The Georgia HOME Act, formally Senate Bill 33, caps the annual increase in the taxable assessed value of a qualifying homestead at the rate of inflation, starting with the 2027 tax year. It makes a statewide base-year homestead exemption mandatory in every county, city, and school district in Georgia, and it removes the local opt-outs that had previously kept the protection away from Gwinnett County homeowners.
As a luxury real estate specialist who has lived in Apalachee Farms and sold here for nearly 20 years, I know property taxes are one of the first questions my buyers and sellers ask, and one of the most confusing. If you own and occupy your home in Dacula, Gwinnett County, or anywhere in Georgia, this law changes your property tax picture for the better starting in 2027. Here is what it does, how the cap works, and the three steps to take before January 1.
What Is the Georgia HOME Act?
The Homeownership Opportunity and Market Equalization Act, Senate Bill 33, was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp on May 11, 2026. Its core job is simple to describe: it makes the base-year homestead exemption from the earlier HB 581 mandatory everywhere in Georgia, beginning with the 2027 tax year, and it eliminates every local opt-out.
Under a base-year exemption, your taxable assessed value is anchored to a starting year and can grow only at a set pace after that. Before SB 33, counties and school districts could decline the exemption, and many did. Gwinnett County government and Gwinnett County Public Schools both opted out of HB 581, which is exactly why the inflation cap has not applied to county and school taxes here. The HOME Act ends that. Starting in 2027, no Georgia county, city, or school district can opt out.
For a homeowner in Apalachee Farms, this is the rare tax policy that lands in your favor. The law also adds a Local Homestead Option Sales Tax option that counties can put to a voter referendum, and it requires voter approval before local governments can push property tax revenue growth above the greater of 3% or inflation. The headline, though, is the cap on your assessed value.
cap takes effect
Your home's 2026 assessed value becomes the baseline. From there, taxable value can rise only by the annual inflation index set by the Georgia Department of Revenue, with 2.7% set for the 2026 digest year.
How the Inflation Cap Works
The mechanism is a ceiling on assessed value growth, not a freeze and not a guarantee your bill stays flat. Here is what it does and what it does not do.
Your 2026 value is the baseline
For the 2027 tax year, the cap starts from the assessed value on your home's 2026 tax digest. From there, your taxable assessed value can only climb by the annual inflation index, no matter how fast the market rises around you.
Inflation is the ceiling, set each year
The Georgia Department of Revenue sets the annual inflationary index from the Consumer Price Index. The rate set for the 2026 digest year was 2.7%, which gives a concrete sense of how gradual the allowed growth is.
Market spikes do not spike your bill
If your home's fair market value jumps 10% in a reassessment but inflation is 3%, your taxable assessed value can rise only 3%. The gap between market value and taxable value simply grows, quietly, on your side.
Millage rates can still change
The cap limits assessed value growth, not tax rates. A county or city can still adjust its millage rate, which is why the HOME Act also ties certain local revenue increases to voter approval. Watch both numbers, not just the assessment.
A Worked Example
Imagine your home's fair market value rises 10% in a future reassessment while inflation runs 3%. Without the cap, your assessed value would rise with the market. With the cap, your taxable assessed value can rise only 3%. The extra 7% of market growth simply never shows up on your taxable value, which is how the exemption quietly protects long-term Georgia homeowners year after year.
Who Qualifies for the Cap
The cap protects owner-occupied primary residences. That is the whole design, so the qualification rules matter.
Own and occupy it as your primary residence
You must live in the home yourself and own it on January 1 of the tax year. The cap protects the roof over your head, not your portfolio.
Have a homestead exemption on file
The protection rides on your homestead exemption. In Gwinnett, that means confirming your exemption is active with the county tax assessor's office, not just assuming it carries over.
Primary residence plus up to five acres
The qualifying property is your primary home and up to five acres of land around it. Larger parcels and any land beyond that footprint are not protected by the cap.
Rental and investment properties are not covered
Second homes, rental houses, and investment properties do not qualify. In Apalachee Farms terms, your owner-occupied home in The Terraces or The Oaks qualifies; a rental on the same street would not.
What It Means for Gwinnett County and Apalachee Farms
This is where the law matters most locally. Apalachee Farms sits in Dacula, inside Gwinnett County, and Gwinnett was one of the counties that declined the earlier HB 581 exemption. County government and Gwinnett County Public Schools both opted out, so the inflation cap simply did not apply to those levies. SB 33 removes that choice. Beginning with the 2027 tax year, the cap becomes mandatory in Gwinnett and covers county, municipal, and school district taxes.
For context on the local numbers, Gwinnett assesses homes at 40% of fair market value and applies a millage rate of roughly 28.44 mills, which works out to an effective rate near 1% to 1.4% of value. A $500,000 home carries about $5,700 a year before exemptions. I covered the full picture of taxes, insurance, HOA dues, and utilities in my true cost of owning a home guide, and property taxes were already the second largest line item after the mortgage.
The good news is that Gwinnett's existing protections stay in place. Homeowners keep the county's regular exemptions and the Value Offset Exemption, which has frozen county taxes at base-year valuation since 2001. What the HOME Act adds is a mandatory inflation cap on the school and city portions, which are the pieces that have been climbing fastest. If you already have a homestead exemption on file, you are set up to receive the new protection automatically; if you do not, that is the one action that matters before the new year.
Four Things to Do Before January 1
The law does the heavy lifting, but you still want to be set up to receive it. Here is my checklist for Apalachee Farms homeowners and anyone buying in Gwinnett before 2027.
Verify your homestead exemption is on file
The cap only helps homeowners who have an active homestead exemption with Gwinnett County. Check with the Gwinnett County Tax Assessor's office this fall and file if you have not, especially if you bought in 2026 or just moved in.
Pull your 2026 assessment now
Your 2026 assessed value becomes the 2027 baseline. Review this year's notice for errors in square footage, bedrooms, or condition before the new tax year starts, because the baseline carries forward.
Know that Gwinnett's own exemptions still apply
Gwinnett's existing exemptions, including the county's Value Offset Exemption in place since 2001 that freezes county taxes at base-year valuation, remain in effect. The HOME Act adds a new layer for the school and city portions rather than replacing what you already have.
Talk to a tax professional before you buy or sell
If you are buying in 2027, ask your lender and tax professional how the cap interacts with a new assessment in your first year. If you are selling, confirm the homestead exemption situation with the buyer's agent early so there are no surprises at closing.
Key Dates to Watch
January 1, 2027 is the ownership date that matters for the first capped tax year, so an exemption on file in 2026 positions you for 2027. Watch Gwinnett County's 2026 assessment notices this fall for your baseline value, and note that millage rates, which are set separately, can still change. If you are also looking across county lines, I covered the 2026 Hall County millage proposal separately for buyers considering Flowery Branch and Gainesville.
Lisa's Perspective on the HOME Act
"Property taxes are the line item that surprises people most after closing, and for years Gwinnett homeowners watched school and city portions climb while the county portion stayed frozen. The HOME Act finally caps the whole thing at inflation, and it applies here whether the county likes it or not. The practical message for buyers and sellers in Apalachee Farms is simple: make sure your homestead exemption is on file, review your 2026 assessment before it becomes your baseline, and know that a home you own and occupy is now protected in a way it was not before. That is the kind of certainty buyers should factor into their budget, because it protects the biggest line item of all, your home's value."
Frequently Asked Questions About the Georgia HOME Act
What is the Georgia HOME Act?
The Homeownership Opportunity and Market Equalization (HOME) Act is Senate Bill 33, signed by Governor Brian Kemp on May 11, 2026. It makes the statewide base-year homestead exemption from the earlier HB 581 mandatory for every county, city, and school district in Georgia starting with the 2027 tax year, and it removes the local opt-outs that had let some counties decline the protection.
How does the property tax cap work?
It caps the annual increase in the taxable assessed value of a qualifying homestead at the rate of inflation. The 2027 baseline is your home's 2026 value, and the Georgia Department of Revenue sets the annual inflation index from the Consumer Price Index, with 2.7% set for the 2026 digest year. If your market value jumps 10% but inflation is 3%, your taxable value can rise only 3%. The cap limits assessment growth, not millage rates, which can still change.
Does the cap apply in Gwinnett County?
Yes, starting with the 2027 tax year. Gwinnett County government and Gwinnett County Public Schools had both opted out of the earlier HB 581 exemption, which is why the inflation cap did not apply to those levies. SB 33 eliminates all opt-outs, so the cap now becomes mandatory in Gwinnett and covers county, municipal, and school district taxes, which is the biggest change for Apalachee Farms homeowners.
Who qualifies for the homestead exemption cap?
Homeowners who own and occupy the home as their primary residence on January 1 of the tax year and have a homestead exemption on file. The qualifying property is the primary residence plus up to five acres. Rental homes, second homes, and investment properties do not qualify.
What should Apalachee Farms homeowners do before 2027?
Three things: confirm your homestead exemption is active with Gwinnett County, review your 2026 assessment for errors before it becomes the baseline, and keep your existing exemptions, including Gwinnett's Value Offset Exemption, in place. The HOME Act adds a new layer of protection rather than replacing what you already have, so the key is making sure you are set up to receive it.
Questions About Buying or Selling in Gwinnett?
Lisa Harris combines nearly 20 years of Apalachee Farms experience with deep knowledge of Gwinnett County taxes, schools, and market data. Whether you are weighing a purchase before the 2027 cap takes effect or planning a sale, she can help you understand how the HOME Act fits your numbers.
Lisa Harris, MBA, CLHMS GUILD
Lisa Harris is a CLHMS GUILD Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist serving Apalachee Farms, Dacula, and Northeast Metro Atlanta's premier golf course and country club communities. With nearly 20 years of experience, an engineering degree, and an MBA, she has sold in Apalachee Farms for 19 years and lived in the neighborhood for 10. Her work has been featured in RISMedia, Realtor.com, Inc. magazine, and Atlanta News First.
Information believed to be accurate but not guaranteed. The HOME Act (SB 33) was signed May 11, 2026 and makes the statewide base-year homestead exemption from HB 581 mandatory for all Georgia counties, cities, and school districts starting with the 2027 tax year, capping taxable assessed value growth at the rate of inflation. Inflation index set by the Georgia Department of Revenue; 2.7% was set for the 2026 digest year. Gwinnett County government and Gwinnett County Public Schools previously opted out of HB 581; SB 33 removes all local opt-outs. This guide is not tax or legal advice. For your specific property, confirm your homestead exemption status with the Gwinnett County Tax Assessor and consult a qualified tax professional. Contact Lisa Harris for current market information.