in the metro charges, and what that comes to on a $650,000 home. The arithmetic is on the page so you can check it.
- How a bill is computed
- Davidson County and the 2025 reappraisal
- Every county, side by side
- A $650,000 home, county by county
- Questions
How a Tennessee property tax bill is computed
Three steps, the same in every county:
- Appraised value. The county assessor’s opinion of what the home is worth, set at the last county-wide reappraisal and adjusted for sales and permits in between. It is not your purchase price, though a recent sale is the strongest evidence of value.
- Assessed value. Residential property in Tennessee is assessed at 25% of appraised value (commercial and industrial at 40%). A $400,000 appraisal is a $100,000 assessment.
- The rate. Each county — and each city inside it — sets a rate per $100 of assessed value. A $100,000 assessment at $2.814 is $2,814 a year.
The one-line version: appraised value × 0.25 ÷ 100 × rate = the annual bill. On a $400,000 home in most of Nashville: $400,000 × 0.25 = $100,000; $100,000 ÷ 100 × $2.814 = $2,814 a year, about $235 a month on top of the mortgage.
Bills are mailed in the fall and due by the end of February; most lenders collect the tax monthly in escrow and pay it for you. There is no general homestead exemption in Tennessee, but there are relief and freeze programs for homeowners 65 and older, disabled homeowners and disabled veterans, with income limits — the Metro Trustee’s office administers them in Nashville.
Davidson County: two rates, and what 2025 changed
Nashville and Davidson County are one government, Metro, and it taxes in two districts. The Urban Services District (USD) — the older, denser core that gets Metro trash collection and the full set of urban services — pays a slightly higher rate than the General Services District (GSD) that covers the rest of the county. Most of East Nashville, Germantown, West Nashville, Green Hills and 12 South are in the USD; much of Antioch, Bellevue, Donelson and the county’s edges are in the GSD. The difference is small:
| Davidson County (Metro Nashville) | Tax year 2024 | Tax years 2025 and 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| General Services District (GSD) | $2.922 | $2.782 |
| Urban Services District (USD), combined | $3.254 | $2.814 |
Why the rate went down and most bills went up: 2025 was a reappraisal year. Davidson County reappraises on a four-year cycle (2021, 2025), and in 2025 the county-wide median value rose about 45%. State law requires the county to publish a “certified” rate that would raise the same revenue as before on the new values — $2.222 for the USD — and then the Metro Council adopts whatever rate it chooses. It adopted $2.814, $0.592 above the certified rate, so a home whose value rose with the median saw a higher bill even though the rate fell. The next reappraisal is expected in 2029; between reappraisals your appraised value changes only when you build, permit or the assessor reviews the property.
Two cities inside Davidson County add their own rate on top: Belle Meade ($3.0831 combined) and Goodlettsville ($3.2888 combined).
Every Middle Tennessee county, side by side
2025 certified rates, per $100 of assessed value. Williamson County reappraised in 2025 as well, which is why its county rate dropped from $1.88 to $1.30. “Outside a city” means an unincorporated address; a home inside a city pays the county rate plus the city’s.
| Where | Rate per $100 assessed | What is in it |
|---|---|---|
| Nashville — USD | $2.814 | Metro combined rate, most of the city |
| Nashville — GSD | $2.782 | Metro combined rate, outer Davidson County |
| Belle Meade | $3.0831 | Metro USD + city $0.3011 |
| Brentwood | $1.49 | Williamson County $1.30 + city $0.19 |
| Franklin, inside the Franklin Special School District | $2.0633 | County $1.18 + FSSD $0.5873 + city $0.296 |
| Franklin, outside the FSSD | $1.566 | County $1.27 + city $0.296 |
| Nolensville | $1.64 | County $1.30 + town $0.34 |
| Thompson’s Station | $1.403 | County $1.30 + town $0.103 |
| Spring Hill (Williamson side) | $2.009 | County $1.27 + city $0.739 |
| Williamson County, outside a city | $1.30 | County only |
| Sumner County, outside a city | $1.421 | County only; Hendersonville and Gallatin add a city rate |
| Wilson County, outside a city | $1.9089 | County only; Mt. Juliet and Lebanon add a city rate |
| Rutherford County, outside a city | $1.8762 | County only; Murfreesboro adds a city rate |
| Cheatham County, outside a city | $1.753 | County only |
| Robertson County, outside a city | $1.80 | County only |
| Maury County, outside a city | $1.91 | County only; Columbia and Spring Hill add a city rate |
Sources: Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, 2025 certified property tax rates; Williamson County Trustee, 2025 tax rate sheet; Metro Nashville Assessor and Trustee for the USD/GSD rates and the 2025 reappraisal. Rates are set each summer and can change; the tax year 2026 rates for Davidson County were held at the 2025 figures. Confirm the current rate with the county trustee before you rely on it.
What a $650,000 home pays, county by county
Assessed value: $650,000 × 25% = $162,500. Annual bill = $162,500 ÷ 100 × the rate. Monthly figures are the annual bill divided by twelve, which is roughly what a lender adds to the mortgage payment for escrow.
| $650,000 home in… | Rate | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville (USD) | $2.814 | $4,573 | $381 |
| Nashville (GSD) | $2.782 | $4,521 | $377 |
| Belle Meade | $3.0831 | $5,010 | $418 |
| Brentwood | $1.49 | $2,421 | $202 |
| Franklin (inside the FSSD) | $2.0633 | $3,353 | $279 |
| Franklin (outside the FSSD) | $1.566 | $2,545 | $212 |
| Nolensville | $1.64 | $2,665 | $222 |
| Spring Hill (Williamson side) | $2.009 | $3,265 | $272 |
| Sumner County, outside a city | $1.421 | $2,309 | $192 |
| Wilson County, outside a city | $1.9089 | $3,102 | $258 |
| Rutherford County, outside a city | $1.8762 | $3,049 | $254 |
The gap people notice: the same $650,000 home costs about $2,150 a year more to own in most of Nashville than in Brentwood, and about $1,200 more than in Franklin inside the special school district. Whether that gap is worth the commute and the difference in what $650,000 buys in each place is exactly the comparison on the next page — Nashville vs. Franklin vs. Brentwood →
Want the number for a specific home? Send me the address. The current assessment and last year’s bill are public record, and I will tell you what to expect after the next reappraisal and whether an appeal is worth filing.