Clay County property taxes

Clay County — Orange Park, Fleming Island, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs and Keystone Heights on Jacksonville's southwest side — sits in the middle of the state on average total millage. Most residents live outside its four towns, where the county's own fire, law-enforcement and services levies take the place of a city rate, so an unincorporated bill and a city bill differ by less than the city millage alone suggests.

The 2025 numbers

Clay County's average total millage on the 2025 certified roll is 15.3466 mills — about $15.35 for every $1,000 of taxable value — the 36th-highest countywide average of Florida's 67 counties (how all 67 compare in the 2025 data study). It splits like this:

A countywide average is a planning number, not your bill: the parcel's own districts set its millage (the city table below shows the spread), and non-ad-valorem assessments (fire, solid waste, CDD) come on top. On the 2025 tax roll they came to about $75.2 million here — $717 per parcel, against $597 statewide (see the 2025 non-ad valorem study).

2025 rate decisions. The county commission set its 2025 operating rate at 5.5471 mills (2024: 5.5471), above its rolled-back rate of 5.2684, so under Florida law it was a tax increase. The 2025 millage study lists all 5 county, city and district operating rates in Clay County on the state's report, and the vote each one took.

Orange Park, Green Cove Springs and Clay County tax rates (2025)

Actual 2025 rates by city, from the Clay County 2025 final millage rates, as filed with the Florida Department of Revenue.

Totals in this table run from 15.2523 mills (Unincorporated Clay) to 19.3581 mills (Penney Farms): on $100,000 of taxable value, location alone moves the bill by about $411 a year.

Every Clay parcel pays the county's 5.5471 mills, 6.2720 for the school board and the St. Johns River Water Management District's 0.1793 — 11.9984 in all. Unincorporated parcels — Fleming Island, Middleburg, Oakleaf and most of the county — add the fire MSTU (0.5048), the law enforcement MSTU (2.4014), conservation land (0.2000) and unincorporated services (0.1477). Orange Park pays none of those; Green Cove Springs pays the fire levy, and Keystone Heights and Penney Farms pay fire and law enforcement on top of their own rates.

Flat fees on top of the millage

These are charged per home, not by value, so the same dollars land on a $200,000 house and a $900,000 one. Per single-family or mobile home on the 2025 bill:

From the county’s schedule of fees, held at the same amounts for the 2025 and 2026 bills. Green Cove Springs and Orange Park collect their own garbage. The property-tax lookup adds them for a home in these areas; condos, land and CDD charges can differ.

Trash pickup. In Clay County, homes outside city limits get garbage service this way: county contract or franchise hauler (FCC Environmental). Cities run their own service. Check the official page, or compare every county in the trash pickup study. Look up a home’s pickup day by address.

Fire and trash fees. On Clay County's 2025 tax roll, there were no fire assessments and solid-waste assessments came to about $250 per parcel (statewide: $172). The 2025 fire and trash fee study compares all 67 counties. It also lists the yearly charge on a single-family home in Unincorporated Clay.

Amendment 3 here. The state's Revenue Estimating Conference puts the cut to Clay County's local governments at $79 million a year once Amendment 3 is fully in effect ($43 million in its first year), out of about $11.83 billion statewide. A homestead assessed at $300,000 would save about $1,802 a year here from 2028, at the county's average non-school rate. The Amendment 3 by county study shows what it would cut for every city and county government.

What that means in dollars

Engine-computed examples at Clay County's average millage, using the school/non-school split above:

Homestead rows apply only the $25,000 exemption (§196.031(1)(a)) and the additional exemption up to $26,411 on non-school levies (§196.031(1)(b), 2026 CPI-indexed). Other programs stack on top; the buyer estimator models all eleven.

Buying in Clay County? The listing's bill is not your bill

At sale the assessment resets to market (§193.155), so your first Clay County bill tracks your price, not the seller's (the reset question below has the county's gap in dollars). Run the buyer estimator with Clay County pre-selected; moving a Florida homestead? The portability calculator computes what carries over.

USDA income limits in Clay County

USDA's guaranteed home loan caps household income by county. In Clay County the limit is $125,000 for households of 1 to 4 and $165,000 for 5 to 8, counting everyone who will live in the home after small deductions (USDA's income worksheet, October 2026). That is above the $122,800 most Florida counties share, because the area's incomes run higher. The home also has to be in an eligible area: the USDA eligibility lookup checks an address and runs the income check. Other counties: all 67 USDA limits.

Key Clay County property tax dates

Set by state law, so identical statewide:

• Pay early, pay less: the 2026 bill is 4 percent off through November, stepping down each month until it is due by March 31 (the exact dates).
• Homestead exemption: live there on January 1 and file with the Clay County Property Appraiser by March 1 (what it saves).
• Value appeals: 25 days from the mailing date on your August TRIM notice (make a reminder for your deadline).

Add the 2026 tax discount dates to your calendar Add the 2027 homestead dates

Nearby counties

• Baker County property taxes — 14.6131 mills average
• Bradford County property taxes — 16.5732 mills average
• Duval County property taxes — 17.894 mills average
• Putnam County property taxes — 17.7142 mills average
• St. Johns County property taxes — 13.9738 mills average

Related reading

Your TRIM notice, explained · Amendment 3, explained · Homestead exemption calculator · Pay early, keep 4 percent

Buying here? Estimate your closing costs

Title insurance calculator · Documentary stamp (deed tax) calculator · Full closing cost worksheet · Seller net sheet

Look up an actual Clay County record

Search any Clay County address in the property-tax lookup, or go straight to the county's own offices:

• Property Appraiser: www.ccpao.com
• Tax Collector: www.claycountytax.com

Estimates on this page are planning figures from official DOR millage data — never a bill, never tax advice. The county's TRIM notice and tax bill control.

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Quick answers

How much is property tax in Clay County?

Clay County's average total millage is about 15.35 mills — the 36th-highest of Florida's 67 counties. On a $300,000 assessed home that computes to roughly $3,981 a year with the homestead exemption, or about $4,604 without it. Clay County — Orange Park, Fleming Island, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs and Keystone Heights on Jacksonville's southwest side — sits in the middle of the state on average total millage. Most residents live outside its four towns, where the county's own fire, law-enforcement and services levies take the place of a city rate, so an unincorporated bill and a city bill differ by less than the city millage alone suggests.

Where do I pay my Clay County property tax bill?

Clay County property tax bills are issued and collected by the county Tax Collector (www.claycountytax.com). The county Property Appraiser (www.ccpao.com) keeps the certified value record behind it; the property-tax lookup here finds both for any Clay County address.

Will buying a home reset my property taxes in Clay County?

Yes — Florida assessed values reset to market value at sale (Fla. Stat. §193.155), so the seller's Save Our Homes cap ends at closing and your first full Clay County bill is computed from what you paid, not what the seller paid. The gap is visible in this county's own numbers: the same $300,000 home computes to about $4,604 without homestead protections versus $3,981 with them. Non-homestead property carries its own separate 10 percent assessment cap (Fla. Stat. §193.1554), which also does not transfer.

Who pays for title insurance in Clay County?

In Clay County, local custom puts the owner's title-insurance premium on the seller's side of the closing statement, as in most Florida counties. It is custom, not law; the contract controls.

What is the USDA income limit in Clay County?

For a USDA guaranteed loan in Clay County, household income must be under $125,000 for 1 to 4 people or $165,000 for 5 to 8, counting everyone who will live in the home after small deductions. The home must also be in a USDA eligible area; the USDA eligibility lookup checks both.

What is the property tax rate in Orange Park?

Orange Park's 2025 total property tax rate is 17.9484 mills, per Clay County's 2025 final millage filing — about $1,795 for every $100,000 of taxable value. It includes the town's own 5.9500 mills; most unincorporated Clay parcels total 15.2523.